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Backcountry Roads--Idaho
Idaho’s backcountry wilderness is renowned for its stark beauty. Remarkably, some of the state’s most beautiful sites are easily accessible for the road traveler who is willing to drive the backcountry logging and forest service roads that few have cataloged. Brother and sister team Lynna and Leland Howard have spent years doing just that. With more than 114 photographs, 33 color maps, 31 detailed expeditions complete with GPS coordinates, Backcountry Roads—Idaho is an indispensable companion for the road explorer.
- GenresTravel
240 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2008
16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 30, 2023
This awkwardly shaped book suits the amazing photographs and has some good information as well (the writer and photographer share the same last name so I assume they are wife and husband or maybe sister and brother). The copy I read is a paperback which flops over the lap, making it odd for a coffee table book or for a reference guide to take on the expeditions it suggests.
Ms. Howard does recommend taking detailed maps and GPS (coordinates given in book) on these backcountry trips as well as using suitable vehicles. Brief descriptions of what you might see are provided for each individual trip. The trips are divided up by geographical locations. In any case, this big floppy book could not be used while you are bouncing around in your Jeep Gladiator. Check out the book in advance and enjoy the glorious color photographs. One bit of good advice from the author, if you are photographing a bear you are too close to it for safety.
Ms. Howard does recommend taking detailed maps and GPS (coordinates given in book) on these backcountry trips as well as using suitable vehicles. Brief descriptions of what you might see are provided for each individual trip. The trips are divided up by geographical locations. In any case, this big floppy book could not be used while you are bouncing around in your Jeep Gladiator. Check out the book in advance and enjoy the glorious color photographs. One bit of good advice from the author, if you are photographing a bear you are too close to it for safety.
March 20, 2014
Broken in to 8 areas of the state of Idaho this book gives some great suggestions on routes to take and things to see. The photography is excellent. If you like to see new things and get out for a weekend drive then this book should accompany you. Bottom line: Would I have this book in my home library and recommend it to others? Yes.
January 23, 2017
This is one of the best back country roads books i have read. I love that they profile routes that sometimes need 4 wheel drive, are unpaved, ungraded roads, roads you can only find on very detailed maps. Fortunately all directions are given in GPS as ell as more formal road bnames and numbers. I am hoping to spend a month exploring these roads next summer.
August 28, 2011
I love exploring the backwoods of anywhere that I am. Maybe one day Jed and I can travel and create a book of our adventures together. Loved the photographs, they made me wish that I was on that mountain top at 5 am watching the sunrise and capturing it with my camera.
September 15, 2020
A great book for anyone who wants to explore Idaho, It includes maps, text, great photos, and precise information for travelers and explorers.
July 7, 2021
Everything a traveler would want to know about the possibility of finding yourself in the Idaho great outdoors. Very thorough.
June 22, 2024
This book is a great resource for explorers of Idaho's back roads. The photographs are excellent, and the production quality of the book is very high. The book is divided into 8 geographic regions, and it includes detailed driving directions, maps, and GPS coordinates. One especially helpful feature of the book is the 11 pages of backcountry travel tips and advice.
This is a very enjoyable book.
This is a very enjoyable book.
June 20, 2012
First, I wish goodreads would allow half stars for input ratings. I'd give this a solid 4.5 out of 5 stars. But they don't. Alas...
The talents of the brother/sister team Leland and Lynna have once again meshed together to create a visually stunning and read interesting book about the Idaho wilderness for you to explore. This time by vehicle, instead of foot.
This tome is chock full of absolutely fantastic Leland photos (in my opinion, alone worth the price) and Lynna's writing prose really puts that personalized touch on everything. The book is also *packed* with information, both trail and trivia (how many of you know where the name "Idaho" came from? it was eye-opening for me :) ).
The opening stages of the book are great to read. Even in here you will probably learn something you didn't know before about Idaho, without even having looked at the main section of the book.
In the "meat" part of the book, laced with photos, the chapters/sections ("expeditions") are broken down into "When We Were There" (like a mini trip report), Approach Route options, a Maps list (plus an overview road map), Land Administration info, Total Miles and Road Ratings, and Expedition Directions, which have the journey broken down into mileage points combined with GPS coordinates (WGS84 datum) personally gathered and verified by the Howards. Each expedition also has "Before You Go" and "Other Nearby Excursions..." sidebars. All in full detail.
The only "gripe" I would have about the book is that it presents itself as a coffee table book (in size, handling, and volume of photos), but has detailed information you would hope and expect to find in a trail guide. Others have suggested you get two copies of the book, one for home and one for the road. My only concern is that the "for the road" copy will prove a little unwieldy while driving, being that it is so wide. Plus, do you *really* want to beat up such a nice book??
The talents of the brother/sister team Leland and Lynna have once again meshed together to create a visually stunning and read interesting book about the Idaho wilderness for you to explore. This time by vehicle, instead of foot.
This tome is chock full of absolutely fantastic Leland photos (in my opinion, alone worth the price) and Lynna's writing prose really puts that personalized touch on everything. The book is also *packed* with information, both trail and trivia (how many of you know where the name "Idaho" came from? it was eye-opening for me :) ).
The opening stages of the book are great to read. Even in here you will probably learn something you didn't know before about Idaho, without even having looked at the main section of the book.
In the "meat" part of the book, laced with photos, the chapters/sections ("expeditions") are broken down into "When We Were There" (like a mini trip report), Approach Route options, a Maps list (plus an overview road map), Land Administration info, Total Miles and Road Ratings, and Expedition Directions, which have the journey broken down into mileage points combined with GPS coordinates (WGS84 datum) personally gathered and verified by the Howards. Each expedition also has "Before You Go" and "Other Nearby Excursions..." sidebars. All in full detail.
The only "gripe" I would have about the book is that it presents itself as a coffee table book (in size, handling, and volume of photos), but has detailed information you would hope and expect to find in a trail guide. Others have suggested you get two copies of the book, one for home and one for the road. My only concern is that the "for the road" copy will prove a little unwieldy while driving, being that it is so wide. Plus, do you *really* want to beat up such a nice book??
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews