Yosemite: The Complete Guide: Yosemite National Park

Bought this book back in March for a trip in early May. At the time, there was only one review, but I bought it anyway as it was the most recently published guide available. Wow - the day it arrived, I sat down and read it front to back. The history of the park, the geology, the history of the Native Americans who lived on the land ... I was so impressed that it was more than just a "camp here" and "eat here" kind of guide. What this book has over the others out there: - The most gorgeous photos. It made me giddy with excitement to go and see those places for myself! - a small but helpful section with pictures of the most common wildlife and plantlife that you encounter in the park (ended more than one debate about "what flower is this?!") - Information about the native tribes' names and legends for the features in the park, or other important history of a particular place, highlighted in boxes set off from the main text. - A sizeable section on the High Sierra Camps and hikes around them. Absolutely made me want to do the whole circuit (maybe next year...) - This guidebook was clearly a labor of love for the author. This wasn't compiled from a bunch of staff travel writers ... it was written by someone who obviously knows the park extremely well and has chosen to highlight only the best parts, to give readers the best experience in Yosemite. Why this might not be the book for you: - There are no compass markings on the detailed mini-maps. This bothered others in my group more than me. - Very few details on lodging. Not a problem for me, as I already had accomodations booked, and the lodging choices in the park are few anyhow, but this book is better for planning your TRIP, not your STAY. - The descriptions of the hikes are kind of vague. If you are going to Yosemite to back-country hike, this isn't the book for you. If you want the best day (or 2-day) hikes, he hits the great ones. I was relieved to see how well-marked they are once you're on the trail. I thought this guidebook was absolutely cream of the crop. So did my mother and sister-in-law - they each wanted to steal it from me and keep it as a coffee table book! (I bought them each a copy once we returned home)

A great general information/guide book for Yosemite. I highly recommend this book for everyone. If you haven't been to Yosemite before, you get high quality photos of what is to come and some great general trail information to help plan your trip. If you have been, it is still a good buy as it is more than just a trail guide. The first 100 pages provide history and geology of the area and are a quick but fun read. In my opinion, it is just a great overall book to own. I plan to purchase the author's books about other National Parks in the future. I also purchased the Moon book for Yosemite. It has more details on hikes, but for the average vacationer, I think this book is better.

I purchased several books on Yosemite and found this one to be the easiest to read and most useful.

The quintessential Yosemite book! A must for every visitor. James Kaiser exposes his readers to the true essence of the park like none other. His words and photos are truly captivating.

This is a wonderfully written, easy to follow guide book to Yosemite. If you have not already been there you will surely want to go and you will know exactly what to do when you get there. Superb photography too.