Hiking Death Valley: A Guide to its Natural Wonders and Mining Past

I bought this book in preparation for 4 days in Death Valley (part of our month long trip). It’s so comprehensive and detailed. I loved reading the book for the history and details of the park. I enjoyed that the author divided the book by regions of the park and gave detailed maps. His descriptors of what to see along hikes were on point. We hiked the Dips which are not marked on the typical NP maps. I did not feel lost in the slightest. I didn’t even make a dent in the hikes listed in this book but I know I’ll go back and use this book as a guide. A must buy for avid hikers and also a good read/reference.

Way back in the mid 90's Digonnet redefined what a hiking guide could be with the first edition of this book. I honestly mean in my opinion this hiking guide is the best hiking guide every written for any region of the world ever. Really, that good.For whatever reason Amazon has not merged this 2nd edition with the sensational reviews for the first edition at the time I'm writing this review. Go read the first edition reviews, they apply just as much to this edition as the first. I own a lot of hiking guides for a lot of different places. Nothing even comes close to what Digonnet has done for Death Valley. Meticulous maps, mileage tables, in depth descriptions of each region and trip descriptions that are wonderful simply to read as an arm chair adventure as much as they are the most useful trail descriptions you'll find in any hiking guide.This second edition differs from the first primarily in the elimination of the small section on the northwestern parts of the park (Saline and Eureka valleys) since a few years ago Digonnet released an entire new book on that region which included the same hikes. In place of that section the 2nd edition now includes an entirely new section on the Owlshead Mountains in the extreme southern part of the park. This new section includes the usual excellent write up of that region including its geology and natural history along with six new hikes. There are also a few new hikes sprinkled through the sections that remain from the first edition. Definitely a worthy update.And amazon - this is a second edition to an existing book - link the products properly!

The book was recommended by someone who hiked in Death Valley. It has a pretty comprehensive description of trails in different parts of Death Valley plus the history of the area. It helped us to have a better understanding of the area for selection of hiking trails.

If you like Death Valley, this a must have book. Very informative and interesting.

This is a great book, but maybe not such a great guide. The directions for many of the sites are rather convoluted, and we didn't even try to find some. And many (most) of the hikes are too difficult for us to even attempt. That said, the history and background to Death Valley is very worthwhile. We enjoyed it as a history read, not necessarily a guidebook.

The author does a fantastic job in this book providing for the hiking enthusiast a comprehensive list of trails in Death Valley. Most of the books you will find cover the basic 10-15 trails for casual tourists. Digonnet's books outline the trails that no one else does. It is also clear that he has hiked these trails personally -- not something that happens with most books.I also recommend that you purchase his complimentary book about trails in the more remote, northern part of the park, "Hiking Western Death Valley National Park: Panamint, Saline, and Eureka Valley." There you will find some very obscure, very cool, and dramatic hikes to consider.

This book is outstanding. It's primarily focused on hiking but is also very use for finding places to visit when off-roading in Death Valley. I know many places in the park but I've already learned a few things new looking through the book. I should have bought this years ago!

Detailed, and up to date. Very helpful, but a bit of a big book to haul around in your backpack.