John Fielder's Best of Colorado [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

I didn't even know about it until I saw it at the Tattered Cover bookstore in Denver. I knew right away that I had to get it. I have not been able to put it down ever since I got it.

This is a very large book- It is a huge beautiful book with 450+ pages. There are TONS of photos- practically on every page- in bright and vivid color.

The pictures in this book are absolutely gorgeous. Not only are there many, many scenic photos, but also pictures and descriptions of restaurants, hotels, bed and breakfasts, historical places, national monuments, national parks, state parks and MUCH more. John Fielder lists hiking trails in every area- and rates them easy, moderate or difficult.

For example, on the section about Colorado Springs and vicinity (Castle Rock, CO Springs, Manitou Springs, Cripple Creek, and Canon City), here are SOME of the things that are mentioned (pictures as well as decriptions):

Daniel's Park, Castlewood Canyon State Park,The Old Stone Church Restaurant, Gabriel's restaurant, The Augustine Grill, Maxwell House bed and breakfast, shopping (Prime Outlets at Castle Rock) History of the area, special events (Colorado Renaissance Festival), scenic drives (Rampart Range Road),
CO Springs: The Broadmoor Hotel, Garden of the Gods, Seven Falls, Glen Eyrie Castle, 4 wheel-drive trails, hiking, cycling and mountain biking trails, museums, and etc...
{This book is so extensive that I can't list them all}.

Manitou Springs: Pikes Peak Cog Railway, North Pole/ Santa's Workshop, Cave of the Winds, Miramont Castle, Mineral Springs, Pikes Peak Toll Road, Briarhurst Manor, Craftwood Inn, Red Crags Bed & Breakfast Inn, etc....

Cripple Creek: Gold Camp Road, Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, hiking trails, Imperial Casino Hotel, Bronco Billy's Sports Bar and Casino, Mueller Ranch State Park, The Old Homestead House Museum, Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad, Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine, Restaurants, Double Eagle Hotel and Casino,

Here are some areas that are covered in this book:

**Denver and Vicinity- Gateway to the Rockies
-Denver, Boulder, Idaho Springs, Central City, and Black Hawk, Georgetown

**Colorado Springs and vicinity- Pikes Peak Country
-Castle Rock, CO Springs, Manitou Springs, Cripple Creek, Canon City

**The I-70 Corridor- Ski Country to Canyon Country
-Silverthorne and Dillon, Breckenridge and Frisco, Vail, Beaver Creek, Glenwood Springs, Grand Junction, Delta

**Northwestern Colorado: Northern Front Range to Dinosaur National Monument
-Fort Collins and Greeley, Estes Park, Grand Lake, Winter Park, Walden, Steamboat Springs, Craig, Meeker, and Dinosaur National Monument

**Central Colorado: Heart of the Rockies
-Fairplay, Leadville, Buena Vista and Salida, Aspen, Basalt, Carbondale, Redstone and Marble, Crested Butte, Gunnison and Montrose

**Southern Colorado- I-25 to the Eastern San Juan Mountains
- Westcliffe, Walsenburg and La Veta, Alamosa, Monte Vista, Del Norte, South Fork, Pagosa Springs, Creede, Lake City

**Southwestern Colorado- The San Juan Mountains and Anasazi Country
-Durango, Silverton, Ouray, Ridgway, Telluride, Dolores, Cortez

**Eastern Plains- The Prarie Grasslands
-Fort Morgam, Sterling, Trinidad, La Junta, Springfield

I HIGHLY recommend this book! It is a BEAUTIFUL book- with very extensive information. You will not be disappointed!

If you are looking for a book that gives you true "insider" information on places to go, you'll likely be disappointed. Fielder left out many of the lesser-known scenic locations and generally only included the better-known places. I'm guessing that he did this because he doesn't want a flood of people rushing to these more pristine, less-crowded areas -- perhaps the book should be called "The Best of Colorado (that Fielder wants you to know about)."

If Fielder did intentionally leave out some of the more pristine places for conservation purposes, it makes one wonder why Fielder wrote this book in the first place. Fielder proudly claims to be one of Colorado's most ardent conservationists, and it is therefore a little perplexing why Fielder would write a guide book. He undoubtedly knows that more traffic to Colorado's scenic areas will lead to more desecration of the environment, regardless of how environmentally-conscious the visitors are. I would be interested to know how Fielder explains this apparent paradox.

One other problem with this book is its accuracy (or lack thereof). While other authors of guidebooks tend to spend much of their time writing and preparing guidebooks, Fielder spends most of his time taking photos. He did not appear to have time to check the accuracy of all the info he provided. For instance, in one case he stated that there were no roads leading into a canyon in southern Colorado. And while there may not have been any roads the last time Fielder visited it (10...20 years ago?), there is - for better or for worse - a road there now. This is just one of many errors that are rather inexcusable in a guide book.

One final problem I had with this book is the writing style. Before you purchase this book, keep in mind that Fielder is a photographer, NOT a writer. And, to be quite blunt, this is a very poorly written book. The photos in it are nice, as Fielder is one of Colorado's better nature photographers. But if you're looking for a well-written, well-organized, easy-to-follow guide book, I'd recommend that you look elsewhere. You might try the tried-and-trusted "Colorado Guide" or "Best of Colorado." Or, better yet, just buy a good map and discover Colorado on your own. Just about anywhere you go in Colorado is beautiful, and it's hard to really call one place "better" than another.