Best Desert Hikes Book Cover
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Best Desert Hikes Washington is the best book I’ve found so far on hiking adventures in the Columbia Basin area and beyond. This book is more tailored to day hikes and hikes you can make in a few hours compared to other books I’ve reviewed which seem more geared towards more extensive journeys or backpacking trips. This book has small topographic maps of each hike along with length, difficulty, elevation, best time to hike and other useful information. The book is broken into different regions; Yakima/Ellensburg, Wenatchee, Tri-Cities and Spokane. In the Tri-Cities region, there are 26 hikes listed. They all appear to be within an hour and a half drive of the Tri-Cities and most are closer. This book is full of photos from the various hikes. Instructions on getting to the trailhead of some of the hikes can be a little confusing. This book is from the Mountaineers Books collection. The author is Dan Nelson, a seasoned hiker who grew up and lives in the Pacific Northwest. The book is 288 pages with a total of 100 hikes listed. Retail price is $16.95, well worth it in this hiker’s opinion.
Paul.
From the publisher: If you’re used to tight, tree-lined trails through (often-dripping) evergreens, it’s time to enter an entirely different world: the high desert of central and eastern Washington. It’s desert, yes-but not the Lawrence of Arabia kind. This landscape of sagebrush and rimrock canyons is starkly beautiful and rich in plant and animal life. It offers mild temperatures in fall, prime wildlife viewing in winter, and an explosion of wildflowers in spring.
Best Desert Hikes: Washington is a great way to extend your hiking through three-seasons-a Hikes at a Glance chart in the front of the book lists best time to go for each trail. Some of these hikes follow designated trails; others guide you along the contours of the land for a more individual experience. There are tips on hiking in desert conditions, too.
Alan L. Bauer and Dan A. Nelson first teamed together to write Best Loop Hikes: Washington. Bauer is a freelance photographer whose work has been published in Backpacker, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, and many other publications. Nelson is a contributor to The Seattle Times and Backpacker magazine, specializing in Northwest destinations and outdoor gear reviews.
· Prime hiking for fall, winter, and spring
· Organized by quick access from Spokane, the TriCities, Yakima-Ellensburg,
and Wenatchee-Chelan
· 100 hikes, from short half-day trips (1-5 miles) to overnighters