Backroads of the Great American West

I jumped at the chance to read Backroads of the great American West. I've lived in the western USA for most of my life and was curious what roads and destinations would be featured. First the drives are organized by states and for whatever reason skips Nevada and Idaho. Secondly the photos are beautiful giving a glimpse of the scenery, landmarks and kitsch attractions you can see on your route. Lastly maps are given but some are of less use. Maps for a few states have the routes in bold while others give a general state map. (I'm seeing an ARC edition and this could change before publication.) It would be helpful to have more specific exit numbers, milage distance or GPS coordinates to follow.

I was pleasantly surprised to see how many of the drives I have done in my lifetime. Many in California, Oregon and Colorado brought back good memories. I live in Utah and can say I've done all the drives they suggest, three in the last year alone. Not all are equal in beauty but that isn't what the book is highlighting. I love the Moab area and the Potash trail is amazing. It sits between two National Parks (Canyonlands and Arches). But the book doesn't mention you need a high clearance four wheel drive to take the trail. There are alternate routes on pavement for most of the views and highlights but again that isn't covered.

Overall this is a pretty book with good suggestions for exploring different areas of states. A person would still need to make their own determination on time needed. Is this is a day trip drive, a weekend or longer? Also there are no recommendations of places to stay or eat. It still would be a great gift for the road warrior in your family. Thank you NetGalley and Editors of Motorbooks for a temporary ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who has spent 25 of their 27 years on Earth living in Utah I wanted to read this to see what made the cut. I have been to a number of the places featured on in this book. And I found it absolutely hilarious that they didn’t include Nevada when they featured literally every state around it except Idaho.

This is not a typical travel book. The book provides a decent overview of each route and the history of the land and towns. But there is not tourist information like where to stay, where to eat, or even exact addresses for the locations featured. Also, as someone with a degree in Geography who is familiar with the area, I can tell you the maps in the books are not going to be helpful to anyone trying to navigate the routes without a GPS, which could be a problem as a lot of the routes featured do not have cell coverage.

Now, specifically on to the Utah section, because that’s what I cared about the most. Their first drive is literally across the Great Basin from I-15 to the Nevada border, which is probably the ugliest part of the entire state. You’re going to see sagebrush and the occasional antelope. The start of that drive is literally 15 minutes from my house and yet I will not be doing it anytime soon because it sounds awful. The second drive is a mountain drive that takes you past where Butch Cassidy grew up. I think I’ve done this drive... I've been somewhere with ties to Butch Cassidy. The third drive I did this past fall that takes you from Bryce Canyon to Torrey (Capitol Reef National Park) through Grand Staircase which is spectacular. It specifically mentions the Hogback where literally you’re driving along and then both sides drop off and you realized you’re on top of a narrow mesa, it’s intense and gorgeous, and if you’re my dad it makes you swear. The fourth is the Potash road from Moab to Dead Horse Point. I’ve done part of this road and viewed the rest of it from above in Cayonlands National Park. It’s an intense 4 wheel drive road through beautiful red rock where you’ll pass arches, dinosaur footprints, and petroglyphs. It’s a really cool part of Moab. The last route is from Moab down to Monument Valley. I did this road in February and it’s really pretty in a desolate red-rock desert sort of way.

The pictures are absolutely gorgeous and it did make me want to explore some of the places featured. Like is said above this book provides decent information, but I do think that most people would have difficulty navigating the routes by this book alone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Motorbooks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you are thinking of taking an American road trip then read this travel guide. Off the beaten track towns and some spectacular landscapes to explore, the lovely photographs will tempt you. Maps and route suggestions are included to make the most of your time and avoid the long drives along featureless highways. Thank you #NetGalley for the copy to review.

I love traveling and we often take the road less traveled. So I was very interested in this book with a trip out west planned. The pictures and descriptions in this book make me want to travel all of these roads and see all these sites. The pictures are beautiful. You can almost feel the mist rising off the waterfalls or see the cowboy riding his horse among the cliffs of Monument Valley. There are handy added tidbits of historical information that make it more fun. There are write up of the national parks in the areas too.
A must for someone that is planning a trip out west soon.

As much as I wanted to read this book, I am unable to get it to load in a viewable size. Neither in my Kindle or as a PDF. It's too bad, what I see looks great! Sorry.

Backroads of the Great American West is delightful. Delightful. I asked for it the moment it dropped on Netgalley, expecting a wild ride (with pictures!) across the US, and I wasn’t disappointed.

All the contributors–the chapters and routes are written by different authors, each of them with their own unique style–bring this book to life, taking us places via car or bike. Lovely 😀 let’s go!


**

Filled with full-color photography, instructive commissioned maps, and advice from regional travel experts, Backroads of the Great American West is the best one-stop source for road trips that avoid eight-lane expressways and crowded tourist destinations.

Backroads of the Great American West gets you off the Interstates and beaten paths with all the necessary information to take on dozens of great drives. From the dizzying snow-capped heights of the Rocky Mountains to the vast expanses of the desert Southwest, from the lush Pacific Northwest to sunny Southern California and the California coast, the great western American road trip is perhaps the most quintessential of American road trips.

Inside, regional experts—historians, travel writers, and photographers—curate their favorite road trips and their scenic, historic, and cultural attractions, as well as advice on what to do and see along the way. Each is accompanied by color photography and a description of the drive and its attractions. Commissioned maps trace the routes.

