"WOW." Think of it as the Wonder of Wilderness. Because that's your destination when Hiking from Here to WOW: Utah Canyon Country by Kathy and Craig Copeland is your guide. It describes the 90 most compelling trails within our planet's most bizarrely beautiful region.

The authors hiked more than 2,300 miles through Zion, Bryce, Escalante-Grand Staircase, Glen Canyon, Grand Gulch, Cedar Mesa, Canyonlands, Moab, Arches, Capitol Reef, and the San Rafael Swell. Then they winnowed all that exploration down to their favorite hikes: each selected for its power to intrigue, to stir, to dazzle, to mystify, to inspire, to thrill, and to incite awe.

Their 448-page book describes precisely where to find the red rock cliffs, slick rock domes, soaring arches, and ancient ruins that make southern Utah unique in the world. It offers the boot-tested advice you need to create rewarding adventures. And it does so in refreshing style: unstintingly honest, entertainingly written, lavished with gorgeous photography, creatively designed.

WOW Utah is full-color throughout, includes an easy-to-grok trail map for each day hike and backpack trip, and liberally dispenses the Copelands' discerning counsel on how to make the most of every precious weekend or vacation. Their approach--separately presenting Opinion and Fact for each hike--is unconventional and extremely helpful. Their thoughtful, compelling descriptions interpret Utah canyon country in ways that are clever, poetic, penetrating, spiritual, startling, and sometimes just plain funny. So Hiking from Here to WOW: Utah Canyon Country provides hours of rapt reading even when you're not choosing a hike.

This guide is is ideal for intermediate to advanced hikers keen to be on the trail for four to six hours a day.