California Hiking

Seasoned 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 Nevadas. Including 21 new hikes and unique “best-of” lists—including Best Hikes to Waterfalls and Best Hikes to See Wildlife—Moon California Hiking leads beginner and expert hikers alike to the best trails the state has to offer. Complete with detailed regional maps, hiking tips, difficulty and quality ratings for each hike, Moon California Hiking provides hikers with all the necessary tools to head outdoors.

Eleventh edition (April 21, 2020)
By: Tom Stienstra and Ann Marie Brown
Series: Moon Outdoors
ISBN- 1640498982
Pages: 824
The state’s only complete hiking guide — 1,000 hikes from every region of California

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.

Covering every worthwhile destination in California, this is the hiker’s guide to finding the best hikes in the Golden State. Families, day-trippers, and seasoned hikers looking for a change of pace will all find the perfect trail among the options selected by renowned outdoor enthusiasts Tom Stienstra and Ann Marie Brown. Destinations include hikes close to Los Angeles and San Francisco, or treks through the Sierra Nevadas or up the coast. This guidebook provides updated, easy-to-use region and trail maps, descriptive keynotes for every geographical region, and steepness and skill ratings for each hike. Detailed descriptions let hikers know when a trail visits a waterfall, scenic overlook, or wildflower field. California Hiking has the details on the best California hiking available.

California Hiking features 350 trails within 90 minutes of San Francisco and Los Angeles, along with an additional 650 trails sprinkled across the state. The hikes detail the most beautiful regions across 20 million acres of national forest, 18.5 million acres of Bureau of Land Management property, 100 state parks, 53 federal wilderness areas, 12 national parks, and dozens of regional and county parks.

A wide variety of hikes is included, ranging from 10-minute walks to lookouts and waterfalls to week-long trips into remote California backcountry. Many of the featured hikes range in length from one to four hours, perfect for most people looking for an afternoon of peace. Most of the 1,700 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail in California is also included, including dozens of trailhead access points.

This new edition has been revised and updated to provide the most up-to-date information available. Thousands of updates and upgrades have been made to the book. The authors hiked many thousands of miles to cover their respective regions of California.

In addition, hundreds of rangers and field scouts helped to polish the final product by reviewing trail descriptions on the galleys, line by line. Trail directions have been reworked as precisely as possible. The book also features an all-new hiker-friendly format and easy-to-use map system. Any reader will be able to find the location of a quality hike in virtually any part of the state in less than 10 seconds.

Each listing includes snapshot ratings for trail beauty and difficulty, as well as the estimated length and time required for each hike. In addition, precise, easy-to-follow directions to each trailhead are provided, along with special trail rules, updated access fees, information about permits, maps, and phone contacts, and a detailed description of each hike. There is also a detailed, 40-page index, and extensive cross-referencing.

We believe that the best of California’s great outdoors is now in the palm of your hands. The best advice is to pick a trail and go for a hike!