Grand Canyon: The Complete Guide: Grand Canyon National Park

by James Kaiser

From river rafting to scenic fly-overs, the Grand Canyon offers a plethora of potential activities—but without careful planning, a trip to this much-visited national park can be overwhelming. This guide divides the attractions into sections—the North Rim, South Rim, Colorado River, and Havasu Falls—with lodging, dining, and camping information given for each. Outfitters for hiking, backpacking, mule rides, and rafting adventures are listed, and carefully researched chapters about the park's history, geology, and wildlife encourage leisurely study of the area's unmatched natural beauty. This book is the winner of the Benjamin Franklin Award for best full-color travel guide and the Independent Publisher Award for best travel guide. About The Complete Guides:With a large number of beautiful, high-quality color photographs, these guides are as browsable as the best coffee table books but also supply travelers with maps, travel tips, and extensive listings for lodging, camping, and sightseeing.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Natural History

316 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

James Kaiser is an award-winning travel writer and photographer. When not trotting the globe on assignment, he writes guidebooks to U.S. national parks. In 2005 his book Grand Canyon: The Complete Guide won the Benjamin Franklin Award for Best Full-Color Travel Guide and the Independent Publisher Award for Best Travel Guide. In 2006 he was a photographer for Yahoo! Sports at the Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy.

Reviews

[Zardoz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Used this guide to plan my Grand Canyon trip and it was very accurate and informative.

[Jeff Saltzmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book 15 years ago after my first visit to the Grand Canyon convinced I'd be back soon. I picked it up again in recent weeks and now I'm finishing it in the Mather Campground on the South Rim. Good information about the hikes and architecture. Phenomenal photography. Interesting history. I'm sharing the author's love of this wonderful place.

[Deedee · Rating 5 out of 5]

We spent a week at the Grand Canyon. We brought 3 guides with us: this one, Fodor's Arizona and the Grand Canyon 2008 and Insight Guides Arizona & the Grand Canyon. The only book we wound up using was this one. It told us everything we needed to know in an easily accessible format. Thanks!

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This gorgeous book is the ultimate guide to the Grand Canyon. The photographs are incredibly beautiful and capture many viewpoints of the canyon. It covers a huge amount of the history, science, and wildlife of the region. Kaiser also fills his book with practical "how to experience it" information and safety tips. If you are thinking about visiting this area specifically, I can't recommend any book more highly than this one.

[Tomek · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is a bit lacking in detailed information for more hardcore backpackers and seems more geared to the new hiker or first-time visitor. I wouldn't recommend it as a standalone guide to the Canyon, but it provides some good tips that complement to the Falcon Grand Canyon Hiking Guide, such as sunrise and sunset locations, insider photography suggestions, and tips for making reservations, and some more information about locations around the park (e.g., Havasu Canyon).

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can’t say enough about how good these guides are. So thorough, with lots of information about hiking trails, recreational options, and where to go for the best photographic opportunities. Packed with photos to inspire you. Probably not the best guide for accommodations, but there’s still lots of helpful information about towns, lodging, food etc.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The information is great, a comprehensive guide with beautiful pictures.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great all around guidebook for the area. Hiking time estimates are on the high end, but no quibbles otherwise.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great, in-depth guide to the Grand Canyon with many pictures and trail maps. I found it to be very informative and would highly recommend it.

[Nancy Pierson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I needed a guide, and fast, for our trip to the GC. So I picked this one. Lots of photos, lots of history, but short on specifics or "best places to go if you only have 3 days", etc. Things that one expects from a top notch guide book. And the typos and grammatical errors.... Goodness. Didn't he have anyone proofread the book? Or maybe he did, which is even more worrying. Wish I had gone with the Frommers...

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolutely fabulous guide to the Grand Canyon. It has all the expected information on lodging, food, and hiking, but what made it stand out was all the extra information. It had sections on history (fascinating!), ecology, the Colorado River, etc. It made me very anxious to start my vacation!

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of information, some history, & beautiful photos. Will be sure to pack this when we embark. Kaiser makes what may seem like a daunting task of planning a trip to the Canyon an enjoyable & easy to accomplish thing.

[Juliette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great practical information. Made planning trip to canyon much easier. Wish I had read it before committing to travel location. Vegas might have been a nicer less crowded option than Arizona.

[RAW · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for our GC trip in November. Excellent overview, history, and pictures