Lonely Planet USA's National Parks

by Lonely Planet, Christopher Pitts, Amy C. Balfour

Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher Lonely Planet USA's National Parks is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you in all 59 of the USA's nationally protected lands. Catch the country's 'first sunrise' from the top of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia, take the drive of your life on the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier, and climb the otherworldly rocks of Joshua Tree; all with your trusted travel companion. Discover USA's natural treasures and begin your journey now! Inside Lonely Planet USA's National Parks: The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet USA's National Parks, our easy-to-use guide, is perfect for those looking for a one-stop tool that helps you prepare for many trips to various national parks. About Lonely Planet: Started in 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel guide publisher with guidebooks to every destination on the planet, as well as an award-winning website, a suite of mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveler community. Lonely Planet's mission is to enable curious travelers to experience the world and to truly get to the heart of the places they find themselves in. TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 winner in Favorite Travel Guide category 'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times 'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media (Australia)

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Reference, Environment

492 pages, Paperback

First published April 19, 2016

About the author

OUR STORY
A beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies and Lonely Planet was born. One hundred million guidebooks later, Lonely Planet is the world’s leading travel guide publisher with content to almost every destination on the planet.

Reviews

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Normally I wouldn’t include a travel guide on my reading list, but between cross-country road-trip planning and out-of-curiosity research (why is St Louis Arch a national park??) I really did almost read it cover to cover.

I have always enjoyed Lonely Planet for trip planning, and this has to be one of the best ones I’ve seen. I particularly enjoyed the choice of photos (often trying to give you a spectrum of what you will see in each park) as well as a very practical tips about driving from one park to another or within each park. Those are things that don’t always come through in a travel guide and I have often had to rely on Google Map research to figure those things out.

Overall, I delightful and succinct introduction to the US National Parks!

Note: I borrowed the 3rd edition (2021) from the library which I recommend since guidelines, closures and permit policies can change a lot in a few years.

[Madeline Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, I have a format gripe: I couldn't zoom in well enough to read the tiny, tiny paragraphs of text on the Kindle app on my phone (minus 1 star). I had to view it maximized on my computer screen which wasn't ideal for reading through hundreds of pages.

I would recommend consuming the physical copy of this book to any other format.

I thought this guide was interesting overall as I'm a U.S. National Parks fan. I enjoyed the photo spreads and learning historical facts about the U.S. National Parks.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very little Information that you wouldn’t also get from a general USA guidebook or a quick glance on the internet. No recommendations for camp sites, just refers you to the booking site of the national parks. Park maps also nothing that you wouldn’t get better from the internet or directly at the park.

[Kayla · Rating 1 out of 5]

Would have given it three or four stars if it wasn’t for the bullsh!t political commentary in the last section of the book. You’re a travel company, not a political organization. Stay in your lane with what you actually know information about, Lonely Planet.

[Korie Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will see as many of these as possible, given that I tend to travel much more internationally than nationally.

[Jaq · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brief coverage does let this down

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book for research and planning a future trip.

[Kathleen]

well laid out and worth buying if you are visiting many of the USA's national parks

[DavSchi]

A lot of the lesser known parks had a brief two page spread with little information and the more popular ones had 8-10 page spreads, which makes sense, but the larger ones also have their own independent guides. The pictures are great. I love a lonely planet guide, but disappointed in the disservice to the parks that aren’t big names.