Beyond the national parks A recreation guide to public lands in the West

In 1996 the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) celebrated its 50th anniversary. In honor of this event, the agency and its partner organizations (e.g., the National Geographic Society, the American Hiking Society) decided to reveal their favorite BLM spots in hopes of encouraging interest in exploring this land. Although this is a guide to lands in the American West, it does include a few sites in the Eastern half of the United States. Information given for each spot includes location, description, mailing address and phone number, directions, permits, accessibility, food and lodging facilities, first aid availability, miscellaneous additional information, and icons denoting the sponsoring partner and visitor activities. Most entries include a beautiful color photograph and a general map of the area. As a basic introduction to these public lands, the book is successful; as a travel guide, it is less so. The emphasis seems to be on celebrating the BLM and its partners rather than on presenting the land to prospective visitors. The invitation to explore appears to be aimed more toward the serious traveler who is willing to contact the ranger or BLM representative and who will follow all of the rules‘a correct attitude of this in that these are carefully preserved and protected lands and no one wants to see them spoiled, but it leaves the reader wondering whether the book is just for armchair travelers.‘Julia Stump, Voorheesville P.L., NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.