The Backpackers Guide to Hawai'i
by Stuart M., Jr. Ball

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Book Reviews of The Backpackers Guide to Hawai'i

Book Review: Good trail descriptions, unexpectedly poor maps
Summary: 3 Stars

I've gone back and forth with myself over whether this book ought to describe more trails. After all, ten backpacking trips, four of which are in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, seems a bit spare. I decided not to give this book a lower rating since I did buy it because it says "backpackers" in the title, and looking at other guide books and maps has convinced me that there are probably a limited number of multi-day trips available on the islands. Nonetheless, you should keep in mind that it's a bit thin for its price tag. Looking at similarly priced titles on my bookshelf, I would expect twice as many trips and more descriptions of branch trails and day hikes beyond the destination campsites.

The trail descriptions themselves are good. The overviews are enjoyable and include major landmarks along the way. The overviews are then followed by overly detailed route descriptions. They go so far as to tell you to "Pass a mango tree on the right," and they count the number of switchbacks you ascend or descend. This is useful for unmarked or unmaintained trails, such as the dayhike to Pu'u 'O'o, but unnecessary filler for many of the other trails.

Most disappointing were the maps. The book has island-level locator maps that show you the general area each trip can be found. But there are no overview maps to give you a feel for what each trip looks like from start to finish. And the detail maps are themselves problematic. They have no color coding, so the reader is left to decipher a map showing gray text on top of gray topographical features on top of gray contour lines. And like a AAA trip planner, the maps are oriented so that the trail runs up-and-down the page without regard for the cardinal directions. For the Mauna Loa trip, North rotates over four maps from the bottom left of the page to the top of the page.

The book's one saving grace is it's photography. 16 pages of beautiful pictures will help you decide which trails appeal to you. Halape, on the beach in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, looks like heaven on earth. And after looking at the pictures, I'm pretty sure that I'd like to dayhike the barren Mauna Loa or Haleakala, but I don't want to camp there.

Summary of The Backpackers Guide to Hawai'i

Running & Jogging Books

• Subjects > Sports & Outdoors > Individual Sports > Running & Jogging
• Travel > Australia & South Pacific
• Reference & Tips
• Specialty Travel > Adventure
• United States > Regions > West