New California Hiking

865 pages. Moon Outdoors; 8th edition (2008)


California Hiking, the bible for hikers in California, has been released for 2008: The state is broken down into geographic areas, from the Redwood Empire to the Southern Deserts, with 103 new maps, and detailed listings checked by three resource specialists, and the authors adding a special touch to everything.

California Hiking features the Golden State's best 1,000 trails, including hundreds of little-known spots in all regions of the state. It was produced with the hope that it will quickly become your hiking bible.

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. Foghorn Outdoors 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!