A bit heavy for a backpacker - but a great reference for anyone jetting around or taking a road trip across the US
921785
With 1224 pages the book is a bit hefty to carry around, but it's a great reference book for those taking cars, buses, trains or planes because the authors have covered an amazingly large number of places, striking a balance between showing the essential and the exciting.

There's plenty advice on what to expect at the border, how to travel in the US, what legal restrictions you may find and cultural notes on topics like "The Music Scene", "The Land & Wildlife".

If you find the book too big you can get the eBook version - either in its entirety or by chapter. It is so well laid out that I like to flip through the paper version, but for looking up websites an online version is more useful. In fact, if you are only doing the Western USA, then you may be better buying the Lonely Planet book that covers that area.

I really like the way they have synthesized topics to make easy-to-read summaries. For example, the "If You Like" section helps beach lovers, beer lovers, foodies and Native American fans find a few key places to visit.

The book divides the US into traditional regions - not the 9 Nations of North America written about by Joel Garreau, which might have made a better classification of places - from the Pacific Northwest through the Great Plains to Florida.

Each region starts with a summary - reasons you might want to go there, highlights and my favorite - a clear map. There are also useful links to online resources.  The book is richly annotated with light blue boxes to highlight places that are "Worth A Trip" and show "State Facts".

The restaurants, museums, sights and hotels are not always the most obvious ones and there are quirky establishments that range from backpacker chic to elegant luxury.

One assessment I might quibble with was advice for California "Come and see the future in the making in California. Then stay for the beaches." In fact, the beach was the most disappointing place I went to when I first came to CA - it was foggy and blustery. Even on a recent trip to San Diego I experienced June gloom - 10 miles inland it was hot and sunny, at the seaside it was misty and miserable.  Whereas tourists come to California for Disneyland, Los Angeles is covered too heavily as a potential tourist destination.

This is a really good introduction to the USA, not just for the tourist, but also for the business traveler who might want a few facts to grease customer conversations. It is a fun reference book for anyone wanting to learn more about US geography, history, culture and climate.  I congratulate the editors for producing a very worthwhile guide.
2538162
Excellent guide for backpacking and hiking the Cohutta Wilderness.  I found it very useful for planning out two big overnight trips in Cohutta and have used it on a few day hikes, as well.  I have a few books on trails in North Georgia and think this one does the best job of describing trails and giving a sense of the general area. Given the remoteness of the Cohutta, it's important to go in armed with some vital info and this book should give you most of that info.

What I like best about the book:
(1) Trail descriptions, mileage, difficulty ratings
(2) Excellent trail maps and great map of the overall Cohutta trail system [handy in case you get lost]
(3) Good directions on how to get to trailheads
(4) Detailed write-ups can come in handy on long trails when trying to figure out certain elements

What could be improved:
(1) Better info on wilderness camping sites; we used the USFS topo map to guess where camping spots would be
(2) The maps in the book are great, but I might add one or two more additional maps that gives a better sense of all the roads in maybe a 10-mile radius leading into the Cohutta Wilderness. navigating the dirt and gravel roads can be challenging if you're not familiar with the area and a lot of time, online resources are inaccurate or incomplete.  In fairness, though, Homan does a better job than anyone else, but still feel like there's room for improvement there.

Since I've only hiked in the Cohutta, I also can't comment on the Big Frog sections.  But I've probably done about 5-6 hikes in the Cohutta Wilderness, and this is the best resource I've found for the area.
2071063
From all the travel books out there on Germany this one is not a compilation of mere facts, photos, phone numbers and page-fillers.

What sets Frommer's apart is the information provided and the style in which is presented. You will find lodging options for various budgets, a list of most important sites to see and even suggested ways to spend time in a city if you have only 1 day or as much as 5 days, great places to eat and great places to splurge if you can stretch your dollar. Be aware that this is not a book for the ones on a shoestring budget. Frommer provides a good introduction to Germany without being overloading you with mass amounts of information or pictures, a truly well-balanced book.

