The Guidebook : Reviews of Yellowstone Treasures

"Yellowstone guidebooks (the first one appeared in 1873) are legion. Janet Chapple's Yellowstone Treasures . . . is my recent favorite in this category."

—Park Historian Lee H. Whittlesey,
"BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY: The Most Important Literature
about Yellowstone National Park," Storytelling in Yellowstone, 2007

"Another lone publisher of the range, Janet Chapple, has updated her acclaimed Yellowstone Treasures: The Traveler's Companion to the National Park (Granite Peak Publications, 0-9706873-1-1), first published in 2002, and a Gold Medal winner from this magazine at the time. Chapple writes better than most of her travel guide peers. Her new material on geysers, wolves, and other Yellowstone wonders helps keep this book at the head of the pack."

—Seth Evoy, "Talking the Walk: Books for Foot Travelers"
ForeWord Magazine, Spring Announcements Issue (March/April 2006)

""Yellowstone Treasures" was good enough in its first edition to win ForeWord Magazine's 2002 Book of the Year Gold Award for travel guides. Now, the second edition promises to be better, with updates on campgrounds, geysers and wolves. It's thorough: Road logs detail mile-by-mile the what and the where. Easy-to-read maps pinpoint trail heads, fishing holes, overlooks, parking areas and restrooms. At 390 pages, this book on one of America's most-visited wilderness areas is heftier than many a travel guide to an entire country. It could easily have been hard to navigate, but bold headings, short entries, color photos and diagrams keep readers from being overwhelmed with type. Author Janet Chapple steps outside the park boundaries to let you know what to expect as you approach Yellowstone, no matter which direction you're coming from. Her advice is balanced, giving the pros and cons of, for example, visiting in spring (you can see the baby bison, she says, but also suffer biting insects). Why are some thermal pools multi-colored? How does a geyser work? Where do plate tectonics and volcanoes fit in? The book answers those science questions in layman's terms, and, at the other end of the travel spectrum, cautions that many of the park's restaurants are so busy in peak season that reservations are vital. (ISBN 0-9706873-1-1)"

—Resourceful Traveler, Chicago Tribune, June 12, 2005

"Beautifully illustrated. A delight for the eyes.
Bold color photos, maps and graphics adorn this most excellent guidebook. Very complete information on America's National Treasure. The variety of fauna, wildlife and rock formations at Yellowstone aptly presented in the book is simply astonishing. Not a book to read from cover to cover. Rather a definite 'thumb-threw-er.' Best to pick and choose the most appropriate pages for a particular trip. Like Yellowstone itself, one simply cannot devour this book all at once."

—Eric Dondero,
Independent Publishing Review, May 2004

"For the 'armchair traveler' the book gives a delightful and pictorial insight into this incomparable part of our country, plus being able to gather a lot of historical information along the way."

—The Ringling Eagle, Ringling, OK, March 27, 2003

"This is the definitive guide to Yellowstone, one of the most popular national parks in America. It is extraordinarily complete, with color maps, pictures, photos, and exhaustively researched historical and factual details. The book looks at the five different ways one can enter the park and describes in detail what to expect to see along each route, while filling in with fascinating factoids and historical notes. A family could easily plan their whole vacation around this wonderfully complete guide. We rated it five hearts."

—Heartland Reviews, January/February 2003

"This comprehensive guide to the world's oldest national park offers details aplenty for both newcomers to Yellowstone and seasoned visitors.

"Author Janet Chapple, who grew up in the park while her father worked at Old Faithful Inn, brings a lifetime of lore and passion to the book's 384 pages. With ample contributions from park old-timers and rangers to supplement her own experience, the author takes a tour down Yellowstone's roads. . ."

—Montana Arts Council newspaper
September/October 2002

"In looking through your book, I was impressed by the detailed maps that accompany the 'road logs,' and also by your commentaries on the geology and history of the park. I'm happy to know that Rhode Island has an expert on geysers and hoodoos! If I have an opportunity to get out to Yellowstone, I will be sure to take your guidebook with me."

—Senator Lincoln D. Chafee of Rhode Island,
Letter to Janet Chapple, October 4, 2002

"Janet Chapple loves Yellowstone and you can tell by her new book, Yellowstone Treasures! Using the old Haynes guides as a model, she has spent years figuring out the mileage and searching for information to inform the traveler along the roadway through the Park. This guide provides detailed information for those with several different interests: geologists, geyser enthusiasts, and historians, as well as the general traveler just looking to learn about our first national park.

"There are wonderful illustrations accompanying geological information. Numerous historic photographs which show how the Park looked in earlier times. I particularly enjoy the sidebars which give tidbits on the Park's story. This is a must-have publication for anyone traveling to Yellowstone!"

