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Rating: 
Summary: Nice guide!
Review: Northern Arizona has among the best scenery in the world, even if one excludes the magnificent Grand Canyon. The San Francisco peaks and the areas around Flagstaff offer some fabulous hikes. Even without the magnificent hikes in and around the Grand Canyon, there are plenty of other trails to explore and enjoy. This book does it all! This is a well-designed book for hikers across the spectrum. Whether you're a neophyte or have climbed Denali, this book contains all the essential information you need to tackle the hikes listed. You really get a sense of what each hike will look like before you undertake it. even without many accompanying photos. Every hike also has a little descriptive map to accompany the text description. The maps are easy to follow and instructive. Equally pleasing is that the author takes the time to describe each hike in detail, though they are never wordy. They list the elevation gains, give succinct but necessary directions to each trailhead and provide ample analysis of the strengths/weaknesses of each trek. I have not gotten lost yet, though I believe the mileages for some hikes are wrong by as much as half a mile. The book is small and light enough to carry in your backpack, if you feel the need to consult it while on the trail. I have over 70 hiking books in my library and it would be hard to imagine a more complete guide to this region. I enthusiastically recommend it!
Rating: 
Summary: the devil's in the details
Review: while all the trails in this book exist and their descriptions relatively accurate, be wary of the detailed directions and distances or you'll find yourself on a leisurely 4 mile hike only to find out that it's really 14 miles! you'll also want to keep a close eye on driving direction distances as the hiker/writer's vehicle obviously had a bad odometer. in the end you'll get where you're going (most of the time) you'll just have to make a few uturns or switchbacks. carry extra water.
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