Rizzoli Great Hiking Trails of the World: 80 Trails, 75,000 Miles, 38 Countries, 6 Continents

I would call Karen Berger's "Great Hiking Trails of the World" a "coffee table dream guide" as it can serve as a great tool for prioritizing your epic hikes. The title of the books is a bit misleading as it really only focuses on 35 hikes. The other 45 only get one paragraph each, which may not be enough information for making your list. Of these 35 longer reviews, there is just the right amount of information.As the author notes, her selections are a bit eclectic. Mt. Kenya gets a full review, while Mt. Kilimanjaro gets only a paragraph. I hiked Mt. Kenya two years ago and found Berger's review to be accurate and sufficient. The author is quite right that Mt. Kenya is unfairly overlooked because it is 2,000 feet shorter than Kilimanjaro, even though it is more beautiful, much less crowded, and the wildlife much more diverse. Of course, the best solution is to do them both!"Great Hiking Trails" has several minor short-comings. The book is long on beautiful photographs, but rather short when it comes to practical information about the actual hikes. The only maps are continental in scope to show the distribution of the hikes in the world. Since the book is organized by theme (such as pilgrimages and peaks) rather than region, the maps would be more useful if they included page numbers.The best way to overcome these shortcomings is to also get Peter Potterfield's "Classic Hikes of the World." His book is shorter but goes into much more detail about each of his 23 selections. There is also surprisingly little overlap between the two books. For example, he has a detailed review of Kilimanjaro. My review of his book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R3VLJBN5NTM8GJ/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=0393057968

This was a present for one of those awkward johnnies who is impossible to buy for. But he loved this and it kept him happy all through Christmas. Job done.

Beautiful photos of gorgeous landscapes. A book full of things to add to your bucket list.

Ambitious hiking books like this come in two flavors: mainly informational or mainly inspirational. This is the latter. It's more of a really nice coffee table-style tome, filled with insights from the author on the character and history of each trail and packed with many fantastic photos.What kind of trails are included? The key word here is right in the title: GREAT. "Great" as in amazing - these are, without a doubt, mind-blowing trails. "Great" as in size - these are long trails. The Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, the Via Alpina - virtually all of them are multi-day treks, with some taking months to complete. "Great" as in famous - these are well-established trails, many of which will be familiar (by name, at least) to avid hikers.So you won't find shorter trails such as the Sentiero degli Dei in Italy or The Narrows in Utah here (to pick two examples out of a hat). Nor will you find worthwhile yet lesser trod areas such as, say, the Cordillera Huayhuash, Dinaric Alps, or mountains of Georgia (the nation, natch). And the cover touting "80 Trails", while technically correct, is best thought of as 35 trails with a full write-up and 45 'honorable mentions'.The book features basic practical information, such as the length of the trail and the best season to go. This is smart - you could write an entire book devoted to any one of the trails here. This is not a trail guide, nor is it trying to be. If you're looking for an informational alternative, try Peter Potterfield's "Classic Hikes of the World". However, if you're looking for a book to be inspired by, to gawk at, or to present as a gift for your favorite armchair traveler, this makes a great choice.

I have heard about the author’s work, seen random things about her professional life on social media, and have come to respect and admire her as an author, an artist, and a motivator. I bought the book out of curiosity and immediately decided it was the perfect Christmas gift for my husband. We are periodic hikers but constant dreamers about such places, and nothing suits the bill better than to present this to him. We hiked to the summit of Mount Fuji 4 years ago and it’s long past time to take another significant hike together. This book is full of beautifully presented hikes around the world. The author is engaging and articulate, and knows her content first hand. So well done, such a beautiful volume for our home. It may be hidden in my sweater drawer waiting for Christmas, but I will admit here that I am guilty of pulling it out several times to turn the pages of this gorgeous gift, with dreams of the adventures that lie ahead.