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In what is widely considered to be a massive improvement from their previous USA National Parks book, Lonely Planet has just released a 5-book collection of in-depth guides to America’s National Parks. And I love them. Mostly because I love a good paperback guide. Seems hypocritical as I write online guides to destinations around the globe but nothing beats a book in hand. Especially for road trips.
We got a sneak peek at the Lonely Planet National Parks collection and found them perfect for planning short trips to all of America’s prettiest national parks. Here’s a look at the collection and our honest opinions on the guides.
Be sure to scroll down to the section marked “Why We Love the Lonely Planet National Park Collection” to see precisely why we choose to use these guidebooks while on the road in the van.
Overview of the Lonely Planet National Parks Books
The 5 books break the United States into regions. Regions that (mostly) make sense to road trip. Obviously, Alaska and Hawaii parks need to be tacked on somewhere.
First, the books lay out the top 10 destinations within the guidebook for inspiration, then the best hikes, experiences, etc. Next Lonely Planet shells out the practical information. The best months to go to each park, planning, logistics, and all the equipment you might need along the way.
From here the book is divided by park. Within each chapter, you’ll find the typical Lonely Planet information like accommodation, tours, and best attractions, but you’ll also find large sections dedicated to hiking and wildlife. You’ll find special sections on tackling technically challenging feats within the park (like summiting the tallest peaks) and which scenic byways you should take when traveling around the region. You’ll find tips for getting iconic national park photos, massive fold-out maps, and travel tips for the nearby towns worth stopping in.
It’s a one-stop-shop kind of guide. Here are the 5 books and the regions that they cover.
Buy The Collection or Individual Books Here
This post was produced in collaboration with Lonely Planet. All opinions are my own.
Why We Love the Lonely Planet National Park Collection
As an avid traveler, I rarely utilize beginner guidebooks when finding local restaurants and decent accommodations. A notable exception to this rule was in Cuba where it is exceptionally difficult to travel as an American and I was functioning with absolutely zero internet for 3+ weeks. I used the Lonely Planet Cuba guidebook nearly exclusively to find places to stay there with great success.
But I digress. Guidebooks are ESSENTIAL when it comes to national parks, however. You need maps. You need trail names. You need vital month-by-month park information so that you can travel safely in these remote areas. Unlike typical city travel, you cannot just turn up at US National parks with zero plans and expect things to go smoothly. Weather, wildlife, and rugged trails can leave unprepared travelers lost, injured, or worse.
Hiking and Wildlife
In addition to including all the practical information you might want like specific trail conditions and when to visit to avoid the crowds, these books also have a huge focus on hiking and wildlife. These are, personally, my two favorite reasons to visit US National Parks. Most online info is centered around “sights” and while that can be important in parks like Arches, Yosemite, or Yellowstone– it’s not the stuff you need help locating.
Perfect for Road Trips
These books were MADE for road trippers. We lived in a van for one year (read all about that here) and visited about 40 of the 63 US National Parks during that time. When you’re living on the road, be it a dilapidated van or a luxury RV, wifi is spotty. This means you can’t exactly scour travel blogs or the internet for all your up-to-date national park info. We were usually forced to arrive a day early and stop by the visitor center to pick up one of those flimsy park maps and hope that all the best stuff was included. THEN we could start planning our weekend in the park. But with these books, you already have the park maps at your fingertips and can plan days in advance exactly what you want to do and see within the park. They are also divided into 5 convenient regions that are perfect for road-tripping.
Here’s how to visit all 63 US National Parks in one giant road trip.
Trip Inspiration
Like all Lonely Planet books the imagery included is fantastic, the facts peppered throughout their pages are interesting, and they have included invaluable information on local tour operators and park pricing. There are detailed fold-out maps that include the parks themselves and surrounding areas to add to your road trips. I love researching future trips and learning a bit about places before I visit them. Lonely Planet’s National Park collection gets you prepared and inspired to visit the parks included.
Obviously, guidebooks aren’t for everyone. If you’re planning to summit Mt. Rainier, for example, you may need more detailed information than a generic Lonely Planet can provide. But for most travelers to America’s National Parks, these books will help you to have the perfect park experience and not miss out on any of the spectacular sights or trails.
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