Book Reviews
Since maintaining this site is a spare-time activity (or, sometimes a way
to recover sanity from working too hard), we have not yet had a time to
visit every campground or hike every hike. We certainly are not experts
in all of the fields of natural history (plants, animals, geology, etc)
that apply to all of the hiking regions of New Mexico---nobody could.
We find that books provide a good reference when looking for background
about the natural and human history, as well as planning for new
hikes, camping, etc. We carry some of the natural history books with us
when we hike, as an aid for identifying what we see.
As we have time, we will review all the books in our
reference library, with the hopes that you might pick the best books for
your library. Plus, purchasing books using the links here is one way
you can support this site.
Hiking
Gila Wilderness
The first designated wilderness in the world was the Gila, set up by the
US Congress in June 1924. At 558,065 acres (225,841 hectares), it is
the largest in New Mexico. All access to this vast area is via the trail
system; the elevation ranges from 5,700 to 10,770 ft (1,737 to 3,283 m),
with portions that are dry and nearly desert to rivers and sub-alpine
spruce and fir forests. This diversity means that information about the
trails is necessary for anybody wanting to visit the wilderness. Someday,
ExploreNM.com will have all of this information (but it
will take us a long while to hike every trail in the Gila Wilderness).
Until then, we have found two books that focus on hiking the Gila
Wilderness.
Note that these books are about hiking in the Gila Wilderness, and
therefore do not include the surrounding Gila National Forest, other
than the small parts you have to hike through in order to get to the
wilderness. The surrounding forest has many hikes that do not go into
the wilderness (some of which we have hiked, and they will eventually
appear at ExploreNM.com)
| Title |
The Gila Wilderness: A Hiking Guide |
Hiking New Mexico's Gila Wilderness |
| Author |
John A. Murray; from Alaska |
Bill Cunningham and Polly Burke; from Montana |
| Purchase links; a (small) portion of the purchase price
will support ExploreNM.com |
|
|
| Publisher |
University of New Mexico Press |
Falcon |
| Year |
1988 |
1999 |
| ISBN |
0-8263-1067-2 |
1-56044-738-9 |
| Pages |
243 |
339 |
| Size |
6 x 9 in |
6 x 9 in |
| Index |
Yes |
No |
| Number of hikes |
24 |
83 |
| Hike information |
- Trail name,
- USFS trail number,
- Start and end elevation,
- Vertical ascent (looks like highest - lowest, and not a cumulative
total over the hike),
- Length,
- Seasons to hike,
- Trail usage,
- Difficulty rating,
- USGS map list,
- Topographic map showing the trail,
- Trailhead access directions,
- Description of the hike,
- Photo (every hike has one).
|
- Trail highlights,
- Hike type (day hike or overnight),
- Length,
- Difficulty rating,
- Seasons to hike,
- Map list (including non-USGS maps),
- Special considerations about the hike (e.g., hazards, late snow, etc),
- Trailhead access directions,
- Trailhead facilities,
- Elevation profile of the hike (elevation at select points, joined by a
line),
- Description of the hike,
- Key points and their mileages,
- Overview map (not a topo, but a line drawing showing the relationship
of the trail to roads, other trails, and features),
- Options to change the type of hike, connect with other trails, etc.
- Some hikes have a photo.
|
| Photos, illustrations, etc |
B&W photos from each hike, B&W topo maps of each hike,
additional photos, graphs, and overview maps with the additional
information. |
B&W photos from selected hikes, B&W overview maps, hike
elevation profiles (elevation at select points, joined by a
line), a few additional graphics. |
| Additional features |
The additional features of this book are one of its strengths. This
book has 74 pages of extensive information about the natural history;
human history; and information about traveling in the Gila, such as
hazards, weather, hunting and fishing, archaeology, wilderness ethics;
a checklist of items to carry when hiking; a gazateer of wilderness
place names; checklists of the birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians,
fish, and plants; bibliography; and information about potential grizzly
bear reintroduction plans.
|
Brief overview of the area and its history, hike finder (hikes listed by
difficulty and type), wilderness ethics, hazards, bibliography, regional
contact names and addresses, and a checklist of items to carry when
hiking.
|
| Review of the book |
This book's strength is its overview of the Gila Wilderness. The author
is a professor, and his ability to perform research shows. Rarely do you
find a hiking book with so much background for the area you are hiking.
The natural and human history sections provide context for what you
will see as you are hiking (we really appreciate this, and stress it
in the hike descriptions we write at ExploreNM.com).
The presence of an index is useful when you are trying to find a specific
piece of information.
One question you should ask about any hiking book is, ``Did the
author(s) really hike the trails they describe?'' The information in
this book makes it clear that the author did, indeed, hike the trails.
This first-hand experience helps ensure that the data is reliable. In
checking the one trail that we have on ExploreNM.com,
(Little Bear Canyon from TJ Corral).
the information is correct, if a little light on details (but look at
the amount of detail and photos we normally provide about a hike,
more than any hiking book we have seen).
A weakness in this book is that it does not cover all of the trails.
I would guess that the book is the result of a summer of hiking
throughout the wilderness, a time insufficient to hike every trail.
Missing from this book is an overview map, showing the locations of each
of the described trails.
|
The 83 hikes in this book range from 2 miles to 59.5 miles in length.