176 pages
Travel
Quarto Publishing Books – Motorbooks
Goodreads

**

Cover: I love it. It’s a simple shot, but it’s full of beauty. Plus, the font is a refreshing choice. I like my Times New Roman just like any other sane person around the globe, but a little variety does add some spice. On occasion.

Yay!

- The title is self-explanatory enough, and it delivers what it promises: a great selection of travel routes, several places to explore at leisure, away from mainstream cities. This is a refreshing take, even more so because it also features Route 66! Did I ever tell you about my fascination with old signs? Diners? Tailfin cars? It’s all there 😀

- I can’t believe I have to say this, but a travel book requires good pictures. As many as possible, and top-quality too, because us readers? We either want to go there or we’d love to go there but we can’t. Talk about landmarks, the historical importance of place X, tidbits and curiosities to your heart’s content, sure, but don’t forget to show us what you’re talking about too. Do like they did in BotGAW, you’ll be golden. The pictures are splendid, vivid and immortalizing a detail, a landscape, the bark of ponderosa pines and cactus flowers. Wow.

- Organization-wise, I like how BotGAW has a different section for every State. It makes for easy searching. Also, the structure is good, because almost every trip is four pages long and there are local/state maps detailing roads. In the digital era, a printed map is a revolutionary act.

- Interesting anecdotes are sprinkled here and there, and the fact that there isn’t a single author contributes to variety. Many voices, many styles, each of them emphasizing new concepts.

Special mention:

- American’s Main Street, New Mexico/Arizona section. Bliss, Route 66.
- Volcano central, Oregon. I love ponderosa pines, and the Three Sisters volcano ❤
- Mojave Desert and historic Route 66, Southern California. I know, I know, but there’s a picture of an ancient gas pump! And signs!
- San Juan Skyway, Colorado. The coloring of the steam train, the red of the leaves, perfection.
- The Sacramento Valley, Northern California. Chinese Pistache Trees and the author talking about how he undertook a long trip just to take a photo of the trees in autumn – it makes my heart burst out with happiness.

Nay!

- There isn’t a real nay. It’s a great book and I hope to see more of these in the future – same structure, another topic?

TL;DR

4.5 stars on GR, rounded up to five. This is an excellent read, 100% would recommend.

My, what a beautiful book! I’d find a place for it on my coffee table! My review is based on a digital copy provided by Netgalley and publisher for which I’m very grateful. If you like exploring and planning road trips, this would be a useful resource. If you prefer to sit back and enjoy reading about places and stunning photography, then this is also for you. The photos are stunning, the narrative that accompanied them is interesting, and the maps are handy. Overall, it’s a perfect road trip planning companion. I loved it 10/10

Excellent.~ My whole family enjoyed looking at this and it prompted us to start dreaming about a vacation out west. Recommending it to everyone..

I love road trips and I’ve lived in the Arizona for 39 years, so I couldn’t wait to see what hidden gems this book had in store for me!

What I found in this book were some magnificent, off the beaten path road trips that I haven’t taken yet! I’m ready to pack my bags and hit the road!

The book is beautifully illustrated and includes maps/routes to help you during on your journey. It is a stunning 176 pages and includes seven chapters covering Colorado, New Mexico & Arizona, Southern California, Northern California, Utah, Oregon and Washington.

If you like road trips and want to visit the West, this is a must have guide for you! I know I will enjoy avoiding some of the crowds at the regular tourist attractions and enjoy the roads less traveled when I visit some of these recommended spots.

Happy Trails to you throughout your travels!

BACKROADS OF THE GREAT AMERICAN WEST: YOUR GUIDE TO GREAT DAY TRIPS WEEKEND GETAWAYS by the editors of Motorbooks is a beautiful and complete guide to the states that make up the American West with all the information required to ensure an enjoyable trip with the information at hand to plan your route along the way.

Previously I resided in AZ and was able to visit several of the places included in this book that would be a fine addition to any coffee table to make a reader wish they were already on the road to experience the sights included on the pages within.

5 stars.

Backroads of the Great American West
Compiled by Editors of Motorbooks

A book that made me want to pack my bags, fill the gas tank, and head out to explore places I have never been but have always wanted to visit. My sister and her husband have been to a number of these places with their trailer and someday I hope to make some of the trips in this book myself.

Seven Chapters:
* Colorado
* New Mexico and Arizona
* Southern California
* Northern California
* Utah
* Oregon
* Washington

What I liked:
* Photographs – gorgeous
* Vintage and current photos
* Maps to locate the areas
* Information about the places with enough history without overwhelming
* The diversity of places
* That I was drawn in and wanted to be able to step into the pages of the book
* Being reminded of places I have visited in the past – mostly as a child riding in the back of the station wagon and sometimes stopping to see the sites or shop or stay in a motel and swim in the pool.
* The beauty of the areas in the photographs and being amazed some are still pristine and pretty
* Wondering what it would be like to go there now as well as what it might have been like to have seen it long ago
* That more than one person provided information so there was diversity
* Thinking about who might have been in some of the places and what their lives might have been like
* Wondering what other books I might need to augment this one if I were to actually make one or more of the road trips in this book.

What I didn’t like:
* That this was a digital copy and thus more difficult to flip through than a hard copy would have been

I enjoyed this book and would like to thank NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group-Motorbooks for the ARC ~ This is my honest review.

5 Stars