Best Loop Hikes: Washington (Best Hikes) Review

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Best Loop Hikes: Washington (Best Hikes) Review"Nothing pleases hikers more than finding a great wilderness trail that allows them to wander in circles, never touching the same bit of trail twice. Hiking, after all, is hard work and it's nice when every step takes you into new country, with new scenery. Out-and-back hikes are okay, but a great loop hike? That's the holy grail of the trail world." -- from the introduction
That pretty much sums up this excellent guide to loop hikes in Washington State.
The novice hiker, or someone like me who hasn't been on the trails in a while, will benefit from the up-to-date information in the introduction. Topics include: permits and regulations, general trail etiquette, low-impact camping, water, clean-up, bears, cougars, weather, and gear.
A partial Washington State map near the front of the book helps the reader to locate the numbered hikes, ranging from as far west as Cape Alava on the Olympic Peninsula to Horseshoe Basin/Windy Peak in the Okanogan National Forest in the north central part of the state. The majority of these hikes are in the Cascade Mountains, from North Cascades National Park to Mount Adams in the south.
A two-page guide will help the reader select "hikes by interest," including panoramic views, solitude, old-growth forest, dog-friendly trails, kid-friendly trails, wildflower viewing, waterfalls and rivers, lakes, wildlife viewing and natural splendor. One drawback to this fine volume is that there is no simple way to find an easy dayhike without turning to the page for each individual hike.
These loops vary in length from short dayhikes to overnight backpack trips that can take several days.
Each hike selection begins with a short summary. The text provides clear directions on how to get to the trailhead, a description of each hike and things you might see along the way. A small topographical trail map is provided for each hike, and the book is scattered with black and white photos of sights one might encounter on the trail.
An appendix contains helpful contact information and web addresses to parks, ranger districts and volunteer groups mentioned in the book.
This is an excellent addition to the Mountaineers catalog of guidebooks. If you're looking for a loop hike in the Pacific Northwest--whether short or long--take a look at this volume.Best Loop Hikes: Washington (Best Hikes) Overview

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Hidden Hikes in Western Washington Review

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Hidden Hikes in Western Washington ReviewThere are stacks of hiking books available for Western Washington, and some are even touted as "hidden" hikes (they aren't) but Karen Sykes has written the real thing. These are hikes that for whatever reason don't attract the hordes that commonly hike the most common trails. Many of them are "secondary" hikes that either don't have the splashy payoff commonly associated with the most popular hikes; but many more hikes are special by virtue of their history or their charm. These are hikes for those who miss the adventure of trying the unknown. And because Sykes is safely conservative in her recommendations, the reader can feel assured that the conditions will be no worse than expected.
For armchair hikers, the book makes good reading.Hidden Hikes in Western Washington Overview

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Day Hikes Around Los Angeles: 45 Great Hikes Review

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Day Hikes Around Los Angeles: 45 Great Hikes ReviewFocusing on the Santa Monica mountains and Griffith Park, this book contains a number of very nice short hikes. For longer hikes or hikes in a larger variety of areas, I'd suggest Afoot and Afield in Los Angeles County.
One very nice feature of this book is the simpliflied map which accompanies each hike. Each hike's map is zoomed in to cover only the area of interest, with important landmarks identified. I did find one small mistake on one of the maps, but it was easy enough to figure out what was intended.
The descriptions of the hikes are very brief, and there isn't any detailed information about what to look out for, but all of the hikes go to very interesting places. Again, the book Afoot and Afield in Los Angeles County can fill in many gaps, as that book lacks the nice maps, but has great descriptions of many of the hikes in this book. I recommend buying both. Read the long descriptions in the bigger book, then carry this book with you on the trail as it has more useful maps.Day Hikes Around Los Angeles: 45 Great Hikes Overview

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Take A Hike Family Walks in the Rochester (NY) Area (Second Edition) (Trail Guidebooks) Review

