50 Best Short Hikes: Yosemite National Park and Vicinity leads hikers of all skill levels to some of the most stunning landscapes Yosemite has to offer including: bubbling alpine creeks, smooth glaciated slabs, giant sequoias, deep dark blue lakes, and rock as far as the eye can see. In addition to in-depth hike descriptions, the author has also included information about the parks natural history, complex landscape, and its human history. Additional information includes tips on keeping yourself and your family safe, the park's natural predators, and helpful weather information.

The Essential Guide for Hikers, Backpackers, and Equestrians Yosemite National Park is a hiker’s paradise. Many people return time and again to experience its multifaceted landscapes. With 800-plus miles of maintained trails and several hundred more just beyond the park’s boundaries, the options for exploration are endless. It would take years to visit every corner of the park—yet each trail yields new wonders to admire. Fortunately, expert hiker Elizabeth Wenk helps you choose where to go and what to see in this meticulously updated guidebook. Yosemite National Park describes almost every trail in Yosemite and most of the trails just outside the park. The routes are divided into 96 trips of varying length and difficulty, each with a standalone map that complements the author’s trip description. Take in the stunning views of the Pothole Dome hike in less than an hour. Plan a family backpacking trip along the remarkably flat Twenty Lakes Basin. Enjoy endless views of El Capitan on the Valley Loops Trail. Discover granite slabs, subalpine lakes, rugged peaks, and endless flowers on the Clark Range Circuit. This classic book leads you to sequoias, waterfalls, and canyons in Yosemite and the surrounding Emigrant, Hoover, and Ansel Adams wilderness areas. In this book you’ll find 96 routes along popular and less-frequented trails Detailed trip narratives that let you know what to expect At-a-glance icons highlighting the best spots for views, camping, swimming, and more Comprehensive information on lodging, permits, and other park activities Descriptions of the region’s history, geology, flora, and fauna BONUS: This guide comes with the Yosemite National Park and Vicinity Topographic Map—a separate, foldout, full-color map that shows roads, campgrounds, restricted areas, and all major trails in the park and its surroundings. If you’re planning a visit to Yosemite, you must have this book!

A guide for families and other busy people who want to explore the Sierra Nevada's three national parks on foot, but don't have the time for a multi-day backpacking trip. Includes information on park facilities and accommodations, and tips for hiking with children. Each hike description lists mileage, difficulty, elevation gain and a "child rating," indicating the age range for which the trail is best suited. Custom maps show all the routes.

* A collection of 100 of the Yosemite area's best hikes * 110 color photographs and 102 color maps* Includes popular trails located outside the boundaries of Yosemite National Park* Winner of the National Outdoor Book Award for best "Adventure Guidebook"Yosemite National Park is a hiking destination know world round and this guidebook provides directions to the best trails Yosemite has to offer.Virtually all the hikes in this book are readily accessible from major arterials, andthere are explicit trailhead directions for each hike. The hikes in 100 Hikes in Yosemite National Park are divided into eight geographical regions. The regions approximate a counterclockwise loop, starting from the southeast and finishing in the southwest. Each hiking chapter is broken up in three basic parts: the information block, which helps you size up the hike by telling you how to get there and what to expect; the opening, which gives you a feel for what the hike is like; and the body, which describes the landmarks and trails, providing a blow-by-blow account of the actual hike, preceded by trailhead directions. You'll learn where the tough spots are on the trail, how much shade is available, and the locations of important Yosemite landmarks and special scenes you won't want to miss.Roughly a third of the hikes in this book are located just outside the park boundaries, and about half of those lead into the Yosemite National Park. A handy trail index helps hikers choose from trails ranging in difficulty from "cakewalk to butt-kicker." With extensive facts about plants, wildlife, and geological features as well as local history, each hike in this guidebook is loaded with outdoor entertainment and information.

