Customer Reviews

60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Salt Lake City: Including Ogden, Provo, and the Uintas

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We recently relocated to Utah from Southern California; we were familiar with all kinds of outdoor hiking activities there. But while we knew there were fantastic hiking adventures to be found here, we just didn't know how to find them. Then we discovered this book.

Most guide books give you just the facts--where and how far. "60 Hikes..." gives you much more: age-appropriateness, difficulty, wildlife, geology, and even history. It's clear that Witt not only knows what he's talking about, he loves it. This enthusiasm is contagious, making you want to jump out of your armchair and explore.

Although we might not make all 60 hikes, we know we'll love the ones we do.

I highly recommend it.

Last Christmas I scoured bookstores for a comprehensive book of hikes for the Salt Lake region, yet all I found were books that were sprinkled with hikes from all over Utah. (Sorry, but we're not driving 8 hours for a 1 hour paved loop.)

Finally! A hiking book that makes sense! All the hikes are within 6o minutes of Salt Lake City, and there's not a lame hike in the bunch. While we haven't done all the hikes (so many trails...so little time), just reading about them made our whole family excited to hit the road with book in hand.

This well-written guide is dripping with details and peppered generously with fantastic photos. Each hike has "key information at-a-glance" (which includes about 15 items that give you a feel for the hike) and a great section at the end of each chapter of "nearby activities".

If you know someone who is planning a trip to Salt Lake (or if they're lucky enough to live there) you've gotta get this book--it's the new "eleventh essential".

Fortunately, I recently went on a guided hiking tour of Switzerland with the author, Greg Witt. On one of many wonder-filled hikes, Greg stated: "You know, we are so fortunate to live in Salt Lake City. It is probably the best city in the world for hiking." I have rolled up and down northern Utah trails for several decades. Rest assured prospective readers, this book contains something for everyone interested in hiking the Wasatch Mountains and surrounding areas. Buy the book, take 2 months off work and do one a day. There are certainly more than 60 hikes within 60 miles but Greg's picked the winners.

I am a Provo product and just an occasional hiker, but was awed to find that I had been to several of the hikes in the book. As I compared them to the places I haven't been, I got very excited to try new things. As I reviewed the info on hikes familiar to me, I could almost relive the entire experience. The chapters are easy to understand, you can read the "short" version or the details, and you will find things that you can prep on and share with the littler hikers that you take with you--even new stuff you didn't notice if you've already hiked it. My friend who is an advanced hiker borrowed my book and he loves it so much he won't give it back! I'm going to order another one!

What a great resource this book is! It gives all of the needed information at a glance. Starting elevation, elevation changes,hiking times, even the water requirement! The author has obviously hiked every inch of each trail. As a scoutmaster and avid hiker, this book is worth it's weight in gold to me. I recommend it highly.Slimjim

Great descriptions. Very detailed information about the trailhead, type of trail, elevation gains (love the elevation graphs). Also includes some fun history for some of the hikes.

Wanting to get fit and lose a lot of weight, we bought this book at Costco and made a goal to complete every hike in the book (with a few substitutions or partials - I hate scrambling on rocks). We've done 37 of them so far. You can view our progress at: [...]

There are two places the book could be improved:

1. What Greg Witt considers an 'easy' hike will not be considered easy by first-time hikers. He is a professional hiker; keep that in mind when selecting your hikes and pay close attention to the elevation gains. The elevation gains are much more telling (along with the elevation graph given for each hike) of just how hard that hike really is.

2. Better maps of some of the trails would be appreciated. Sometimes I'm trying to make sense of where we are on the trail by how many turns or switchbacks we've made and the map just doesn't seem to line up to what we're experiencing. Also, topographics would be appreciated.

Still, I give this book an overwhelming 5 stars . . . it is the best I've seen for northern Utah, period.

Finally, exactly what I've needed and wanted. This guide is excellently organized and detailed yet concise. I love how all sixty hikes are not only organized by length and difficulty, but also by water features, altitude, season, and even steepness. The info for each hike (numbered 1-60) is also beautifully organized: Witt's notes are valuable, the maps the most accurate I've seen, and the elevation profiles and GPS info appreciated. When I can't be on the trail I read this book and almost feel like I'm there. EXCELLENT. If it's ever re-published with color pictures, I'd pay 2x. THIS IS THE BOOK!

I consider myself an avid hiker who knows a lot of hikes around the Salt Lake area. I know a lot of hikes listed in this book, but where it shines is in the layout - hikes are easy to locate in the book, and there is a snapshot on each hike so you can figure out how much exertion it takes. This is a very helpful guide book - and the thing I like is that it included a multitude of hikes from hard to easy and everything in between. I probably have books that covered all of the hikes listed, but this is nice to have all the hikes in one single book from Weber County to Utah county and even some basic Uinta hikes.

I own about 15 books of hikes in Utah, and this is without question the best hiking book of the bunch. The organization is intuitive, the recommendations helpful, and there are a fair number of pictures to give you a sense of what awaits you on the trail.

This book had everything I needed. Great detailed trail descriptions including elevation and terrain and detailed directions for finding the trailheads.