When I backpacked 4 months through Europe I had a copy of the Lonely Planet for Europe (a thick and heavy book) because it covered more cities and esoteric towns, a ripped chapters of all the international youth hostals Europe of the countries I visited, and as primary guide for nominal cities and capitals I used Frommers (ripped the book and kept only chapters of countries planning to visit - so I can keep the weight down).
415882
To sum it up, this book has great tips if you'll have a car carrying everything. If you're backpacking, it recommends WAY too much gear. 3-5 pairs of socks??? No. 2 will do just fine. Some decent princiiples, but this is not for anyone looking to do any kind of lightweight backpacking.
2205439
Great Guide book with lots of info and details, however a bit too heavy to carry around all day. I would recommend buying the app instead. Also hard to pull out a book while walking around in Paris. Overall though very informative and I still really like all the Eyewitness guidebook series
302094
It's been awhile since I've driven the Pacific Coast Highway so my thanks to the West Coast reviewers who gave their insight as to what is missing from this book, which seems to be targeted to first time visitors to California.  Given the Lonely Planet name, I was hoping for/expecting the Diners, Drive Ins and Dives type of guide - fun, off the beaten path road trips rather than Disneyland and the beaches of San Diego.
But there is still a lot to like about the guide even though it is more mainstream than expected. The smaller size makes it great for keeping handy for reference and in true Lonely Planet style, there is a lot of information on local customs and festivals, passports, electricity, currency exchange, etc.. It does give a good overview of what to expect, particularly if you are a first time visitor to the state.
I think for the maps and bullet points of information on many of the coastal towns along the Pacific Coast Highway, it is a good value. But depending on your interests, you may want to supplement this information with either another guide or some internet searches to find the less touristy sites if you are planning a road trip through California.
2519395
I'm not sure ill be able to add much more than what others have already posted but ill try to add some stuff. I plan on using this on several planned survival retreats to the Appalachian mountains as a reference guide. The book contains lots of information on fire-starting, woodwork, metalwork, how to make water and solar systems and how to build and live efficiently and sustainably. I was not expecting the bulkiness of the book but I am pleased its not some pocket survival guide. All in all, this will be a useful book on my journeys. Thanks!!!

Peace
3325648
This is a great book with a tremendous amount of information! Great pictures and examples of gear! I wish I could give it 4.5/5 stars. My only bug with it, is that it is written from a super ultralight point of view and the author kind of talks down on anyone who isn't a super ultralight backpacker. Still glad I purchased it though!
3716327
Lots of information, perfect for planning a trip
170228
If I could have given 4.9 stars I would have... the only reason I gave it 4 stars is that we also bought the DeLorme map book of Montana and used both, and there were things missing in this one (fewer private campgrounds were noted) that were marked in the DeLorme book.  But this one had some things that were not in the DeLorme book (more National Forest campgrounds were noted, and a few more roads), so I recommend using both if you are planning a serious back-roads trip through Montana.  ALL the numbered forest roads are in there, and the scale is a bit smaller so we get more details. We would have been lost without these map books!
2499435
I love this book. As a HUGE fan of national parks, this provides some great details and is wonderful to flip through on road trips (I keep it in my glove box for just such occasions). The only reason I give it a 4/5 is because in some cases, it only briefly mentions some parks (e.g. I live closest to the Apostle Islands, which only get a paragraph at the end of the section on Voyageurs), and you will still need to go online or use other sources to fully plan your trip. Nonetheless, this is a great way to get a great idea of what each major park in the US has to offer!
3524478
I used this while backpacking through Thailand and It was definitely helpfull. Unfortunately, some of the directions for transportation were both unhelpful and even got me lost, but things change so you can't really hold the book accountable for that. However, the restaurant recommendations, accommodation suggestions and authentic experiences that are recommended are absolutely on point. The Lonely Planet is my absolute favorite travel book company and probably one of the only ones I will ever purchase again.
3273836
A bit too bulky for backpacking, but overall a great set!
1687500
I managed to take a short (7 week) trek through South America during my college days and am currently planning a larger-scale open-ended world trip.  This book offers great motivation and shall help one to keep the dream alive as they slave away to save up the cash.  Based on my own travel experiences, I found this book to be highly accurate in its descriptions of how the general backpacker circuit functions.  However, the chapters on the various individual circuits around the world can be entertaining (On the Stoner's Trail), but they barely scratch the surface.  This book should be seen as a general introductory guide to travelling and (contrary to the author's recommendation) should be supplemented with an up-to-date guidebook for the region or country of interest (Lonely Planet and Let's Go are good ones).

This book is worth reading and, if nothing else, shall motivate one to complete the hardest task of travelling; setting off.
3931932
Great information if you're looking for help going ultralight!
119839
Comprehensive.  It also includes campgrounds that are not Good Sams.  We used it for our last two trips and it was very helpful.  So glad I purchased this reference.  Quite thick and heavy.  Easy to use. Highly recommended.
3922217
perfect for the new or experienced Backpacker. Great info and perfect for referencing when planning a trip or buying grear