Death Valley and the Northern Mojave: A Visitor's Guide

Customer Reviews:

Good as an introduction to death valley.......2006-11-28

I recently visited Death Valley and relied heavily on this book for planning my trip. Its divided into two halves, with the second half dealing with Death Valley and the first part with the rest of the mojave desert. It covers most of the star attractions within the park, along with some phenomenal pictures. If you are visiting Death Valley for the first time, this book is indispensible. However, I would have like to see more of the "off beaten path" attractions... for ex. I couldn't find information on such places as Falls Canyon. This is the reason for the 4 stars. Nevertheless, this book is a very good starting point for your first trip to DV.

An exemplary guide to an unfamiliar place.......2004-06-25

This is a most worthy companion to the visitor's guide to CALIFORNIA'S EASTERN SIERRA, previously reviewed by this writer. Written in the same clear, direct, organized style, and similarly divided into sectional analyses of various attractions and history, this guide also has the same outstanding color photography.

It is difficult to sufficiently praise the clear travel directions given to find each discussed attraction. Not only directions, but anticipated road conditions, are set forth at the conclusion of the section addressing each feature.

As you will discern, Death Valley should have been made a National Park a long time ago. It is the hottest, driest, and lowest place in North America. It has recent volcanoes, enormous sand dunes, totally indigenous wildlife, great mineral deposits, a playa where the stones move about from unknown forces (called the Recetrack), marvelously beautiful rock formations and salt flats, and even a castle. Each is discussed in riveting detail that beckons the reader to come there.

You will also read about the history of Death Valley, including marooned pioneers, borax mining and the twenty-mule-team methods of transporting out the borax, old ghost towns, etc, etc. Each section is endlessly fascinating.

The book also takes the reader to many facinating areas outside Death Valley, including the now-dry Searles Lake, with its eroded towers of tufa resembling a city, the Pamamint Range bordering Death Valley, various canyons, and even a waterfall in the desert. You will repeatedly enjoy vicariously wandering this enormous, desolate, but incredibly beautiful and peaceful region.

There is some small overlapping between this book and EASTERN SIERRA, but the effect is magnify the fascinating nature of the regions, and not too distract or bore the reader.

I recommend purchase of both guides before taking any trip to these areas. Reading the guides first and during the trips will increase your enjoyment and understanding manyfold, and help tremendously in planning the trip.

Needless to say, both books are recommended to the hilt.

A beautiful and informative read !.......2004-02-09

This book is a wealth of amazing information for anyone from a photographer to someone wanting to know more about the history of this amazing area of the United States. The photos are up-to date (no 1970 fuzzy poor quality images) and the read is nicely paced.

Quotes from those that founded this land, history about the ages of the stone and rock types found here. Lots of info on the animals, plant life and the story behind many if not all of the ghosts towns that are found here (one used to have around 10,000 people living there but shrunk to 1 in less than 10 years).

Of course on top of all this history and images, are descriptions of each area of the Death Valley National Park and what to see in each area (along with driving instructions).

Book Description

Features 114 hikes of all levels in four California Desert Parks; Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Joshua Tree and Death Valley national parks, and Mojave National Preserve.

Customer Reviews:

Hiking Opportunities in Southern California's Desert Wilderness.......2006-09-11

I have a real fondness for books by Bill and Polly Cunningham. Their 'Best Easy Dayhikes: Anza Borrego' introduced me to desert hiking and has left me with an abiding love of California's desert regions. The off season recreational opportunities in these areas: Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks, the Mojave National Preserve, and Anza Borrego State Parks are seemingly endless and this book provides a good introduction to these places. The 114 hikes described in this book range in length from short leg stretchers of 1/4 mile (or less) to all day rambles over difficult terrain from 10 to 16 miles. Each hike description includes a list of key points, mileage between these points, a hypsometric map (GPS compatible) and decent black and white photographs of the area.

