Customer Reviews

100 Classic Hikes in Northern California: Sierra Nevada/ Cascade Mountains/ Klamath Mountains/ Coast Range and North Coast/ San Francisco Bay Area

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

I just got this book. It is the most beautiful hiking guide I've ever seen. There are nearly a hundred full-color photos, and even the maps are creatively colored. We leave it on our coffee table for easy perusal. It's an updated edition of 100 Hikes in Northern California, and it has thorough descriptions of all my favorite hikes, and many others my wife and I are planning to do this winter (in the Bay Area) and next summer (in the Sierra Nevada and maybe in the Trinity Alps). We have two other hiking books on Northern California, but this one is definitely our favorite. If you are only getting one hiking guide for the north state, this is it.

This is an exceptionally well-designed book for hikers across the spectrum. Whether you're a neophyte or have climbed Denali, this book contains all the essential information you need to tackle the hikes listed. The photos are all in color and are breathtaking! You really get a sense of what each hike will look like before you undertake it. Every hike also has a color map to accompany the text description. The maps are easy to follow and instructive.

Equally pleasing is that the authors take the time to describe each hike in extensive detail, though they are never wordy. They list the elevation gains, give succinct but necessary directions to each trailhead and provide ample analysis of the strengths/weaknesses of each trek. The book is small and light enough to carry in your backpack, if you feel the need to consult it while on the trail.

I have over 50 hiking books in my library and it would be hard to imagine a more complete, more photographically stunning or better written guide. I enthusiastically recommend this gem!

I agree with the other reviews in that this is a nice book to put on your coffee table and flip through. The photos are pretty nice, and the text descriptions make for a pretty entertaining read. However, if you are looking for a book with detailed logistics and good makes that will make for a practical companion on your hikes, this is NOT it. The maps are lacking (maps of the actual trails are decent, but there are no regional maps that aid you in finding the trail in the first place). Also, while the glossy paper makes for pretty photos, it's far too heavy for a practical guidebook that you'll want to carry with you.

This is a good "inspirational" book to look through, with great full-color photographs on at least every other page. It's great for planning a vacation around because it gives you a taste of what many different areas look like. The written information is equally good, with lots of great hikes with short, concise descriptions. With this and a local topo map, you're all set.

I love this book. The photographs make me want to visit every place and hike every trail. I have several hiking books, and I enjoy them all, but I love this one. I am hoping that John and Mark Soares are working on hiking books for Oregon!

We have been using this for years now and have gone on over 20 hikes in this book. Each hike is accurately described, the pictures are beautiful. I love the arrangement of hikes by region. Many times each year, we get it out to plan an adventure, not really caring where.The pictures capture our imagination and the text lets us know what we're in for every step of the way. This book practically plans our outings for us. We know what we can do in a day, what backpacking trips our kids are up for and when it is appropriate to bring the dog along. We learn enough to know when we may need to contact a ranger district before we head out and we know when perhaps we may want to incorporate some nearby camping. We have not had a bad outing in all the years we've been using this guide and we owe many happy memories to this fantastic guide.

It's an interesting book with what look like some good hikes. However, the casual location details and lack of real maps or gps coordinates (at least for starting points) make it a chore to find a hike by region and put together a plan for doing it.