The Hiker's Guide to Alaska (Falcon Guide)

Details 90 long and short hikes in Alaska's national parks, wildlife refuges, national forests, wilderness areas, and state parks. Includes hikes for all ages and abilities as well as maps for each hike. Also features sections on safety, backcountry ethics, weather, and bugs. No index. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

The 90 trails in this guide to the Land of the Midnight Sun range from easy coastal trails in Anchorage to difficult ascents of Mount McKinley, North America's highest peak. Glacier treks are interspersed with bushwhacks through Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, which is the country's largest national park, nearly six times the size of Yellowstone. Each trail description includes a difficulty rating, length in mileage (except for Mount McKinley, where difficulty is expressed by its 20,320-foot elevation), elevation gain, special attractions, and best season to hike. Some of the descriptions include simple sketch maps of the trails, but the guide is not meant to take the place of topographic maps. Instead, it cites the appropriate U.S. Geological Survey map and addresses for hikers to get more trail information. Most of the trails are accessible by road, but some are best reached by bush plane. The authors also give a grizzly-safety primer and some methods to avoid being eaten alive by the large but slow-moving mosquitoes of Alaska. --Dolores Kong