Travel to Montana

Hiking Glacier and Waterton Lakes National Parks (rev)

Format: Paperback
Author: Erik Molvar
ReleaseDate: 01 May, 1999
Publisher: Falcon
Rating:

Outstanding Guide
I spent several months planning the trip during the winter, and of the 3 books I used, this was by far the best resource. I used this guide to plan a 16 day backpacking trip in and around Glacier National Park. When I left for my trip I ended up leaving all the other books at home, but I made sure that this book was in my pack. Molvar has done an outstanding job and it is apparent that he has spent quite a bit of time exploring this area. .

Serviceable, Not Fantastic
With 2/3 of the park closed due to fire we were still able to select outstanding hikes and make good comparative decisions with this book and a topo. Why is it that such a spectacular hiking location has so little documentation? Are there really only a couple viable guide books? Well, we selected this one, and while not our favorite format, it passed a fairly difficult pragmatic test. The descriptions of the hikes are very good, the maps aren't bad (ridges are shaded and glaciers hatched, no topos) and the profiles (e. g. mileage vs elevation plots) provide very important information for a park where vertical gain is one of the central attractions and ridges must be traversed for nearly any destination. Photos are sparse and do not help as much as one would like with trail selection (few shots of destinations or views left me saying - `I have to see that, it will be well worth the 16 miles' - which is what I want from hiking guide photos) but on the whole this is a very serviceable book that was the primary guide to our great Glacier experience. .

Not your best choice
Glacier is one of the most stunningly gorgeous places in North America, but you'd never know it from this book. This is a weak hiking guide on all fronts. The black and white photographs are indifferent, at best, and the driving descriptions to each trailhead leave much to be desired. I know your national thought is, "How can I get lost in a National Park?" Well, you can get lost using the driving routes contained in this book. There are few warnings about the perils of encountering a grizzly on the trail (I know, I've had this happen to me at Glacier). The author suggests carrying pepper spray, but against a 2,000 pound animal, that won't do the trick.

Glacier deserves better than this rather boring and amemic effort.

Related products:
click image or link for details on these Montana travel books.

	Exploring Glacier National Park (Exploring Series)
	Best Easy Day Hikes Glacier and Waterton Lakes
	Glacier Day Hikes
	National Geographic Road Guide to Glacier and Waterton Lakes National Parks (NG Road Guides)
	Glacier-Waterton International Peace Park