—Tamsen Hert, Collection Development Librarian
University of Wyoming Libraries, October 2002

"The park is so vast and complex that investing in a guidebook or two is advisable. Two that served me well merit special mention. . . . "Yellowstone Treasures" . . . tackles the park with a broad brush and is ideal for those making the ritual family vacation out West.

"Published earlier this year, it's designed for those traveling by car, with the pages following the roadways in and near the park. The book covers geology, wildlife and history while giving practical advice."

—Chris Welsch,
Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune, September 22, 2002

"Imagine Yellowstone Park as your backyard. It was like that for Janet Chapple as a child, when her parents worked at Old Faithful Inn. She still fondly recalls summer days playing hide-and-seek while 'waiting for geysers to erupt.' Later, Chapple, '57, became a professional cellist and moved to Providence, R.I., but she kept going back to Yellowstone. Now she shares an insider's expertise in Yellowstone Treasures (Granite Peak Publications, 2002). The 384-page guidebook offers more than maps and sightseeing tips. It also includes information on flora and fauna, historical tidbits and a chapter on geology by Chapple's husband, Bruno Giletti, a professor emeritus of geological sciences at Brown University. Beth Chapple, '87, was the editor and Alice Merrill, '68, designed the book."

—Stanford Magazine, July/August 2002

"Yellowstone Treasures, unlike many park and recreation guides, is not a dull read. It is nicely organized and flows well from tips to anecdotes to blurbs on accommodations, and the main attraction: her recommended routes for further exploration. . . .

"The book is rich with detail, from the tiny insects to the crashing waterfalls, all of which play a part in the pastiche that makes the park so attractive to Chapple—and millions of others."

—Christene Meyers, Arts & Entertainment Editor
Billings Gazette, July 7, 2002

"The quintessential guide to the oldest national park in America.

"The supplemental website provides practical advice on trip planning, descriptions of the seasons, and up-to-date information on hot springs, striped mountains, and even alpine wildflowers. If you are planning a visit, then begin with a careful reading of Yellowstone Treasures and checking out its remarkable and 'user friendly' website."

—Midwest Book Review's Internet Bookwatch, July 2002

"Mileages are given for driving the road in either direction to the stops along the way. Clever symbols are used to describe activities, facilities or aids to travelers that may exist at the destination. The author, based on her years of experience in Yellowstone, also identifies features not to miss along the way.

". . . I found the maps clearly illustrated, accurate and a pleasure to use.

"When the road log takes the traveler to a key destination such as Old Faithful Village, detailed information is given for the major sites and walks in the area. For example, two geyser walking tours are described for the Upper Geyser Basin area. These tours describe the geyser features along the way, again with detailed, useful maps and many excellent photographs. Chapple's knowledge of the geysers shines through the prose in these sections.

"Overall this is a very well done book which offers the reader fascinating information about the park's well known as well as hidden places."

—Tom Dunn
"The Geyser Gazer Sput," GOSA, June 2002

"This color photograph-rich guide to everything you'd ever want to see in Yellowstone National Park contains detailed maps and milepost descriptions of Yellowstone and surrounding areas. Included are easy-to-understand explanations of the geological forces that created its unique character. Use this book to pre-plan the most effective use of your precious time in this complex and magnificent park with its 350 miles of park roads."

—Marcella Gauthier, reviewer
Escapees: Sharing the RV Lifestyle magazine, May/June 2002

"Chapple has delivered a rousing success with her knowledgeable treatise"  —Terry Richard

"Yellowstone, the world's first national park, has been the subject of countless books. For most readers, Janet Chapple's new 384-page guide to the park may be the only one they ever need. Chapple has taken a buffalo bull by the horns, so to speak, and has delivered a rousing success with her knowledgeable treatise on one of America's most-loved natural travel destinations. She explains the geology that makes Yellowstone so special, but backs off just before eyes begin to glaze over. She describes the park's incredible wildlife and the landscape the animals inhabit. Most useful, though, is her description of the park's attractions mile by mile from the scenic highways. The roads are how most visitors experience Yellowstone, so this is what makes up the nuts and bolts of her book. Those who drive the park with this book at their side will be at the same advantage, but only those who actively use Chapple's book will become intimate with Yellowstone."

—Terry Richard, reviewer
The Oregonian, Travel section, April 7, 2002

"Yellowstone National Park is a world of endless wonder for me, and Yellowstone Treasures opens the door to even more new discoveries. I will carry Janet Chapple's book with me whenever I travel into the Park."

—Diane Smith, author of Letters from Yellowstone

"[Yellowstone Treasures] is a great up-to-date resource for information on the park.The book has a well developed index which is important to librarians. The maps and drawing are clear and easy to understand. The pictures are an inspiration to armchair travelers and the historical photos, which are my favorites, transport you back to an earlier time."

