50 Best Short Hikes in Utah's National Parks

Book excerpt: Utah's five national parks--Arches, Bryce, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion--hold some of the most awe-inspiring geology on the planet. Each park offers visitors the dramatic scenery that invites exploration and discovery. In 50 Best Short Hikes in Utah's National Parks, veteran hiking guide Greg Witt shares the best routes in each park, hikes that are both "must see" and accessible. Park visitors who are short on time will find this book to be the ideal traveling companion, because it quickly helps readers identify the hikes and sights that will make the best use of their time and provide maximum enjoyment. Each hike in the book includes distances, highlights, area maps, and easy-to-follow trailhead directions to make hike selection fast and efficient. Once on the trail, the detailed maps, route description, and interpretive details insure that hikers get the most out of their trip. Even avid hikers and experienced desert explorers will find new insights and discoveries as Witt's interesting and approachable style details the geologic forces that created this landscape. He brings to life the human history--prehistoric cliff-dwellers, native tribes, ranchers, farmers, loggers, miners, and outlaws--that adds to the color of the Colorado Plateau where these five parks are set.