Pile in and Explore – Car Trips Galore!
Lonely Planet Launches New National Park Serie

APRIL, 2003 | OAKLAND, USA
Lonely Planet, the world's leading travel media company, is launching a new National Parks series this spring with two American gems, Yosemite National Park (March 2003) and Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks (April 2003).

Lonely Planet's trademark adventure-travel expertise and in-depth research come together in this new series making these guides the best overall vacation planners to the parks. Visitors will need only the Lonely Planet national park guide to plan and enjoy a stay of any length. These guides underline the fact that a trip to a national park quite often provides an initial opportunity to awaken a love of travel, learn how to explore along the way and marvel at the wonders of nature.

What make Lonely Planet National Park guides stand apart from the rest?

• Combine the best of what all the other guides offer. Other guides tend to be either very general (covering inside-of-the-park highlights only), or one-activity specific, focusing on hiking, climbing, or bird watching, for example.
• Feature authors who are experts in their fields. With a strong, fun-spirited voice, their writing honors the parks as the true gems they are, but is not overly reverent in tone as many of the competition tend to be. Our authors tell where to find the most incredible natural wonders, but also where to go for a beer in a nearby cowboy bar.
• Offer comprehensive coverage beyond the park borders. They include detailed information on national forests and wilderness areas, plus lesser-known nearby towns. They also provide detailed information on accommodations, dining, activities and attractions in outlying areas. This is value added information which can greatly enhance a visit to these parks.
• Provide strong 'Activities' coverage. Detailed information is provided for the avid adventurer, the casually curious and fun-loving families. Activities include hiking, rafting, biking, skiing, climbing and canoeing. This section provides the particulars on where to have the best experience of each, both inside and outside of the park.
• Include helpful charts. The Hiking Charts are easy-to-read, quick reference tools that contain information on the name, type, starting location, distance, duration, challenge, elevation, features, facilities and description of the hikes in the park. Camping Charts tell which sites are good for kids, allow pets, are wheelchair accessible, or have facilities like drinking water, flush toilets, and RV hook-ups.
• Have excellent maps. The comprehensive map section includes detailed maps of the entire park broken down by region, maps to each entrance and maps of surrounding areas.
• Supply countless nuggets of useful information. In handy, easy-to-find sidebars, find quick tips, 'best of' lists for an area or activity, roadside attractions and other did-you-know type information to inform and educate all visitors to the parks.

For more information contact:
Cindy Cohen, cindyc@lonelyplanet.com or Frank Ruiz, frankr@lonelyplanet.com