Hiking Southwest Canyon Country

Visit pueblo ruins, admire striking arches, stroll through impressive river canyons, soak in rock art, take a backpacking trip, and more. From national parks (Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, Canyonlands, Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, and Petrified Forest, Capitol Reef) to national monuments (Natural Bridges, Canyon de Chelly, Bandelier, El Morro, Colorado, Dinosaur, and Bears Ears) to several state parks and more--the Four Corners region offers endless opportunities for explorers. Hiking Southwest Canyon Country has been helping visitors and locals plan for nearly thirty years! Beyond details on hikes and sights, author Sandra Hinchman shares helpful background on geology, climate, flora and fauna, Native cultures, and much more. For many hikes, notable nearby destinations offer even more choices for expanding your itinerary.

* More than 100 hikes included * Includes lesser-visited Dinosaur National Monument, Salinas National Monument, Snow Canyon State Park, and northern San Rafael Swel, as well as the major parks and wilderness areas * Includes trips in more recently designated national monuments and wilderness areas such as Grand Staircase-Escalante, Canyons of the Ancients, Black Ridge Canyons, and more Hiking the Southwest Canyon Country will take you from the Colorado Plateau to the Grand Canyon to the banks of the Rio Grande. Perfect for hikers off all levels, this guidebook features trips that highlight the dramatic scenery of the Four Corners Region, from waterfalls and natural bridges to slot canyons. Each itinerary offers options such as day hikes, backpacking trips, scenic drives, raft trips, and visits to archaeological sites. You'll find a "Best Places Adventure Chart" that compares features of hikes such as rock art, arches, and serene rivers.

This full-color guide covers 90 trails in southern Utah's spectacular canyon country that epitomize the "wonder of wilderness." The authors hiked more than 1600 miles through Zion, Bryce, Escalante-Grand Staircase, Glen Canyon, Grand Gulch, Cedar Mesa, Canyonlands, Moab, Arches, Capitol Reef, and the San Rafael Swell in order to compile their list of 90 WOW hikes. Coverage ranges from short dayhikes to multi-day backpacking adventures. The book describes precisely where to find the redrock cliffs, slick-rock domes, soaring arches, and ancient ruins that make southern Utah unique. And it does so in a refreshing style--honest, literate, entertaining, and inspiring.

To hike and explore the southwest canyon country is to experience a world unlike any other, and award-winning author Brian Lane places his nearly twenty years experience hiking throughout this area to good use in detailing day hikes and backpacking excursions. Covering the ancient physiographic Colorado Plateau, the region today known colloquially as the Four Corners encompasses eight national parks, ten national monuments and a national recreation area. To hike and explore the southwest canyon country is to experience a world unlike any other, and award-winning author Brian Lane places his nearly twenty years experience hiking throughout this area to good use in detailing trails, permits and logistics, safety concerns, proper gear, wildlife and geology, and contact information for local services. The book includes detailed maps and trailhead directions, as well as beautiful color photographs which will kindle the desire to trek this area yourself.

Discover soaring sandstone cliffs, ancient rock-art, sun-baked desert, and open woodlands of pinyon and juniper. Up-to-date trail and campground information are featured in this second edition and 124 different hikes are detailed. Includes descriptions of desert geology, plants and animals, and a topographic map for each hike.