Backroads of the Great American West: Your Guide to Great Day Trips & Weekend Getaways

Just want friends wanted for upctroad trip

Two stars for the nice photos. But, I have 20/20 vision and couldnt read the tiny type on the maps. This is a gift for a 62 y.o. man, so I doubt he would be able to read it either. Also, who packages this stuff?! Someone needs to instruct them on how to mail a book. I got a huge box with a huge amount of paper and the book just floating around in there. Rediculous. Use a padded sleeve to mail a book.

gave this as a gift to family to help plan visits to us

This book was fun to read, but definitely not what I was expecting. What I was expecting was something formatted to be a travel guide, with information on destinations, routes, etc, since that's what's implied in the title. This book unfortunately did not really pull that off. Instead it has info on different routes/destinations in a paragraph format with pictures (albeit nicely printed pictures) with some maps and other info that really wouldn't be that helpful for a traveler. I do think it was still fun to look through because of the photos and info, especially for someone not as familiar with the West, but it's best as a coffee table book instead of an actual guide.

As someone who has spent 25 of their 27 years on Earth living in Utah I wanted to read this to see what made the cut. I have been to a number of the places featured on in this book. And I found it absolutely hilarious that they didn’t include Nevada when they featured literally every state around it except Idaho.This is not a typical travel book. The book provides a decent overview of each route and the history of the land and towns. But there is not tourist information like where to stay, where to eat, or even exact addresses for the locations featured. Also, as someone with a degree in Geography who is familiar with the area, I can tell you the maps in the books are not going to be helpful to anyone trying to navigate the routes without a GPS, which could be a problem as a lot of the routes featured do not have cell coverage.Now, specifically on to the Utah section, because that’s what I cared about the most. Their first drive is literally across the Great Basin from I-15 to the Nevada border, which is probably the ugliest part of the entire state. You’re going to see sagebrush and the occasional antelope. The start of that drive is literally 15 minutes from my house and yet I will not be doing it anytime soon because it sounds awful. The second drive is a mountain drive that takes you past where Butch Cassidy grew up. I think I’ve done this drive... I've been somewhere with ties to Butch Cassidy. The third drive I did this past fall that takes you from Bryce Canyon to Torrey (Capitol Reef National Park) through Grand Staircase which is spectacular. It specifically mentions the Hogback where literally you’re driving along and then both sides drop off and you realized you’re on top of a narrow mesa, it’s intense and gorgeous, and if you’re my dad it makes you swear. The fourth is the Potash road from Moab to Dead Horse Point. I’ve done part of this road and viewed the rest of it from above in Cayonlands National Park. It’s an intense 4 wheel drive road through beautiful red rock where you’ll pass arches, dinosaur footprints, and petroglyphs. It’s a really cool part of Moab. The last route is from Moab down to Monument Valley. I did this road in February and it’s really pretty in a desolate red-rock desert sort of way.The pictures are absolutely gorgeous and it did make me want to explore some of the places featured. Like is said above this book provides decent information, but I do think that most people would have difficulty navigating the routes by this book alone.

I jumped at the chance to read Backroads of the great American West. I've lived in the western USA for most of my life and was curious what roads and destinations would be featured. First the drives are organized by states and for whatever reason skips Nevada and Idaho. Secondly the photos are beautiful giving a glimpse of the scenery, landmarks and kitsch attractions you can see on your route. Lastly maps are given but some are of less use. Maps for a few states have the routes in bold while others give a general state map. (I'm seeing an ARC edition and this could change before publication.) It would be helpful to have more specific exit numbers, milage distance or GPS coordinates to follow.I was pleasantly surprised to see how many of the drives I have done in my lifetime. Many in California, Oregon and Colorado brought back good memories. I live in Utah and can say I've done all the drives they suggest, three in the last year alone. Not all are equal in beauty but that isn't what the book is highlighting. I love the Moab area and the Potash trail is amazing. It sits between two National Parks (Canyonlands and Arches). But the book doesn't mention you need a high clearance four wheel drive to take the trail. There are alternate routes on pavement for most of the views and highlights but again that isn't covered.Overall this is a pretty book with good suggestions for exploring different areas of states. A person would still need to make their own determination on time needed. Is this is a day trip drive, a weekend or longer? Also there are no recommendations of places to stay or eat. It still would be a great gift for the road warrior in your family.