Moon Handbooks Alberta : Including Banff, Jasper, and the Canadian Rockies

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Summary: Moon Handbooks Alberta
Review: Moon Handbooks Alberta Including Banff, Jasper, and the Canadian Rockies is the ultimate overview for traveling within Alberta, Canada. This book contains 467 pages of travel information but is still small enough to tuck in a backpack for easy reference. Furthermore, this book has plenty of fairly detailed maps, complete with accurate distance scales, for easy travel planning or reference while you travel.

There are twelve chapters in Moon Handbooks Alberta: Introduction, On the Road, Calgary, Dinosaur Valley, Southern Alberta, West of Calgary, Banff National Park, Jasper National Park, Central Alberta, Edmonton, Northern Alberta, Resources. The introduction chapter contains an overview on Alberta and its various regions. This detailed information includes geology, climate, flora, fauna, history, economy, and the government of the province. The next chapter, On the Road, contains general information and contacts for outdoor recreation; arts and entertainment; accommodations and food; transportation; and information services within the province of Alberta. The Resources chapter contains further information on suggested readings and internet resources.

The rest of the chapters in Moon Handbooks Alberta focus on particular geographical regions within Alberta. The first paragraph or page of each regional section describes a little about the region. After this overview, individual sights, recreation areas, special events, accommodations, food services, information services, and transportation services are depicted in detail. Depending on the size and general amount of facilities in a given region, there may be only one or two entries per category or over a dozen. Each entry contains the location, contacts, costs, and a short paragraph description of the facility or event featured. Several black and white maps accompany each section, clearly marked with the various facilities described in that particular section.

Some facility or event categories are described in extreme detail. For instance, there are six pages about the Calgary Stampede held in Calgary every July. This mini-section reflects the history of the Calgary Stampede and then sets out the events, entertainment, food services, accommodations, and transportation services available during the ten-day event. Specifics such as costs and contacts are also printed under each entry.

Though some medium sized towns are described in Moon Handbooks Alberta, most of this book focuses on cities and larger towns. Thus, not every town in Alberta is discussed in this work. No doubt such a complete book would no linger fit so easily in a backpack for easy reference. Therefore, if you are looking for something to do or some place to stay in a small Alberta town this book will not detail these specifics. Nonetheless, the regional coverage of this work is such that there is probably a pertinent entry or two a short distance from most any small town in Alberta. In this way, entertainment, accommodation, and food are but a short commute away from anywhere in Alberta.


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Summary: A comprehensive travel-guide book about Alberta
Review: Recently, as I was searching the Internet for travel guidebooks that uniquely deal with Alberta, Canada, I was surprised to discover that my choices were very limited.
However, I did notice a travel-guide book now in its fifth edition, published by Avalon Travel, authored by Andrew Hempstead, entitled Moon Handbooks Alberta: Including Banff, Jasper, and the Canadian Rockies.

Hempstead is very well versed in the subject matter, having traveled, photographed and written about Alberta for many years. In fact, the first book he ever authored was on Alberta.

Turning to the opening pages of the guide, I knew I was in for a wealth of invaluable information, and without doubt I realized that the author really did his homework in providing his readers with countless tips.

The potential for exploring Alberta is unlimited, and unless information is carefully organized, it would be very easy to fall into the trap that many guidebooks slide into- confusion. However, such is not the case with this book.

What immediately caught my eye was that preceding the table of contents is a map page that clearly pin points the various geographical areas of Alberta with boxes telling the reader exactly where in the guidebook he or she can find out more about a particular destination. No doubt, this will save the reader a great deal of time and effort, if, for example, you are only interested in a particular areas of the province.

These areas are divided into nine sections: Northern Alberta, Jasper National Park, Edmonton, Central Alberta, Banff National Park, West of Calgary, Calgary, Dinosaur Valley, and Southern Alberta.
Following the map section is the usual table of contents, which mirrors these same locations and includes a very brief description of each.

Within the first fifty pages, the author incorporates an overview of early settlers, flora and fauna, history, economy and government, the people, outdoor recreation, and getting to Alberta and what to expect once you arrive.

The remainder of the guide- book effectively evokes the beauty of Alberta with its striking Rocky Mountain ranges, pristine glaciers, rushing rivers, magnificent lakes, and National Parks as Banff, Jasper, and Waterton Lakes. As the author states in his introduction: "for most visitors to Alberta, the great out-doors, not the big cities or the fast bucks, is the main draw."

Each chapter contains detailed information about the history of the area, sights, attractions, parks, scenic drives, recreation, accommodations and camping, food, information and services, and transportation.
Interspersed are a selection of black and white maps and photos providing a good sense of the places described.

Throughout are also interesting tidbits replete with invaluable information contained in side- bars or boxes. For example, Jasper has 100 residential homes offering accommodations, or there are dinosaur digs that you can participate in at the Royal Tyrell Museum of Paleontology.
Moreover, wherever practical, phone numbers, hours of operation, price ranges, and addresses are mentioned.

The concluding chapters of this hefty book provide the reader with suggested readings and Internet resources.

For the serious traveler to Alberta, this well researched and well-organized guide will prove to be an invaluable aid, particularly for those individuals who want to learn more about the history, geography and culture of this beautiful province. It certainly goes beyond the usual boring guides that devote a great deal of ink to tourism, hotels, restaurants and shopping, and entertainment, although the guidebook does nevertheless provide ample information pertaining to these topics.

Norm Goldman Editor of Bookpleasures.com