If you would like to begin hiking and/or camping, but do not feel confident about your abilities, then this book is definitely for you. The author draws on his own six decades of camping and hiking. His parents took him camping for the first time in the high country of Yosemite National Park when he was only a year old, and he continued the outdoor tradition with his own family.

An Arizona backpacking guide focuses on trips lasting from three to six days, emphasizing the joys of hiking and the sense of wonder at natural beauty as well as practical and safety concerns. For each of the trips described, the text compares the scenery, solitude, and difficulty and provides details concerning mileage, elevation grain, required permits, and water sources.