Hiking and Exploring the Paria River: Including the Story of John D. Lee & the Mountain Meadows Massacre

Husband wanted book, I ordered it. He likes it.

Found this guide book very helpful in a canyoneering trip down this nice canyon. I read the book before an April 2003 Paria Canyon trip starting at White House Trailhead and going all the way to Lee's Ferry. One thing was missing from my pack though....the book! My trip I carried the BLM map/travel guide you can purchase at the Paria Ranger Station. It was $8.00 and I had a detailed map with camp sites and all known streams for water. The Kelsey Book has little dots or symbols for the sites which were pretty useless when the maps are so small in print. I was glad on the trip I had the BLM Guide for the trip.Check the weather forecast before you leave and again at the ranger station. The summer of 2003 in September there were flash floods in the canyon from storms over 40 miles away! The Paria Ranger Station reports temperatures to the weather service and rain/snow amounts. You will have to go to noaa.gov site for the info. Enter Kanab or Salt Lake City in the today's forecast box and then at the bottom of the forecast page will be additional forecast info - press the forecast discussion. On the new page enter state summary and look on the page for Paria Ranger Station!! There the high and low's will be listed with any precipitation amounts. The ranger station calls in the info every day.Remember to pack the book for your trip to help you with your travels down this great canyon.

This book is outstanding. I'm an avid canyoneer and these books got me started. Many think they're too good. I follow the canyoneering boards and people consistently complain that Kelsey gives away too much information and allows, "just anyone who buys the book" to get in the deepest, darkets canyons. The land managers down right hate these books because people get into trouble. I think a good guidebook tells you about an area and it's up to the individual to be responsible and not exceed their abilities.Aside from the extermely thorough and detailed area information, Kelsey takes pains to explain the history of the area and to prepare you for what you need to do spend time in these strange lands. I have hundreds of guidebooks from around the world and none of them comes close to Kelsey's in these areas. They are a treat to read.There are a few quirky things about Kelsey's work. He lists everthing in metric. I agree this makes perfect sense from a technical (the rest of the world is metric and it makes much more sense) point of view but still have to do a poor job of converting everything back to miles in my head. It would be better to list miles in brackets after the kilometers. Kelsey is also (apparently) very fit because his hiking times are impressively rapid. I usually add 50% to his times to get a realistic estimate of how long it will take me. All in all, I couldn't recommend Kelsey's books more. He is an extremely hard working, dedicated author. His works are jewels for this area and will long be recognized as not only the geographical authority but also the historical authority in this wonderful part of the world. Buy everything he writes.

I have been down the Paria twice now and both times reading this book by Mr. Kelsey made for a well prepared and enjoyable desert hiking experience. Revisiting it last week before I took a solitary second trip on the river after 6 years was once again very valueable in final last minute preparations. His thoroughness in detail of vital survival information like the availibility and location of year round springs, the subtle physical description of the terrane and moisture conditions to be expected in some of the slot canyons, and his own exploration of side tributaries can help a hiker gain access to details she might miss otherwise and to remember to carry the appropriate gear. This book will enhance the overall appreciation of her experience. I laminated his detailed maps of the river before going on my first trip and again used them for this recent trip. I cannot stress how useful they are when you are out there in the wilderness and on your own. Really, get this book before you go.

Kelsey is an expert in this field. You cannot give him only one star just for not spelling photography right.