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Take A Hike Family Walks in the Rochester (NY) Area (Second Edition) (Trail Guidebooks) ReviewBought the book yesterday and did the 8.2 mile hike on the Hojack Trail in Webster where I live. It was easy to find, the history about the trail in the book was interesting and we are looking forward to finding other hikes around our home we didn't know were there! Very user friendly book. After each hike there is a place where you can jot down notes, great for keeping track of hikes you want to repeat.Take A Hike Family Walks in the Rochester (NY) Area (Second Edition) (Trail Guidebooks) Overview

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Afoot and Afield: San Diego County: A Comprehensive Hiking Guide Review

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Afoot and Afield: San Diego County: A Comprehensive Hiking Guide ReviewJerry Schad is a remarkably prolific outdoor author. He has written extensively on hiking in southern California including the wildlands within Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. But San Diego is where Schad's heart truly lies and it shows in every edition of 'Afoot and Afield San Diego.' I have owned each one since the first in 1986 and this book just keeps getting better and better. The 4th edition (2007) features over 250 hikes and is sure to keep outdoor enthusiasts busy.
Most of the 30 or so hikes new to this edition are in the chapters dealing with Beaches and Bays and the Coastal Strip/Foothills sections. In the last 20 years San Diego County has made remarkable progress at putting aside open space for recreation and this version of Afoot and Afield chronicles many new preserves that have appeared over the last decade. New hikes include the Hosp Grove, a walk among Eucalyptus Trees just south of Oceanside, the addition of three new routes in Mission Trails Regional Park (along with the banishment of one path up Cowles Mountain), and multiple new trails in the Alpine/Jamal area.
While urbanized areas have seen many changes, the mountain and desert portions of the book are similar to previous editions. In Rancho Cuyamaca State Park, only one new hike was added, a pleasant jaunt along Cuyamaca Reservoir. Sadly, although the book has not changed much, the surrounding mountain landscape has. The 2003 Cedar fires destroyed much of the park and Schad's assessment that it will recover in a decade or two seems highly unlikely. As an aside, I was disappointed that Schad repeated the park claim and attributed the fire to "a century of fire suppression." That was, of course, part of the problem. But rampant mismanagement by the state park also shares the blame. Thinning, controlled burns, and spraying for bark beetles would have done much to mitigate the 2003 catastrophe. Happily, Palomar Mountain State Park has learned from the disaster that overtook Rancho Cuyamaca and is returning to active management of its resources, beginning with clearing away brush and downed wood. Because of this careful management, the many beautiful trails and cross country routes Schad describes on Palomar will be safeguarded for generations to come.
In conclusion, this is a very good guidebook. It retains most of the best features of earlier guides and all of the best hikes. I miss the little icons that appeared in previous editions, but the heading for each hike provides all the information you need in a concise, readable format. The trail sketch maps are also for the most part adequate, but you will want to supplement these with more detailed recreational maps where available. Still, this is the most comprehensive guide to San Diego County, a four season outdoor wonderland. If you want to explore the region, you would do well to get this book.Afoot and Afield: San Diego County: A Comprehensive Hiking Guide Overview

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60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: San Diego: Including North, South and East Counties Review

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60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: San Diego: Including North, South and East Counties ReviewThe author of this guide has put together a sensory smorgasbord for anyone who loves the outdoors. She details the flowers and plants you'll see (no more do you have to wonder what that fuzzy gray-green plant is, she tells you!), birds and other wildlife, challenges of the terrain, and where to find a spectacular view. Cross-referenced lists help you choose which hike to do (or helps you prioritize--I want to do all of them!) Best of all, she covers the damage from the 2003 wildfires around San Diego, so the book is way ahead of other guides right now. This guide took this New Englander from "Man, southern California is so dry" to amazement at the variety the San Diego area has to offer, from coastline to forest to mountains.60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: San Diego: Including North, South and East Counties Overview

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