John S
Member
It’s out!dudley said:
I saw the new Connecticut Walk Book today at a local outfitter. Without a doubt, it’s the best presentation of trail info I’ve ever seen. Congratulations to the Connecticut Forest and Park Association!
Other than the loose leaf binding, always its best feature, the book was totally redone. The pages are a little wider but still 8.5 high. The paper is sturdier, the print is easier on older eyeballs and the layout uses shading to separate various components. Each trail has sections for a short introduction, parking info, trail description and a mileage chart, which reads from both directions. Longer trails are divided into smaller sections. Interesting sidebar-type info appears here and there in shaded blocks.
The accompanying maps might be the book’s best feature. All maps now look to be 8.5 x 11 with only two creases – no more of those twelve-creased, two-foot pullouts. Also, they’re not just a bunch of thick and thin black lines and dots anymore – subtle coloring and smaller scale make them very readable. Scale? The Mattabesset Trail used to be on two pages – it’s now eight pages, double-sided! You can actually tell a road from a river from a trail! The maps are now located just after the trail descriptions. I didn’t notice what the contours were but they are well-spaced and don’t detract from the overall visual presentation.
The improvements do come at a price, however. The book is now divided into Eastern and Western volumes. The Eastern volume, which is out now, retails for $24.95. The Western volume is due sometime in 2006.