Although I like the book, I have a few concerns. I'm not sure the authors rechecked every trail from the first edition. Had they done so, they might have noticed that Squaw Peak and Pond (in Agua Caliente County Parks) have had name changes to accomodate the politically correct crowd. Also, I have twice hiked Mountain Palm Springs Canyon in the last year and failed to note the cutoff trail sign for Indian Gorge. But aside from those minor errors, my major concern is that this book really doesn't provide a comprehensive view of all the desert has to offer. The author's narrow view of "parks" precludes them from discussing the many recreational opportunities in county and state parks in the Imperial Valley and around Palm Springs. Hikers seeking coverage of these areas as well should look at John McKinney's books or to regional hiking guides. Nonetheless, if you are planning a visit to Joshua Tree, Death Valley, the Mojave or Anza Borrego this is an excellent book to get. The authors made a desert rat out of me and they can do the same for you if you give them half a chance.

Mojave Desert Wildflowers: A Field Guide to Wildflowers, Trees, and Shrubs of the Mojave Desert, Including the Mojave National Preserve, Death Valley National Park, and Joshua Tree National Park

Average customer rating:

Extremely Easy To Use
Beautiful pix, helpful text
Great book
A Gorgeous, Informative, Sturdy Field Guide
Beautiful Book!

Mojave Desert Wildflowers: A Field Guide to Wildflowers, Trees, and Shrubs of the Mojave Desert, Including the Mojave National Preserve, Death Valley National Park, and Joshua Tree National Park
Pam MacKay
Manufacturer: Falcon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0762711620

Book Description

The Mojave Desert eco-region extends from eastern California to northwestern Arizona, southern Nevada, and southwestern Utah, and boasts plant communities as diverse as alkali sinks, dune systems, Joshua tree woodland, pinyon juniper woodland, mixed mojave scrub, and even riparian woodland. Mojave Desert Wildflowers will be appreciated not only by amateur wildflower enthusiasts, but experts will also find the detailed photographs and charts useful in distinguishing among similar species in difficult groups. Species are arranged by color and plant family for easy identification. This guide features 300 of the common species, full-color photographs, detailed descriptions, information on bloom season, and interesting facts about each plant.

Customer Reviews:

Extremely Easy To Use.......2006-04-16

This is probably the easiest to use desert plant book I have (and I have eight that focus on desert plants in all). What it lacks in completeness, it more than makes up for in terms of ease of use. There is a picture for each plant and the plants are grouped according to flower color. So as long as the plant is in bloom, it's not too hard to find out what it is. This book does a great job of covering the plants you are most likely to come across which makes it a great book to thumb through in the field. If you are dealing with similar species within the same genus or rare plants, you'll probably want to get the Jepson guide.

Beautiful pix, helpful text.......2005-09-02

I love these Falcon guides mainly because of the lavish color illustrations. Every flower in the book has its own color picture, along with helpful descriptions. The front matter in this book includes all sorts of background material about the Mojave, along with the usual educational stuff about plant types, leaf distribution, etc. And the book is made to last -- if you take any care of it at all, it will last you forever.

Great book.......2005-02-12

Money well spent. We are ready for wildflower season! A lot of color pictures with good information. If you live in or near the Mojave Desert this is a valuable book.

A Gorgeous, Informative, Sturdy Field Guide.......2003-07-15

Pam MacKay's 'Mojave Desert Wildflowers' is a wonderfully informative & beautifully photographed guide to the wildflowers of the Mojave. This sturdy plastic-coated field guide contains over 300 gorgeous photos, finely detailed plant descriptions, and is virtually an introductory textbook on Mojave Desert ecology. I highly recommend this book to anyone who appreciates the Mojave Desert. The author lives & teaches in the Mojave and her dedication, attention to detail, and love of the desert are revealed on every page.

Jim Otterstrom

Beautiful Book!.......2003-05-15

This guide is so easy to use and the pictures are beautiful. I highly recommend this guide for first time wildflower enthusiasts!

Average customer rating:

Dry, but not Arid
Superb Photography
A mastefterful work by one of the world's best photographers
Inspiring book that will make you see!
Superb.

Desert: The Mojave and Death Valley
Janice Emily Bowers
Manufacturer: Harry N. Abrams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0810932385

Amazon.com

When rain finally comes to "the land of little rain," the results are spectacular. Desert washes run thick with water only to become, a few months later, a raging current of wildflowers. But even drought doesn't drain the desert of its stark beauty. In Desert, Jack Dykinga has assembled a stunning collection of photographs that shows the Mojave Desert in all its moods.

