The Essential Guide to Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve (Jewels of the Rockies)

Charlie & Diane have surprised the hiking public once again with their great new guide to the Sand Dunes. Soon to be declared a National Park, this full color book is set up in easy to understand color-coded sections, a first that I have seen. It is focused on a small area, so understandably goes into great detail, something many guidebooks can not do as they pretend to cover a huge aray of peaks, or trails, or entire state or regional hiking concepts. If you like getting every last bit of info on a cool place like Sand Dunes, well, this is your book. You will probably wake up with some grit in your teeth, but that's OK, sand is the name of the game here.

The Essential Guide to Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is absolutely the best I have ever seen. It is extremely well organized and very informative. The authors did an outstanding job of providing area history along with available facilities and activities. They also included detailed maps, safety considerations and overviews of the various ecosystems. The photography is inspirational throughout each section of the book. I found it to be very entertaining and easy to read.

Sincerely,
Bud Norlin

This new guidebook covers ALL aspects of the Great Sand Dunes. There is something for everyone interested in this beautiful, unique ecosystem in Colorado: natural and cultural history, hiking and climbing and other recreational activities, and local events and attractions . . . this book has it all. Want to know about the eolian (wind) geology that formed the dunes? Want to know which picnic spots are the best? Want to know what rock pro you can leave at home when climbing The Prow route on Kit Carson Mountain? The Wingers seem to provide information and resources about everything! Their easy, conversational style draws you into the delights of the dunes and echoes the small-town friendliness of the surrounding area. And this is a guidebook that can travel with you - its quality binding and sturdy pages will hold up to frequent use, which is inevitable once you experience this special area of Colorado.