Best Cedar Mesa/Bears Ears Guide Books?

[Devin Ashby]

I am looking for guide book suggestions for the Cedar Mesa/Bears Ears area. I've spent a lot of time reading blogs, watching videos and planning trips based on maps, etc. I've been through some of the canyons, but looking to expand my exploration of the area.
Would love any suggestions you have for guide books for the area.
Thanks!

 

[Reef&Ruins]

Having substantial collection of guidebooks on the subject I can tell you that no one is going to write exact directions to any particular ruin or rock art that isn't already all over the internet (meaning with directions given on whatever website you find). If you want general information about the area, the recent Falcon Press publication, Utah's Bears Ears and Cedar Mesa is a decent look, which is to say it is pretty general. I'd say based on what you wrote above, you probably know as much (or maybe more) as that book, and pretty much all the others, are going to offer. There is this one guy who writes guidebooks (a series of them actually) that are insanely difficult to read through, has a lot of info per page, needs an index but doesn't have one, has reasonable maps but there's lots of route-finding still involved, and is featured in the documentry Gorging. His initials are MK and he loves spelling photos as fotos, and loves using metric. Also his hike times are really underestimated.....

 

[Devin Ashby]

Having substantial collection of guidebooks on the subject I can tell you that no one is going to write exact directions to any particular ruin or rock art that isn't already all over the internet (meaning with directions given on whatever website you find). If you want general information about the area, the recent Falcon Press publication, Utah's Bears Ears and Cedar Mesa is a decent look, which is to say it is pretty general. I'd say based on what you wrote above, you probably know as much (or maybe more) as that book, and pretty much all the others, are going to offer. There is this one guy who writes guidebooks (a series of them actually) that are insanely difficult to read through, has a lot of info per page, needs an index but doesn't have one, has reasonable maps but there's lots of route-finding still involved, and is featured in the documentry Gorging. His initials are MK and he loves spelling photos as fotos, and loves using metric. Also his hike times are really underestimated.....

Thanks. I am just looking for general info, not step by step info on ruins, etc. I just find using a mix of blogs, videos, guide books to gather general route info as I map out a route helps provide more confidence going into an area I am less familiar with.
For example, I have a route mapped in the Step Canyon/Pine Canyon area. Very little info online from google searching. But maybe one of the guide books has a little more generic info to help with the route planning. Thanks!

 

[regehr]

I think both the Tassoni and Beard books are worth owning, though neither is particularly recent, unless there are new editions I've not learned of

 

[Titans]

For example, I have a route mapped in the Step Canyon/Pine Canyon area.

Assume you saw this recent post?

Step Canyon access to Grand Gulch, Cedar Mesa

Hi, Does anyone have any experience of using Step Canyon as an entry/exit route to Grand Gulch ? Kelsey makes the route sound relatively straightforward (!), but other trip reports that I've come across make it sound like a more difficult challenge. Thanks for any advice.

backcountrypost.com

 

[Devin Ashby]

Assume you saw this recent post?

Step Canyon access to Grand Gulch, Cedar Mesa

Hi, Does anyone have any experience of using Step Canyon as an entry/exit route to Grand Gulch ? Kelsey makes the route sound relatively straightforward (!), but other trip reports that I've come across make it sound like a more difficult challenge. Thanks for any advice.

backcountrypost.com

I have not. I've been quite absent on this forum the past couple years and had not yet done any searching through the forum for additional posts on that canyon specifically. I will look at that though. Thanks!

 

[PaulMags]

His initials are MK and he loves spelling photos as fotos, and loves using metric. Also his hike times are really underestimated.....

My partner calls it "Mind melding" with him. The best guidebooks, but you need to learn to think like MK to understand the books. :O

 

[LarryBoy]

Having substantial collection of guidebooks on the subject I can tell you that no one is going to write exact directions to any particular ruin or rock art that isn't already all over the internet (meaning with directions given on whatever website you find). If you want general information about the area, the recent Falcon Press publication, Utah's Bears Ears and Cedar Mesa is a decent look, which is to say it is pretty general. I'd say based on what you wrote above, you probably know as much (or maybe more) as that book, and pretty much all the others, are going to offer. There is this one guy who writes guidebooks (a series of them actually) that are insanely difficult to read through, has a lot of info per page, needs an index but doesn't have one, has reasonable maps but there's lots of route-finding still involved, and is featured in the documentry Gorging. His initials are MK and he loves spelling photos as fotos, and loves using metric. Also his hike times are really underestimated.....

Yeah that Falcon guidebook is good for newcomers to the area (and goes to great lengths to encourage people to visit responsibly, which I appreciate), but it's definitely more superficial than what you're looking for.

 

[Reef&Ruins]

I think both the Tassoni and Beard books are worth owning, though neither is particularly recent, unless there are new editions I've not learned of

I haven't been able to purchase a Beard book. Tassoni I have and it isn't bad but it basically tells you what you can find out elsewhere often on the web.