USA National Parks: Lands of Wonder

Since DK previously published the excellent  America's National Parks , I had high hopes for their latest book about the National Parks. I was disappointed to find that it doesn’t do anything particularly well. It is not clear what the point of this book is, since there are already many great books about the National Parks. I’ll suggest a few of them.Previous reviewers described DK Eyewitness USA National Parks as more textbook than coffee table book or guidebook. In fact, as textbook, it would be a failure, as the information is rather superficial and there are so many imprecisions. Robert Sterling Yard is described as a photographer (p 22) but I’ll challenge you to show me a single photograph by him (he was a writer and editor). Despite the book limiting many immense National Parks to two pages, the authors insist on including text and a picture about Mono Lake in the Yosemite chapter, although Mono Lake is 15 miles outside of Yosemite National Park, and part of an entirely different ecosystem. In Glacier National Park, “Early in the day during the fall is prime time … bears aren’t yet out and about”. Bears are equally active at dawn and dusk, fortunately “the publishers cannot accept any responsibility for any consequences arising from the use of this book”. In Crater Lake National Park, "Watchman Peak is a prime spot for viewing the magical sunsets over the crater. You can trek … or just drive to the lookout”. Watchman Peak is west of the crater so you won’t see the sun setting over the crater from there, nor can you drive, since it is accessed by a steep trail. The Everglades chapter includes text and a picture of an airboat, however airboats are strictly prohibited within the boundaries of Everglades National Park as they tear down the sawgrass. It is suggested to “Climb through the Bear Gulch Cave to sight resident bats” in Pinnacles National Park, but whenever the bats take residence in the cave, the cave is closed to the public for their protection. I could point out many more errors. For a current book with encyclopedic information about the National Parks, I recommend instead  National Geographic Atlas of the National Parks  written in depth by a former ranger (like the previous DK book) who knows what is he writing about.As a coffee table book, the DK Eyewitness USA National Parks just doesn’t work. The photos frequently include people and are illustrative rather than artistic. Unlike other DK Eyewitness books that are printed on glossy paper, this one is printed on matte paper, and it makes the photos look dull. The design is dated. Photos are too small. For a beautiful coffee-table book that is also very informative in its own way, I recommend instead  Treasured Lands: A Photographic Odyssey Through America's National Parks  gorgeously printed by a photographer who has spent a quarter century working in the National Parks.As a guidebook, the DK Eyewitness USA National Parks usefulness is limited. The “maps” only show a dot with the position of the park within neighboring states. The bits of travel tips, while interesting and promising, seem to be thrown in randomly, as they are totally inconsistent between parks. You’d think that they would indicate for each park at least the highlights, suggested activities, or best time of the year to visit, but those bits of information are present only for some parks and not others. I have hiked in many of the National Parks, and the author’s choices of a few hikes among dozens others often strike me as arbitrary. For a useful guidebook with an order of magnitude more information, I recommend instead  Your Guide to the National Parks  by a well-organized author who has personally visited each of the parks. America's National ParksNational Geographic Atlas of the National ParksTreasured Lands: A Photographic Odyssey Through America's National ParksYour Guide to the National Parks

This is a gorgeous book highlighting the US National Parks. The 62 parks are organized by year of establishment and there is an index in the back. The pictures are stunning and each park has several pages of valuable yet varying information ranging from wildlife, best times of year to visit, popular hikes, historical facts, etc. Perfect for someone wanting to visit or just learn more about the National Parks. Bought this as a gift but think I might be ordering another one for myself!

This is a great book that describes each of the 62 national parks. It's about the size of a laptop- too small to be a coffee table book. There's some great pictures, but they look bland printed on regular paper vs. glossy paper. Each park section is not consistent either. Some parks have 4-5 pages and others only 1 or 2.That being said, we will use this book to daydream about future trips so it was still a great purchase! There's nothing in it you can't find online, but it's nice to have it all in one book where you can mindlessly flip through on the couch vs. having to go find it from internet sources.

I bought this book as a gift for my wife for Christmas. She went to many National Parks when she was growing up and we want to do the same with our family. This book has great information about each park, along with fantastic photographs. This will be a treasured book in our family.

This book offers an overview of U.S.national parks, providing a history of the formation of each park and the impetus behind them. There are suggestions on what to explore, hiking trails, and other activities to consider when visiting a park. The guide is also flush with photographs of the beautiful sights.