Cunningham and Burke have rated them by difficulty, and a nice table
at the beginning sorts them by length, as well as special attractions
(hot springs, mountain peaks, canyons, etc). All of the hikes have
trail maps, references to topo maps, information about the trailhead
facilities, shuttle distances when appropriate, and key milestones
such as trail junctions that you will reach as you do the hike.
Some of the hikes also have black-and-white photos which illustrate
the hike. A nice feature in this book is an elevation profile of
every hike.
Some reader comments at
indicate that this book has inaccuracies. One of the claimed flaws
is a problem with the reader---confusing the Gila Wilderness with
the Gila National Forest (which includes the wilderness, but also
includes much more). Nobody gives other details about the perceived
problems, so it is difficult to confirm or deny the problems.
Only one of the hikes they describe overlaps with hikes we have hiked
(Little Bear Canyon from TJ Corral).
I found no inaccuracies in their description of this hike.
|
Camping
New Mexico has many public campgrounds. How do you know which ones are most
likely to provide you the camping experience you need? One possibility
is ExploreNM.com. However, we have not yet visited all
of the campgrounds, and not all of the data we have collected is up.
Therefore, you might want a guidebook to assist your camping planning.
| Title |
New Mexico Campgrounds: The Statewide Guide |
The Best in Tent Camping New Mexico |
| Author |
Christina Frain; from New Mexico |
Monte R. Parr; from New Mexico |
| Purchase links; a (small) portion of the purchase price
will support ExploreNM.com |
|
|
| Publisher |
Westcliffe Publishers |
Menasha Ridge Press |
| Year |
2008 |
| ISBN |
1-56579-436-2 |
0-89732-602-4 |
| Pages |
288 |
196 |
| Size |
5.5 x 8.5 in |
6 x 9 in |
| Index |
Yes |
Yes |
| Number of campgrounds |
175 |
50 |
| Campground information |
- Campground name,
- Location,
- Recreational opportunities (e.g., hiking, fishing, etc),
- Elevation,
- Number of sites,
- RV notes,
- Fee (only if there is a fee, not what it is),
- Season,
- Nearest supply center,
- Access road type,
- Map (from New Mexico Road and Recreation Atlas),
- Directions,
- Description,
- Name and phone number for the responsible agency,
- Ratings for Scenery, RV suitability, Tent suitability, Shade, Privacy,
Facilities, Campground activities, Area activities, and Wheelchair
accessibility.
|
- Responsible organization and their physical address, phone number,
and web address.
- When open for camping, and related relevant information
- Site count and if reservations are accepted,
- Amenities such as tables, fire rings, etc,
- Fee(s),
- Elevation,
- Pet, fire, etc restrictions,
- Directions on how to get there, including GPS coordinates,
- Often the campground descriptions have references to nearby
attractions,
- Water information,
- Nearest supply center,
- Ratings for Beauty, privacy, spaciousness, quiet, security, and
cleanliness.
|
| Photos, illustrations, etc |
1 color photo from almost every campground; some are of
the campground, some are a vista from the campground or related photo of
interest. The book has several other color photos as well. |
A campground map accompanies every description. No photos of
campgrounds.
|
Additional features |
Well-defined descriptions of how she rated the campgrounds;
Information about camping in New Mexico;
Camping recommendations for various activities or interests;
Sidebars about nearby sites or events you might want to know about.
|
An overview map showing the locations of the reviewed campgrounds;
A summary of why you might want to visit New Mexico (if you are here,
you probably know this :-);
Descriptions of the ratings, but not as well-defined as Frain's;
Information about camping on tribal lands (this feature is unique in my
knowledge);
Camping tips, including possible wildlife problems and how to deal with
them (e.g., bears);
Camping equipment checklist;
Sources of information (addresses, phone numbers, web sites for
organizations with campgrounds).
|
| Review of the book |
Frain has done an excellent job of creating a guide to all of the public
campgrounds in New Mexico. I like the look and feel, and I appreciate
the thought she has put into her ratings. Working on a similar project,
I understand that this is not as simple as it may seem initially.
I really like the fact that the photos in the book are color. I am sure
that this raises the price, but I feel the result is worth it. The
photos also provide evidence that she visited the campgrounds.
Comparing Frain's campground descriptions with those on ExploreNM.com, I was not able to find any errors in
the campground data or descriptions; I did discover some omissions
from the index which may lead you to think something is not covered.
In some cases it was interesting to read how the campground had
changed since our last visit.
|
If there is one word I would use to describe this book, it would be
"data". Parr has collected a substantial amount of data for the book.
The campground descriptions are often a continuous supply of data about
the campground. While this makes the writing often choppy, you will not
lack for details about the history, plant life, and other information
about expected experiences at the campground.
Tent campers will appreciate the attention to detail about the quality
of the sites from a tenting perspective. He also provides great
information about the separation between tent campers and the RVs.
Parr seems to assume that tent campers are quiet and RVs are noisy;
my experience is that either can be annoyingly loud. So, I recommend
this book for people who are not into (as part of the subtitle states):
concrete and loud portable stereos.
Comparing some of Parr's descriptions with those on ExploreNM.com, I see no disagreements with our data.
|
Biology
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