I’m hesitant to review travel guides. I’ve written a few of my own, and I don’t want to be accused of any bias. Many turn out to be listings that someone could do entirely at a computer station without visiting many of the places described. Others simply don’t offer information in an easily usable way.

This one, Backroads and Byways of Upstate New York, proved to be a worthwhile immersion. At first, I skimmed chapters of places close to home. Then I usually look for other locations that I know well enough to have an opinion on. In this instance, I’ve traveled to almost every spot author Christine Smyczynski chose to include among her twenty itineraries.

Her book would be a worthwhile inclusion in any traveler’s resource library. She presents all the most notable sites on each itinerary. For each, she also offers insights on a few less well-known venues that make a journey more satisfying. Chapters end with lists of venues, accommodations, dining spots and shopping possibilities. I’m partial to outdoor murals, and she finds them almost everywhere. And she didn’t appear to miss many craft breweries and wineries along the way.

She includes a few spots that I’m especially happy to see get more press. Two monuments in Lewiston, “Freedom Crossing” and “Tuscarora Heroes,” commemorate activity on the Underground Railroad and a rescue of white natives from a British raid during the War of 1812, respectively. And I laud the inclusion of Walkway Over the Hudson, a former railroad bridge near Poughkeepsie, turned into a one-mile-plus pedestrian route with fabulous views.

Most readers will find her Adirondack section lists most of the notable attractions in the region. Aside from Buffalo Head Steakhouse in Forestport, no specific item came as a surprise. Remember, though, that her job is to provide a solid introduction for those not familiar with an area. This she definitely does. After finding similar strategies in other itineraries that I know well, I became confident in the author as a guide.

She gets credit for highlighting some of my favorite restaurants around the state, like Tricia’s Rondette near Clayton and Sprague’s Maple Farm outside Portville (get the turkey dinner, one of upstate New York’s great values). And she pays attention to such ideas as a Mount Morris Dam tour as a complement to Letchworth State Park.

Despite all my own writing around the state, she offers a few suggestions I need to check out. One is a museum in Alexandria Bay, near which a shipwreck can be readily spotted. Another is Hobert, which, though described as “the book village of the Catskills,” has somehow eluded my attention.

Can I think of a few personal favorites that she overlooked? Sure. That’s always the case in a guide of this nature. It’s not fair to nitpick. Besides, exploring and making your own discoveries should be part of anyone’s itinerary.

Pleasing color photographs dot the text. Individual maps for each journey are well done. Brief and useful overviews on such topics as the Amish population and cobblestone architecture are appreciated.

Naturally, I have a few caveats. I’ll admit to not being a good shopper, but it stretched credibility that virtually every community on her routes could qualify as a retail mecca. Adjectives and adverbs tend to be repeated, not unexpectedly, in a volume with such a multitude of brief descriptions. I’m tired of phrases like “you can even …” “of course … Also”

But these are minor complaints for a travel guide that is well organized, up to date and generally insightful in selecting its destinations. This will be a valuable reference for those planning anything from day trips to weekend getaways to longer vacations.