Steve Allen's commitment to exploring every nook and cranny in southern Utah's vast network of maze-like canyons has granted him legendary status. His guide to the San Rafael Swell is the first volume in a three-part series that will captivate both novice hikers and elite rock climbers alike. Unlike many guides, Allen takes time to discuss the Swell's rich history, which undoubtedly lends itself to the reader's greater appreciation for the land. But this guide is not a misty-eyed overview. Allen knows that canyoneering leads hikers into confusing territory, so his landmark descriptions are presented in meticulous detail. He covers 63 separate adventures and manages to cover them with a skillful writer's grace and a mad scientist's penchant for detail. --Ben Tiffany
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
New, revised edition in the works:
Don't pay a ridiculous collectors price. A corrected, new and better edition is in the works, and the profit will go the the author/publisher.
Enough detail to be useful but not so much that it ruins the fun:
Keep in mind that this book describes the San Rafael Swell. This is a remote, undeveloped part of the world. If you use a guidebook, such as Steve's, that doesn't include all the GPS points and topo maps, then maybe you'll realize that you are going to need more than a guide book to do this stuff safely. And that, my friends, is the genioius of Steve's book. It will get you started, but you need to invest some time with maps etc before the trip to do it safely. Route descriptions for this part of the... more info
I like the book, but...:
More maps would be nice. I would have to agree about the using the minutes (ie 70 minutes) for beta. On the other hand one should always take the maps anyway. Opposite of Kelsey, difficulties seem to be over exagerated, rather than underexagerated. It would be nic if all authors used the same terminology for diffiuclt and easy, but this will likely never happen. Steve seems to skip over some fantastic stuff, in favor of some more mundane stuff on some hikes, but all you have to do is do some side... more info
dangerously wrong info:
We used Allen's books many times. The information is wrong way too often regarding exit and entrance points in canyons. It seems that nobody reviews guidebooks before publishing. The worst trio we discovered so far are: Steve Allen, Michael Kelsey and Vivian Lougheed. Hiker beware!
Privacy policy: we don't collect information
about visitors except for standard technical server logs. We don't send unsolicited emails. We don't
sell the information that we don't collect about you to anyone. When you follow
links to other sites, their privacy policies apply. Thanks for visiting!