The images are truly remarkable, particularly those with the warm colors and long shadows of dusk and dawn, when more than half of the 80 photographs were taken. Mountains, rocks, and water are typical winning subjects, but wildflowers are particularly well served by Dykinga, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer with two other books on desert landscapes. That wildflowers should be so prominent is no surprise, since many photographs document the sensational desert bloom that followed the El Niño winter of 1997-1998.

Janice Emily Bowers, a botanist and writer, brings the desert to life with her first-person narrative of kit fox sightings, wandering boulders, and basic desert ecology. She also describes the increasing threats to the more than 100 rare plants and animals in the Mojave. Dykinga's selectivity--not one photograph shows any trace of human activities--is balanced by Bowers's portrait of a desert at risk. They succeed in their mission to make new friends for the desert and renew old ones. This elegant book is really a reminder that the Mojave and Death Valley are worth protecting, saving, and visiting. --Pete Holloran

Book Description

Pulitzer Prize-winning landscape photographer Jack Dykinga turns his lens to the American Southwest's spectacular scenic wonders: Death Valley and the vast Mojave Desert that surrounds it. Botanist Janice Emily Bowers provides a personal text, complementing stunning views of this remarkably alive landscape.

Customer Reviews:

Dry, but not Arid.......2004-12-14

As I went through this book, I kept asking myself, am I looking at the dessert or am I looking at the landscape photographs of Jack Dykinga? I've been to the Mojave and to Death Valley and I don't remember them looking so beautiful.

Dykinga's style reminded me of the work of Eliot Porter, with modern film stock. Most of his pictures have the same subtle quality, created by the use of analogous colors, that is, colors near each other on the color wheel, and varying only by tint or small changes in hue. A Dykinga picture almost always has one dominant hue like brown or tan or blue, and the hue rarely feels intense, even if it's a field of California Poppies.

It's obvious that Dykinga's work utilizes a large format camera. Everything is in sharp focus from foreground to distant mountains, thanks to small apertures and the ability to twist the light through his camera. This means that the picture is not going to immediately draw your attention to one aspect of the scene by controlled focus. More likely, the viewer will have to work his way through the picture, discovering things along the way.

The layout of the book seems to be well considered. Quite often two plates with similar subject matter will face each other and there is a synergistic effect from the comparison. For example, I delighted in examining two facing pictures of desert sunflowers. In both cases the yellow orange flowers have a hilly background, but one group of flowers is pushing up through dried-out, cracked clay, while in the other picture the flowers are growing from a small body of water collected for a brief time from rainfall. The mud and the water are both magenta in color but the textures are completely different. The thoughts that arose from the juxtaposition were not only about the variety of the desert but also about the nature of color and vision.

I suppose one reason that I never saw the dessert the photographer portrays is because most of the pictures were taken at the golden hours of sunrise and sunset. To have been that many places in the desert at just those times would have taken me months and months. At the very least, I can be a philistine and thank Dykinga for saving me a lot of time.

As to the text in the book, my feeling is that it probably has to be included for marketing purposes. Janice Bowers' essays seemed poetic and show that she loves the desert, but like most such commentaries, they do little to illuminate the photographer's work. I suppose the essays are worth reading once. The pictures on the other hand can bear many, many viewings and add something to the sense of the place each time.

I finally concluded that I was looking at the desert through Jack Dykinga's eyes when I viewed this book. I resolved to return to the actual desert again and see if I could continue to see it through his eyes.

Superb Photography.......2002-10-01

This book is a beauty, some of the most beautiful photographs I have ever seen.

I spent the first week of September in southern California this year, and on Sunday before Labor Day I drove from Los Angeles up to Death Valley. I hadn't been there since I was a child and I have to say although it is a desolate and lonely place (and 114 degrees at Furnace Creek the day I was there) it is also one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. The sand dunes at Mesquite Flat alone are worth the trip.

