By MIKE DONAHUE
Moapa Valley Progress
Utah writer and hiking aficionado Tom Garrison recently published a compilation of 25 hikes that encourages outdoor enthusiasts to get out and explore some amazing natural areas throughout Southern Nevada.
The book, “Hiking Southern Nevada, Volume One,” is written in an informative and engaging style that imparts Garrison’s love of the desert outdoors.
Garrison and his wife Deb Looker completed every hike in the book, each of which is accompanied by a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) map.
“This guide is about hiking and generally exploring desert areas, specifically Southern Nevada,” Garrison explains. “There is no better way to experience the ruggedness, the history of settlement by Native Americans and later pioneers, and the solitude than by simply hiking and exploring.”
In addition to the colorful and homespun descriptions of the hikes, Garrison provides readers with a quick overview of the hike including difficulty, distance, elevation and what to expect; trailhead access and vehicle recommendation; average hiking time; distance; fees and permits; best season; type of hike, and the symbols used on the maps.
Several of the hikes are accompanied by beautiful photographs that were taken by Garrison.
To avoid the summer heat, Garrison said he and his wife generally do Southern Nevada hikes between October and April.
Nevertheless, he said six hikes in the Panaca/Pioche area are great adventures during the summer including Beaver Dam State Park; Rainbow Canyon and Kershaw-Ryan State Park; Ash Canyon Trail at Echo Canyon State Park; Cathedral Gorge State Park; Stone Cabin Trail at Spring Valley State Park, and caves and vertical life zones in Great Basin National Park.
Garrison said he and his wife began exploring the Southwest some 25 years ago and in 2009 they settled in St. George, Utah, which they use as a base camp for adventures in Southwest Utah, Southern Nevada and Northern Arizona.
Of the 25 hikes in his new book, Garrison said his favorite is “probably Cathedral Gorge.”
“When you go there and walk around, there are all these little slot canyons,” he said. “All the formations are amazing.”
Garrison’s love of the outdoors is obvious in the narration.
“I wrote them (the stories about the hikes) to describe the natural beauty where we hiked and, as importantly, to inspire people to get out and enjoy nature,” he writes in the book introduction. “Go outdoors and relax, leave the pressures of daily life behind for a few hours. These hikes are not hardcore three-day backpacking treks through the wilderness.
“These are more of ‘get off the couch or out of your daily rut’ and see what nature, plate tectonic and erosion have given you,” he continues. “These stories and hikes are for the average person/family that understands the value of nature but never quite gets out to enjoy it.”
“Hike Southern Nevada” is lauded by Dr. John Crossley, owner and publisher of the acclaimed “The American Southwest” website and Facebook page.
“Tom uses his wealth of local knowledge to highlight the best hikes in Southern Nevada, including developed routes in the national and state parks and off-trail walks in more remote places,” Crossley writes.
“Hiking Southern Nevada” is available on Amazon or it can be purchased at the “Desert Rat,” an outdoor outfitting store in St. George.
