100 Classic Hikes Southern California [Paperback]

Allen Riedel (Author)

Book Description

Series: 100 Classic Hikes | Publication Date: May 2008

100 can't-miss hikes in Southern California! If you think Disneyland and Hollywood reign supreme in Southern California, think again! This region is a paradise for hikers, offering diverse landscapes: mountains, forests, deserts, and coastlines with many trails to explore. This new guide covers Death Valley, Pinnacles Monument, Kings Canyon, Sequoia, the southern Sierras, Tronna Pinnacles, Mojave National Preserve, the Santa Lucia Mountains, the Central Coast, the San Rafael, Santa Ynez, and the Sierra Madra Mountains, Channel Islands, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Angeles, San Bernardino, and Cleveland National Forests, Anza Borrego State Park, and Joshua Tree. As a bonus, 100 Classic Hikes in Southern California also includes a few areas north of the 37th parallel--the White Mountains, Yosemite, and the eastern Sierras. Handy features in the guide include topographic maps, elevation profiles, sidebar tips, and a hikes-at-a-glance chart to help readers find the hikes they want quickly and easily.

* The only full-color hiking guide to Southern California * Up-to-date information on land management regulations * Over 100 full-color photographs and maps

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The writing is informative with out being flowery... " -- The Fresno Bee

About the Author

ALLEN RieDEL is the author of Best Hikes with Dogs: Southern California.A middle-school teacher in San Bernardino and a Shakespearean actor, Riedel is the father of twin toddlers: the girls have already been out hiking. He also plays bass guitar and is working on his Master's degree at Chapman University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 253 pages
• Publisher: Mountaineers Books (May 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594850666
• ISBN-13: 978-1594850660
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #389,835 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I graduated with honors from the University of California at Santa Barbara with a B.A. in English. I also hold a Masters degree in education from Chapman University. I am an English teacher and I have now authored 10 hiking guides around Southern and Central California.

I have an amazing wife, two beautiful daughters, and a son who mean the world to me.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Almost Perfect, April 28, 2008

By 

Fritz R. Ward "dayhiker" (Crestline, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 100 Classic Hikes Southern California (Paperback)

Southern California is not all freeways, suburbs, and smog. It features some of the most diverse and fantastic landscape in the country. When I first moved to Riverside in 1988, I was stunned at the sheer numbers of people; I had never been on a 6 lane freeway before, much less come to a stop on one, but I quickly discovered many great trails and mountains which have kept me here ever since. One of the great joys of reading '100 Classic Hikes in Southern California' was revisiting so many of these scenic locales. This may be my new favorite guidebook for hiking in this region.

One of the best features of this book are the numerous color pictures; one for virtually every trail described in the book, and many others as well. These are quality shots that allow even the armchair hikers among us to revel in the scenery. In addition this book features nice color topographical maps with the trail clearly delineated. The actual route descriptions are very thorough, and driving directions are for the most part adequate. In short, this book is almost perfect.

Almost, but not quite. I did notice a few mileage errors and several places where the maps were slightly misleading, usually by failing to show an alternative loop route. (For the record, described routes are mapped as thick red dashes and other routes or side trails are usually, where noted, delineated by a thin black dotted line.) One specific trail description, Ewoldsen trail and McWay Falls, illustrates both these points. The author lists total mileage for this combined route as 3 miles: following his description, however, actual mileage is at least 4.6. However, one can also make a loop of the interior hike, rather than just go out and back, and this adds only 1.3 miles, but the connecting route is not shown in this instance. As an aside, parking is no longer free at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State park, but no guidebook can keep up with California's changing fee structures.

These are fairly minor points however. Even where mileage is off a bit (and in most cases the author is spot on) or the map does not show connecting routes, you will not get lost on these trails if you use the book. And its many good features more than make up for a few flaws. Perhaps the hardest part of writing a '100 Classic Hikes' book is trying to pick the best, a very subjective process indeed. But having hiked almost 2/3 of the trails Reidell recommends here, and explored parts of many others, I must admit the author succeeded in this difficult task. This is an excellent book for hikers and anyone who wants to find out about some of the nicer parts of Southern California. Get it and enjoy.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction to Socal hiking!, October 1, 2008

By 

Garbonzo "rr martin fan" (Corona, Ca United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 100 Classic Hikes Southern California (Paperback)

I'll admit that I have already done quite a few of the hikes in this book before I bought it, but the TOC of hikes listed in Amazon showed quite a few that I have never tried before. I decided to give this book a shot.

I was pleasantly surprised by the author's selection of the "100 Classic Hikes" and I think he did an excellent job of describing the overall difficulty and length of the hikes. I also liked the fact that he mixed in more difficult hikes with easier hikes. With my two younger kids it is nice to take them on easier hikes like Cabrillo National Monument's Bayside Trail.

The author clearly knows the best areas to hike in Southern California and his knowledge is apparent. I liked the fact that he included some nice pictures which make me nostalgic for some of my favorite hikes (especially in the Malibu mountains).

For the most part, I found the driving directions to be quite accurate and manage to get you to the trail head. I know that this is often the most difficult part of writing such books, so I always give a little leeway in this area.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in exploring the many great hikes in Southern California. You will discover many great locations that many Socal residents don't even know exist.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Useful, but there are better books, September 25, 2009

By 

Kenneth K. Carrell "Ken" (Lake Forest, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 100 Classic Hikes Southern California (Paperback)

The good part about this book is the break down at the start telling you the basic facts about the hike. I especially like that it tells you about available water, something most other books don't tell you. I also like the information about the map location and the park system the hike is in. The bad part about the book has to do with the hikes in the book. I agree with the other reviewer about a large number of hikes being in the central California area. Also there are a number of hikes on the Channel Islands. I was looking for a book that had a lot more hikes in the southern California area.