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Usually ships in 1-2 business days | | Only 3 left in stock, order soon! | | | | | | Best-selling outdoors authors Tom Stienstra and Ann Marie Brown know the best hiking trails in the Golden State, from breathtaking coastal walks north of Los Angeles to challenging backcountry treks in the Sierra Nevada. Drawing from the knowledge and experience of both authors, Moon California Hiking leads beginner and expert hikers alike to the best trails the state has to offer. The eighth edition of this classic guidebook includes 21 new hikes and unique lists of Bests” like Best Hikes to Waterfalls and Best Hikes to See Wildlife. Complete with helpful icons which rate the difficulty and quality of each hike, detailed regional maps, and hiking tips, Moon California Hiking provides hikers with first-rate expert advice and all the necessary tools to head outdoors. | | | |
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| | Product Details | | Author: | Tom Stienstra | | Paperback: | 856 pages | | Publisher: | Avalon Travel Publishing | | Publication Date: | February 15, 2008 | | Language: | English | | ISBN: | 1566918324 | | Package Length: | 8.4 inches | | Package Width: | 5.4 inches | | Package Height: | 1.7 inches | | Package Weight: | 1.8 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 13 reviews |
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| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review: ( 13 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 20 found the following review helpful:
 Truth in Advertising: A New Edition of California's Hiking Bible. Feb 19, 2008
By Fritz R. Ward
"dayhiker"
Every two years or so, hikers in California are blessed with a new edition of Ann Marie Brown and Tom Stienstra's California Hiking, by far the most complete hiking guide to the state. Keeping track of all the trails and updating when necessary is no simple task. Indeed, one of the authors proudly advertises hiking, camping, and otherwise exploring the out of doors almost half the year in an effort to keep this book up to date and to "avoid .. getting a real job." The 2008 edition is the largest in several years and includes over 40 new hikes.
What has stayed the same. California Hiking still divides the state into sixteen geographical regions and lists hikes in each area. Maps of each region are provided with directions to the trail heads, and regions are organized from North (Redwood Empire) to South (San Diego County and Southern Deserts). An introduction explains how to use the guide and lists favorite hikes of the authors in multiple categories, from best wildflowers and waterfalls, to best "difficult" hikes (the authors use a slightly different aphorism) ie., hikes you might not want to take your spouse on. Each hike includes a brief description, along with directions to the trailhead. Individual trail maps cannot be included in a guide as comprehensive as this one, but the authors provide information on where to obtain available maps, along with important details like entrance fees, permits, and local government agencies.
What is new. More trails! From one end of the state to the other, the authors have added new hikes: some twenty in the San Franciso area alone. I am personally looking forward to walking the recently opened Mill Creek trail, found just south of Monterey and Carmel. Old growth redwoods are one of my passions, and any new trails of this sort are welcome. Among the new hikes in Southern California, Gray's Peak and Black Mountain Lookout both offer spectacular overlooks. Also new is Runyon Canyon in Hollywood Hills and several new trails in the Sacramento area. A few trails have been dropped from this edition. The Cedars Creek Interpretive trail, for example, has fallen into disrepair and is no longer listed in California Hiking. But for the most part, the changes are in favor of more, not less, and this edition is worth purchasing for the new hikes alone.
Other changes include updating mileages and difficulty ratings. Those of us who are absolutely exhausted after climbing to the top of Yosemite Falls will be relieved to find that this trail is now rated a "4" on the difficulty scale (which runs from 1 to 5). The authors have also made extensive mileage updates to reflect new trail alignments. Deep Creek Hot Springs is now listed as 4 miles from a new trail head, and the Ewoldson trail, probably the single most beautiful hike in the Monterey area, is now listed at 5.3 miles to include a spur trail to a stunning overlook.
Over the years I have met a number of hikers who use this book as their hiking bible for the state. More than a few of them (myself included) dream of walking every trail listed. That would require a Herculean effort, of course, but it says a lot that the authors of this book have done so multiple times and given the rest of us what is surely the most comprehensive state hiking guide currently available in the United States. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
Love this book! Apr 28, 2008
By Water7996
"AvidReader"
I actually used up my first copy of this book - I still have it but the pages are falling out and it is pretty dog-eared, so I bought the updated version. I love the rating systems (1-5 for difficulty, 1-10 for ooohs and aaahhhs), the area maps, the specific tips for each hike. My husband and I hike in the Sierras a lot during the summer and this book has taken us to some wonderful places. We even used the book to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary with a "hike" across the Golden Gate Bridge! Just about anywhere you go in California, this book can guide you to a very satisfying hike.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 The older editions are more complete. May 05, 2010
By Coal Cracker
Stienstra et al's California guidebooks have been the gold standard for hiking, climbing, and fishing in the Golden State. However, this latest edition of California Hiking falls short of previous editions. While I'm not very familiar with hikes in northern California, I can say that this latest edition has some glaring omissions as far as southern California is concerned. Two omissions that stand out are hikes to San Jacinto Peak via the Devil's Slide trail and up the East Fork of the San Gabriel River to the famous Bridge to Nowhere. These are two premiere hikes in SoCal, but they are not included here. They are included in earlier editions of this book. I suggest purchasing an earlier edition of this guide when it was published by the Foghorn Press.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Good overview but lacks detail Mar 09, 2010
By E. McKay
For a guide of it's scope I think it does a good job, but I find myself having to do a lot of further research into each individual area (the authors do provide good resources for maps and additional contact info). For the amount of information and detail I'm looking for, I would have been better off going with individual regional guides. Also, I'm from the Oroville area and I was disappointed how few hikes were listed in the Sacramento/Gold Country section. With only 10 hikes it is the shortest chapter in the book. The driving directions to traiheads, rating system, and additional info (such as which trails allow dogs or bikes) is very useful.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
My California Hiking Bible! Jul 27, 2009
By ladyfern31
I am so pleased with this book, and it gets used so often, I am on my second copy. I don't consider hiking a trail until I have checked it out in this book. Brown and Stienstra's rating system is dead-on, based on my own expectations, from the degree of trail difficulty to rating the beauty of a particular trail. The directions to trailheads are excellent (even an ice cave in Modoc County, which was just an unmarked hole in the ground following 20 miles of forest roads, was an easy find!). This information has made it easy for me to know how to prepare and pack for a trip, whether its an easy day hike or a moderate weekend excursion.
They have also endeared themselves to me with their commentaries about the hikes/trails. I especially appreciate input about the history or special nature of hike or area, as this feature has attracted me to many of the trails listed in the book. I am a fan of waterfalls and trails of a historical nature, my daughter loves caves, and my son loves special or unique features, such as finding hundred-year-old mining equipment on a botanical trail in Del Norte County. Adding this type of information makes finding the perfect trail a snap. My family is trying to work its way through as many hikes as possible, and believe me, there are many hikes worth taking over and over.
I noticed that their book on Northwest hiking is not as comprehensive, which is a shame, but this California hiking book should be on every California hiker's bookshelf, from beginners to extremists. My only wish would be to break the book down into a northern and southern California version, as this book is very thick.
See all 13 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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