Lonely Planet’s Yosemite, Sequoia Kings Canyon National Parks is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Climb Half Dome, gaze at Mono Lake, and
My interest in visiting Yosemite lead me to this travel guide. The Origin of the word Yosemite is quite interesting taking me back to the works of Lafayette Bunnell in 1851, the Mariposa War and the Miwok tribes. This guide is filled with wonderful photography; the giant sequoias are beautiful. The Yosemite village environment pictures are great A little history and the best forest, driving and geologic experiences are included. Bits of information, such as that of the 4000 year-old weathered and twisty bristlecone pines, and the Sequoia National park being established in 1890. Interesting stuff! And the best is a suggested full itinerary with time lines and preparation. March or April are good months, with comfortable temperatures.
This provided very useful and detailed information for upcoming Yosemite trip. Disclaimer: I only read the Yosemite section. I enjoyed some of the detailed descriptions of the hiking trails and such.
Very helpful guide but now I definitely want to do everything in Yosemite! Would have appreciated more rankings/reviews to help with decisions. Liked the slim form factor but wish it had more pictures, although I realize some people (my wife included) prefer to be surprised at first sight.
(Note: Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program) Lonely Planet makes some of the best guide books you are likely to find, probably due to the fact that the authors of each book have extensive first-hand experience from the location they are visiting, and this one about the Yosemite, Sequoia and King's Canyon National Parks is no exception. Just about everything you would want to know is in here. You're at Tenaya Lake? This guide will give you information about it along with any activities to plan while your there. Bringing a dog? Lonely Planet will fill you in on any policies the parks will have to offer. Only have one day to spend? The front of the book offers some suggested routes to follows and things to see for however long you;re going to be there and for however much you have in your pocket. And, for those interested in the parks themselves, their history, geology, etc. this guide provides a 20+ page section on all of that. Not enough to make you as knowledgeable as a Park Ranger, but enough to know what you're looking at when you enter the park. Especially welcome is a calendar of seasonal activities and tips to help you plan your trip for any time in the year. All of that in in about 250+ pages too! I think the only thing missing that would have made this guide book perfect is some topographically accurate maps for use when your hiking or backpacking. The guide does include maps, but not the kind you could use should you get lost and somehow misplaced the map the park would've (or should've) provided you with when you entered. Still, this guide is a must have for anyone who is going to the parks for the first time or who have been there already and want to see new things the parks has to offer.