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National Geographic Complete National Parks of the United States Hardcover – February 16, 2010
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“A dandy book designed for armchair adventurers who like lots of choices when pondering their next excursion.” –Seattle Times
"It's rare that I travel to any destination without visiting a national park nearby...This is a guide to all of them, with awesome photos." -- San Antonio Express News
"It's rare that I travel to any destination without visiting a national park nearby...This is a guide to all of them, with awesome photos." -- San Antonio Express News
About the Author
Mel White has written or contributed to more than 15 National Geographic books, including the two-volume Guide to Birdwatching Sites and the Guide to America’s Outdoors: Southwest, and has contributed more than 50 articles to the Society’s magazines, National Geographic and National Geographic Traveler.
More About the Author
Mel White has written or contributed to more than 15 National Geographic books, including the two-volume Guide to Birdwatching Sites and the Guide to America's Outdoors: Southwest, and has contributed more than 50 articles to the Society's magazines, National Geographic and National Geographic Traveler.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
96 of 96 people found the following review helpful
By
Ursiform
TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE VOICE on February 16, 2010
Format: Hardcover
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While called the "Complete National Parks of the United States", it covers everything managed by the National Parks Service; the cover boasts "Featuring 400+ Parks, Monuments, Battlefields, Historic Sites, Scenic Trails, Recreation Areas, and Seashores". While it may get a "A" for completeness, at a little over 500 pages don't expect comprehensive coverage of over 400 sites.
Many of the entries are covered in half a page, often without a photo. Even the major parks and monuments only get a few pages. (Yosemite and Yellowstone get about four pages each.) While it may be useful for finding out about a site near where you live or are planning to visit, for anything but quick stops you'll want to find a more comprehensive guide. Think of this book as a compendium of abstracts of sites you might want to learn more about rather than a guide to those sites and your expectations should be met.
Many of the entries are covered in half a page, often without a photo. Even the major parks and monuments only get a few pages. (Yosemite and Yellowstone get about four pages each.) While it may be useful for finding out about a site near where you live or are planning to visit, for anything but quick stops you'll want to find a more comprehensive guide. Think of this book as a compendium of abstracts of sites you might want to learn more about rather than a guide to those sites and your expectations should be met.
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26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
By
J. Lindner
on March 5, 2010
Format: Hardcover
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This book lives up to its billing as it covers all properties managed by the National Park service. Of course it is time locked in that sooner or later it will be obsolete. But for now, this is as good a reference book as you will find on this subject. I agree with other reviewers that it is lacking in photographs. Since National Geographic is famous for its photos, a few more pages and a lot more photos would have been nice, but then the cost would be more. However, National Geographic isn't bashful about what it charges for other books they put out so the lack of photos is a bit confusing.
But if a picture is worth a thousand words, the lack of pictures forces good descriptive text. Here is where this book shines. The author has written just enough text to give the reader sufficient information about the site. But in most cases that is adequate to determine whether that site appears on one's travel agenda or not.
Several of the major national parks have much more coverage, and the accompanying photos that bring those entries to life. These are what makes this book worth the money. One can reader about the park and get detailed information on any driving or hiking tours the site may offer. One could really plan an itinerary from the information provided by this book.
So from the obscure (I had never heard of some of the sites listed) to the well known, this book does live up to its title. It is, at least for the time being, the "complete" national parks reference book.
But if a picture is worth a thousand words, the lack of pictures forces good descriptive text. Here is where this book shines. The author has written just enough text to give the reader sufficient information about the site. But in most cases that is adequate to determine whether that site appears on one's travel agenda or not.
Several of the major national parks have much more coverage, and the accompanying photos that bring those entries to life. These are what makes this book worth the money. One can reader about the park and get detailed information on any driving or hiking tours the site may offer. One could really plan an itinerary from the information provided by this book.
So from the obscure (I had never heard of some of the sites listed) to the well known, this book does live up to its title. It is, at least for the time being, the "complete" national parks reference book.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By
S. Zimmer
on March 25, 2010
Format: Hardcover
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Not too in-depth on each site, but I purchased the book because of how inclusive it was of more than just national parks. I was not disappointed. Overall, I am still very satisfied. It is a great resource to have.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By
Midwest Book Review
on May 18, 2010
Format: Hardcover
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Complete National Parks of the U.S. is a 'must' for any collection catering to domestic travelers. While many competing books on the nation's parks are in print, this one differs with its inclusion of monuments, battle sites, scenic trails, and seashores with in-depth visiting details paired with color photos. Discussions of how to best view the park offer details not just on the park, but surrounding natural attractions. A powerful pick.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By
Silvia M. Unzueta
on July 12, 2010
Format: Hardcover
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An excellent synopsis of all United States national parks and historic trails/national monuments. It allows you to plan your visits to those Parks. The regional selection allows you to group them in such a way to make your trips more focused. Excellent guide for those interested in National Parks.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By
R. G. W. Brown
on June 24, 2010
Format: Hardcover
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A useful Directory of what's out there in the USA in National Parks. Lots more detail at their individual websites, by Googling them, but these brief descriptions give you enough of their flavor to make initial choices as to where to go.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By
Bob L.
on June 24, 2010
Format: Hardcover
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This book is full of great pictures, solid information, and it is extremely well organized.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By
Gary Keith
on November 14, 2013
Format: Hardcover
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National Geographic's Complete National Parks of the United States is a very good source of information for those interested in the "other" properties within the National Parks System. These would include National Monuments, National Seashores, National Lakeshores, National Historic Trails, National Battlefields, National Recreation Areas, etc. If you are looking for a helpful resource for National Parks, this book probably won't be good for you. They do have some information on all 58 of the National Parks but it is very limited. The book is divided up into ten different regions. It is nice to be able to see all that is located within a specific region. My only complaints with this book is that it is too large and heavy to take with you on the road. Also, I wish it had more than 521 pages of information. Otherwise, this book is an excellent tool to use in discovering some of those "other" types of parks you may miss while out visiting the more popular parks. I can say that my visits to Cumberland Island National Seashore, Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, Gettysburg National Military Park, and Devil's Tower National Monument, rival some of the National Parks I've seen.
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