Four million outdoor adventurers visit California’s Yosemite National Park each year, drawn to the park’s spectacular scenery, vast swaths of wilderness, and extensive trail system. Yosemite Adventures offers a unique approach to exploring the park by presenting the area as a varied, year-round playground appropriate for recreationists of all abilities and interests. In addition to hiking and backpacking trips, readers will enjoy descriptions of skiing, snowshoeing, rock/mountain climbing, and fishing outings. Each of the 50-plus adventures—which have all been completed by the author—include photographs; detailed maps; elevation profiles; and a wealth of insider tips about recommended gear, permits, food, and campsites for a successful outing. The book promises to be a must-have resource for Yosemite’s vast legion of avid outdoor recreation enthusiasts.

In the classic nature work, The Yosemite, the great American naturalist, John Muir, describes the Yosemite valley's geography and the myriad types of trees, flowers, birds, and other animals that can be found there. The Yosemite is among the finest examples of John Muir nature writings.The Yosemite is a classic nature/outdoor adventure text and a fine example of John Muir nature writings. In this volume, Muir describes the Yosemite valley's geography and the various types of trees, flowers and animals that can be found there. John Muir (April 21, 1838 - December 24, 1914) was a Scottish-American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher and early advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United States. His letters, essays, and books telling of his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, have been read by millions. His activism helped to preserve the Yosemite Valley, Sequoia National Park and other wilderness areas. The Sierra Club, which he founded, is a prominent American conservation organization. The 211-mile (340 km) John Muir Trail, a hiking trail in the Sierra Nevada, was named in his honor.[2] Other such places include Muir Woods National Monument, Muir Beach, John Muir College, Mount Muir, Camp Muir and Muir Glacier. In Scotland, the John Muir Way, a 130 mile long distance route, was named in honor of him. In his later life, Muir devoted most of his time to the preservation of the Western forests. He petitioned the U.S. Congress for the National Park bill that was passed in 1890, establishing Yosemite National Park. The spiritual quality and enthusiasm toward nature expressed in his writings inspired readers, including presidents and congressmen, to take action to help preserve large nature areas. He is today referred to as the "Father of the National Parks" and the National Park Service has produced a short documentary about his life. Muir has been considered 'an inspiration to both Scots and Americans'. Muir's biographer, Steven J. Holmes, believes that Muir has become "one of the patron saints of twentieth-century American environmental activity," both political and recreational. As a result, his writings are commonly discussed in books and journals, and he is often quoted by nature photographers such as Ansel Adams. "Muir has profoundly shaped the very categories through which Americans understand and envision their relationships with the natural world," writes Holmes. Muir was noted for being an ecological thinker, political spokesman, and religious prophet, whose writings became a personal guide into nature for countless individuals, making his name "almost ubiquitous" in the modern environmental consciousness. According to author William Anderson, Muir exemplified "the archetype of our oneness with the earth", [ while biographer Donald Worster says he believed his mission was "...saving the American soul from total surrender to materialism." 403 On April 21, 2013, the first ever John Muir Day was celebrated in Scotland, which marked the 175th anniversary of his birth, paying homage to the conservationist. Muir was born in the small house at left. His father bought the adjacent building in 1842, and made it the family home.

Utah's five national parks--Arches, Bryce, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion--hold some of the most awe-inspiring geology on the planet. Each park offers visitors the dramatic scenery that invites exploration and discovery. In 50 Best Short Hikes in Utah's National Parks, veteran hiking guide Greg Witt shares the best routes in each park, hikes that are both "must see" and accessible. Park visitors who are short on time will find this book to be the ideal traveling companion, because it quickly helps readers identify the hikes and sights that will make the best use of their time and provide maximum enjoyment. Each hike in the book includes distances, highlights, area maps, and easy-to-follow trailhead directions to make hike selection fast and efficient. Once on the trail, the detailed maps, route description, and interpretive details insure that hikers get the most out of their trip. Even avid hikers and experienced desert explorers will find new insights and discoveries as Witt's interesting and approachable style details the geologic forces that created this landscape. He brings to life the human history--prehistoric cliff-dwellers, native tribes, ranchers, farmers, loggers, miners, and outlaws--that adds to the color of the Colorado Plateau where these five parks are set.