Everyone should see it, but if you can't buy the book. My copy came shrinkwrapped in plastic which I really like, the last thing you want is to buy a nice book like this in a bookstore where someone has spilled coffee on the pages.

A mastefterful work by one of the world's best photographers.......2002-03-21

There is a knock at my door and here is the UPS man delivering my order from Amazon.com. Among the books: Desert, The Mojave and Death Valley Photographs by Jack Dykinga, text by Janice Emily Bowers. I barely had time to read more than a page or two of the text before it made me want to go straight to the photos to see the place she was clearly, and intelligently writing about. And I was not disappointed: It was overwhelmed with joy of at being able to share the keeness of Mr. Dykinga's fine and perceptive photographic vision of that place. This is a more subtle body of work than the previous books based around his photographs.

The Sonoran Desert had a similar effect on me years ago and expanded my sense of what ilandscape photography could be. Stone Canyons did not have as great of affect on me as the first book

More than anything else, the images in this book remind me why the large format camera is such a tremendous aid to seeing something more clearly and perceptively than you can with the naked eye. even more so than a 35mm or medium format or easily portable digital gear can. Some of the photos even have a sense of humor to them and when did you last see that in a photograph of a natural landscape? The reproduction of the images appears to be first rate and the design and typography of the book match its contents in quality.

In short there are wonderful things to be found in this book.

Inspiring book that will make you see!.......2001-05-17

This book just shows how spectacular a desert can look with the magnificent photos around the Mojave desert and Death valley of emptiness, stark flowers and blooms and just superb landscapes. It'll give you some inspiration to find something to look for even in a desert.

I know I will as I will be going to Ayer's Rock (Uluru) in Australia in a few months and it's also a big desert!

Superb........2000-07-20

This book is absolutely breathtaking. I cannot recommenrd it highly enough.

50 Best Short Hikes in California Deserts (Hiking & Biking)

Average customer rating:

A Kid Friendly Introduction to the California Desert
Terrible trail maps
short but sweet

50 Best Short Hikes in California Deserts (Hiking & Biking)
John Krist
Manufacturer: Wilderness Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0899971881

Book Description

The best way to appreciate the richness of the desert landscape is on foot. This book covers the best dayhikes in and around three desert parks and comes with original, accurate maps, photos, and tips on desert hiking.

Customer Reviews:

A Kid Friendly Introduction to the California Desert.......2005-04-22

I own three guides written by John Krist and immensely enjoy both his writing style and approach to hiking. Unlike some Wilderness Press authors, Krist focuses on walks virtually anyone can enjoy. Long arduous treks of 10 or more miles simply do not appear in his books. Instead one is treated to a wide variety of short and pleasant outings. He even includes a "Child Rating" for each hike to help parents decide where to take their kids. Although I tend to prefer mountain and coastal hiking to walking in the desert, I have managed over the years to walk most of the trails in this book and generally found them pleasant breaks from my usual hiking routine.

I am therefore somewhat surprised by the complaints of other reviewers. I found his maps easy to understand and use. His trail descriptions include adequate directions to the trailhead. Finally, Krist gives a solid introduction to natural and human history in the parks without being overly technical. I find this sort of background information adds to my enjoyment of a region. The only reason I give this book four stars and not five is for what Krist does not cover. It is simply unthinkable that a book on California Deserts should ignore Anza Borrego Desert State Park. For coverage of that region you simply need to look elsewhere. But the hikes Krist includes here are all winners.

Terrible trail maps.......2003-12-27

Although the trails are well described and a fair amount of geological and historical background is presented, the trail maps make this book almost worthless. For instance, Hike No. 22 is shown on Map No. 18. The trail is described on page 70 and the map is on page 180. Does this sound confusing? It is. Also, the overview maps for each park show campgrounds and ranger stations, but they don't show where the individual trails are located. These desert parks are enormous, and the lack of good overview maps makes it nearly impossible to determine, for instance, what hikes are near the south entrance to Joshua Tree. Pass on this book.

short but sweet.......2000-01-19

This book lives up to its title by concentrating on shorter hiking adventures in and around Death Valley National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, and Mojave National Preserve. Although the hikes are brief, many visitors to desert areas are in search of hikes that are possible even in the hotter parts of the year - a five mile round trip in summer at Death Valley can be quite tiring for even a fit hiker! The maps included in the book would have been more usefully placed next to the trail descriptions but this is a minor grumble. If you hike with children then consider this volume as each hike includes a recommended child age range for each trip.

