[.ca] Kauai Trailblazer: Where to Hike, Snorkel, Bike, Paddle, ... (ISBN 0967007216)

Cloud NINE!:
We're just back and have one piece of advice for anyone thinking of exploring Kauai: GET KAUAI TRAILBLAZER! It lived up to the description on the back cover and we really put it to the ultimate test. We've hiked and climbed all over North America and nothing beats what you see in Kauai. All the information is listed in nice graphics. You can randomnly open the book and know just where you are on the island because they use highway mile markers in their driving instructions. Well done, and we think it absolutely deserves a five.

One and only:
If you want to bring just one guidebook along, look no further. This is the one we planned our total two week itinerary with, day by day. We bought the big map from the university and spread it out. Our trailblazer is organized by areas, broken into five sections, so we could guage the time and distance of the hikes we wanted to take. For the Waimea Canyon this was particulary important since there is not much written material for this area. A few sketchy maps were available at the visitor's center. Water was scarce in many places and the book made it clear that keeping hydrated was in our best interest. The authors had many such tips in all the appropriate places. As amateur botanists we had a field day.

Right direction:
We read the Trailblazer vacation planning guide No Worries Hawaii and decided kauai was the island for us with all it's hiking opportunities. The guide took about a week to arrive which gave us time to arrange our air travel on Alaska Air and rent a centrally located cottage that has an oceanview. We're in the process of checking off all the great hikes we want to take. Once we get there it won't be foreign to us at all. We now know the highway layout, side roads and all the photos have given us an idea of where the good beaches are situated. Precious cargo, it's going in the carry-on with our camera.

Beach Finds!:
I know it seems silly to say but this guide was truly our "passport to adventure". We could have never found the tucked away beaches like "Secret" without our trailblazer. Their maps supported their detailed directions. Another plus were all the photographs on almost every page. Winner guide and one that every tourist should bring to Kauai.

My vacation to Kauai:
One word: Outstanding. Bring this book with you to Kauai. The fact that it concentrates on hiking was why I bought it. I hadn't considered snorkeling until I read about Ke'e Beach. This book will get you thinking and will get you out there. I should also mention that the majority of stuff in here is free. What a concept.