Top Trails of Arizona: Includes Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, Monument Valley, Vermilion Cliffs, Havasu Falls, Antelope Canyon, and Slide Rock

This slim book is a truly great value. First of all, it covers far more than the title suggests, but Top Trails of the Tri-State Area Centered on Northern Arizona would probably not be as catchy! Secondly, the introductory general advice shows that the author is an experienced hiker and could even potentially save your life.Each chapter is succinct and follows the same format. First there is a one-page summary of practical information. My only quibble here is that instead of referencing routes from nearby cities the reader may be unfamiliar with, it may have been simpler to just say “coming from the west, east, etc.” Then there is a concise but very helpful section called What Makes This Hike Special which realistically summarizes what the experience is like at each site. This is particularly valuable for very popular sites like Grand and Antelope Canyons. I would not have otherwise been prepared for the crowds at the latter. This is followed by detailed descriptions of the trails themselves. There are not a lot of illustrations, but this will help preserve your wonder at what you will see, while giving more than enough detail to help you decide which trail suits you. For me, that is the primary and best use for a guidebook. The fact that the author shares part of his proceeds to help fund the national parks that protect these sites increases my esteem even further!

I love hiking guides, and use them to plan my vacations, but this is not a hiking guide, or at least not entirely. And the title is somewhat misleading. It is not a listing of "top trails" in Arizona. Normally, this would result in a poor review from me, but I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. What it is is a travel guide to the Grand Circle, the national parks, monuments, historic sites, state and Navajo Parks of the Grand Circle. And it is both comprehensive and exciting. Simply put, I love this book and am already planning my Spring Break and June hikes for next year around its contents.Author Eric Henze essentially lists every park in northern Arizona, southern Utah, and eastern Nevada in this book, which is actually only part of the series. Since the title features the word "trails" so prominently in the title he does nicely cover the more popular trails in these regions as well as tell you where you can find some degree of solitude. (I loved the point the author belabored in the introduction though. If a guidebook is telling you about a "secret" place to escape crowds, then its not secret. The way to escape crowds is to take long and rigorous hikes. But I personally find that's overrated anyway; a short and beautiful nature trail, even with lots of people, can still be very enjoyable.) But the book isn't just about hiking, and in many cases the trail descriptions vanish altogether. There are, after all, no trails to speak of at Four Corners, Hubbel Trading Post, etc. But this book is never really entirely about hiking anyway. Henze lists just about every recreational activity you can do at each location: rafting, fishing, photography, history exhibits. It is simply a cornucopia of information on what could easily be the trip (or trips) of a lifetime. Reading the book I discovered dozens of places I was barely aware of, and based on my experience, found very few places the author missed. (The only one that comes to mind in fact is Hualapi Mountain Park near Kingman. This is a worthwhile stop to see some classic Island Peak habitats.) In short, this book allows almost anyone, even the differently abled, to tailor an outdoor vacation to their desires and abilities.So why only 4 stars? This is clearly a 5 star book. The reason is the title misleads the casual reader looking for a book on hiking in Arizona. Only half the state is covered and if you are looking to hike throughout the state, you will miss the Phoenix Parks, Saguaro National Park near Tucson, Oregon Pipes National Monument, and much more. And it may miss the target audience. I purchased the book thinking it was a guide to Arizona, while in fact it only covered half the state. But what I got was so much better. I got a comprehensive travel guide to the parks of (much of) the Grand Circle. And what a pleasant surprise this was!

I just glanced at this it was a gift for a friend.

The phots are great and there are plenty of ideas for what to look for when visiting Arizona. Happy we bought the book.

Comprehensive guide book, made use of it on a recent visit to Arizona and Utah. Plenty of great photos.