The White Heart of Mojave: An Adventure with the Outdoors of the Desert (American Land Classics)

Average customer rating:

A Fascinating Tale of Old Death Valley

The White Heart of Mojave: An Adventure with the Outdoors of the Desert (American Land Classics)
Edna Brush Perkins
Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0801865050

Book Description

An ardent early suffragette, Edna Brush Perkins set out in 1920 with her friend, Charlotte Hannahs Jordan, to journey into the Mojave, both women seeking to escape civilization and their struggle to secure voting rights for women. The Mojave at that time was considered to be a desolate, inaccessible region--part of the fading American frontier. Originally published in 1922, The White Heart of Mojave is Perkins' account of this journey.

Perkins' evocative writing describes the landscape and the people she encounters. As editor Peter Wild writes, this is ultimately the story of two wealthy women who enter Death Valley "as a sort of middle-aged lark" and "emerge from the trip profoundly changed."

Customer Reviews:

A Fascinating Tale of Old Death Valley.......2004-05-07

The White Heart of Mojave is an old classic of desert literature, recently brought back into print as part of the American Land Classics series. Centered around an adventurous trip through Death Valley by two women in the 1920s, it gives a fascinating glimpse into the region and some of its eccentric inhabitants before it became a National Park and popular tourist destination. The book was written at a time when real American wilderness was beginning to disappear, and the deserts were first coming to be appreciated for their remoteness and solitude and austere beauty, rather than as simply wastelands to be exploited for mineral resources. Edna Brush Perkins, along with a few other desert pioneers like Mary Austen and John Van Dyke, was among the first to contribute to a greater understanding and appreciation of the great American deserts. Aside from its historical significance, though, the book is well written and is sure to be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in this harsh but fascinating region.

Average customer rating:

One of a kind reference

Mojave Desert Windshield Adventures
Russell Spencer
Manufacturer: [s.n.] ;
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ASIN: 0966405587

Book Description

Through pictures (color and b/w), maps and text the reader is guided through the vast areas of the Mojave Desert and the attractions to be found there. We spent years creating this book about exploring with your car, SUV, or RV (not off-roading) as a mile-by-mile trip to visit historic forts, ghost towns, mines, museums in the Mojave National Preserve, Death Valley National Park, the "Rand." Where to go, how to get there and what supplies to take.

Customer Reviews:

One of a kind reference.......2005-06-23

This is a one-of-a-kind guidebook for the Mojave Desert area. It's invaluable for the detailed directions to local desert haunts that aren't in any other guidebooks. This is the place for a history lesson and some local hidden culture throughout Southern CA's Mojave. I used it to tour Randsburg, Johannesburg, and get directions to Burrow Schmidt's tunnel. I couldn't find any of these places in my other guidebooks.

The book is obviously done in a vanity press, but that's forgiveable because there probably wasn't any other way to get this information out. For the price, you get a book chock-full of off beat places you aren't going to learn about unless you find a local historian to give you directions.

It is supplemented with the authors' own photos of many attractions (in b&w), which is very helpful.

Good Samaritans of Death Valley: Lou Westcott Beck and Rufus (Tales of the Mojave Road)

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Good Samaritans of Death Valley: Lou Westcott Beck and Rufus (Tales of the Mojave Road)
John Marnell
Manufacturer: Tales of Mojave Road Pub. Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0914224344

A guidebook to the Mojave Desert of California, including Death Valley, Joshua Tree National Monument, and the Antelope Valley

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A guidebook to the Mojave Desert of California, including Death Valley, Joshua Tree National Monument, and the Antelope Valley
Russ Leadabrand
Manufacturer: W. Ritchie Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: B0006BOPBS

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Harry Oliver's Desert Rat Joke Book
Harry Oliver
Manufacturer: Hubbard Printing, Ridgecrest, Ca.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OMGU5S

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