—Susan Reed, Director
Pawtucket Public Library, Rhode Island, April 2002

"Another pleasant read is Yellowstone Treasures: The Traveler's Companion to the National Park, published by Granite Peak Publications: 384 pages, 150 color photos, 37 maps, and rich descriptions of the Park's geology, history, flora, and fauna."

—Seth Evoy, "No Passport Required: New Books on Domestic Travel"
ForeWord Magazine, Spring Announcements Issue (2002), Vol. 5, No. 2

"Packed solid with information. . . easy to tote" and with "easy-to-understand geological drawings."

—National Motorist, Spring 2002

"Yellowstone Treasures was written primarily as a park tour guide, but goes beyond to make interesting reading whether or not an upcoming visit is being planned. The author, Janet Chapple, has had a lifelong familiarity with and love for Yellowstone since her childhood summers there when her father worked at the Old Faithful Inn. This ambitious project is the result of five years of research and preparation with input from, among many park experts, Yellowstone archivist Lee H. Whittlesey and former interpretive rangers Ann Deutch and Tom Hougham. Professor Bruno Giletti, Chapple's geologist husband, contributed easy-to-understand details on the park's geology.

"This ambitious project is the result of five years of research and preparation. . . ."  —Frank Markley

"In the tradition of the Haynes Guides, this book follows Yellowstone's road system, exploring each section of Yellowstone in depth, and providing a combination of instruction, description of points of interest, history, geology, advice, recent events and changes, and just plain interesting facts both basic and not so commonly known. Throughout are supportive maps, photos, and insets which explore various topics from history to geology in more detail. Those planning first visits will find the book useful in getting the most out of their visit, while Yellowstone veterans will find it has much to offer them as well. This reviewer was interested to learn where to find traces of Yellowstone legend Henry Yount's cabin along with some day hikes to add to the next Yellowstone visit. At the end of the book is a chronological time line, geological history of the park, illustrated section on Yellowstone plants and animals, overview of the fires of 1988, travel tips (including tips for older and disabled visitors), and more useful information. This book has earned a permanent place on the Yellowstone bookshelf as a useful reference work and one of the most comprehensive tour guides of Yellowstone yet published. Yellowstone Treasures is 384 pages long; illustrated throughout with color and black and white photos. Copies may be obtained through the publisheras well as bookstores everywhere.

"The second edition of Yellowstone Treasures was released in May 2005. All information about geysers, hot springs, and wolves has been updated, and a new campground chart as well as many new photos added. The maps have been fine-tuned and each road log section now has a distinct color to guide you to its pages. "

—Frank Markley, webmaster of Yellowstone Notebook

"If I had to retain only one book in my Yellowstone library, it would be Yellowstone Treasures. As a long-time visitor to the area, Chapple's intimate knowledge of the park has provided me with new and fascinating information about its most famous features as well as many little known and intriguing out-of-the-way places—places I've earmarked for future visits.

"Much more than an easy-to-follow guide to the park, Chapple's lively narrative is also packed with maps, illustrations, and information on Yellowstone's geology, natural history and people history—all drawn not only from her own personal knowledge of the park but from an impressive array of well researched sources. Yellowstone Treasures is as perfect for touring as it is for entertaining armchair reading. I wouldn't be without it!"

—Marlene Merrill, historian and editor of
Yellowstone and the Great West:
Journals, Letters, and Images from the 1871 Hayden Expedition

"[This] is an impressive book and, I believe, should fill a niche. . . .

"One of many advantages of [the] book is that [the author] obviously has a love for, knowledge of, and deep appreciation for this place. [The] book is not an objective AAA guide for motorists. It is a love song, in many ways, to the park and a desire to share that love, knowledge, and appreciation with others. . . .

"readable, informative, and user-friendly, yet offers a measure of insight and an 'insider's view' "  —Judith L. Meyer

"In general, the book is an excellent, important contribution to the ever-mounting stack of Yellowstone and national park guidebooks. Yellowstone Treasures finds some middle ground between the bare-bones lists-of-things-to-see and the user-unfriendly thick tomes that ramble on and on about either the whole park, the National Park Service, or one of Yellowstone's many features: elk, geology, waterfalls, etc. Yellowstone Treasures is readable, informative, and user-friendly, yet offers a measure of insight and an 'insider's view' that is missing from most Yellowstone guidebooks. There is something for everyone here, whether it is the day tourist or the Yellowstone employee. Nice book!"

—Judith L. Meyer, author of The Spirit of Yellowstone:
The Cultural Evolution of a National Park
and associate professor, Dept. of Geography, Geology, and Planning,
Southwest Missouri State University