Canada, 1991. 304 pp, b/w photos, maps. Softcover. Fine.
Day hikes and backpacks. This book provides comprehensive up-to-date information about routes and footpaths across Canada, suggestions about equipment, and tips on environmental awareness. The author's straightforward organisation makes it easy to use and the pages are filled with all the details needed to make hiking a rewarding experience rich in memories and free from unpleasant surprises. Each province and territory is covered, west to east, in separate chapters. From coast to coast, and even within the Arctic Circle, this book guides the reader along paths which lead to some of the most spectacular scenery in the world.
A journalist and passionate hiker, Katz (The Complete Guide to Bicycling in Canada) divides this comprehensive guide into two sections. The first contains advice on equipment, food and cooking, route finding, hiking with children, and health and safety as well as a checklist of what to bring along; the second is a guide to hundreds of trails in Canada's national and provincial parks. Each park listing contains brief entries that give background information plus a short description of the various trails suitable for walkers, day-hikers, and backpackers.
Katz also includes wheelchair- and stroller-accessible trails as well as those appropriate for hikers with visual disabilities. A list of web sites and e-mail addresses of park offices and hostel networks rounds out the work. While no route maps or information on lodging and campsites is provided, the towns where the needed supplies can be bought are mentioned throughout. Making up in breadth for what it lacks in depth, this guide provides a solid overview of the subject.
