Afoot and Afield: Orange County: A Comprehensive Hiking Guide [Paperback]

Jerry Schad (Author)

Book Description

Series: Afoot and Afield | Publication Date: March 22, 2006

This completely updated and expanded new edition in the Afoot & Afield series is the ultimate guide to the hiking opportunities throughout Southern California’s Orange County. Featuring 87 trips from serene summits to sparkling beaches, Afoot & Afield Orange County covers the Laguna Coast, Newport Beach, Crystal Cove State Park, the Chino Hills, Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve, the Santa Ana Mountains, and more. Trips ranging from short strolls to rigorous daylong treks are all within a short car trip of the Southland’s cities.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jerry Schad's several parallel careers have encompassed interests ranging from astronomy and teaching to photography and writing. He teaches astronomy and physical science at San Diego Mesa College, and currently chairs the Physical Sciences Department there.

Schad has run or hiked many thousands of miles of distinct trails throughout California, in the Southwest, and in Mexico. He is a sub-24-hour finisher of Northern California's 100-mile Western States Endurance Run, and has served in a leadership capacity for outdoor excursions as close as San Diego County and as far away as Madagascar.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Wilderness Press; Third Edition edition (March 22, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0899973973
• ISBN-13: 978-0899973975
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #164,513 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review of the 3rd Edition., April 10, 2006

By 

Fritz R. Ward "dayhiker" (Crestline, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Afoot and Afield: Orange County: A Comprehensive Hiking Guide (Paperback)

In my Guide to Dayhiking in Southern California I listed the Orange County Volume of Afoot and Afield as the best in the series. It still is in this new edition, but quite a bit has changed, both in format and layout and in hike selection over the previous two editions. In general, these changes are improvements, and enough has changed that you should buy the third edition even if you have the other two.

Most of the changes are along the Orange County coastline where Schad has added 8 new hikes. This is a big plus for coastal walkers and reflects a real commitment on the part of residents of Orange County to preserve their beautiful coastline. The other area receiving lots of additional coverage is the Santa Rosa Ecological Reserve. This place is an absolute hikers' mecca, especially in the spring when wildflowers abound. This edition triples the number of hikes found in previous editions.

In terms of layout, maps are a little clearer than previously and pages for each region of Orange County are tabbed. This will surely help in locating nice walks close by. Gone, however, are the little icons that made the Afoot and Afield guides so distinctive. I found these useful in trip planning and was sorry to see them go.

On the whole, this is an excellent guide for those seeking a wilderness experience in what has to be one of the most urbanized areas in the Western US. I've done over 1/3 of the hikes described and am looking forward to doing more. This is truly the best of Orange County and this book deserves extended sales.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Some pretty basic problems, February 16, 2010

By 

carpe "carpe" (Southern Cal) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Afoot and Afield: Orange County: A Comprehensive Hiking Guide (Paperback)

Jerry Schad is obviously a committed and knowing hiker, and I only recently got into hiking. I like his longer explanations of some of the things on the hikes. But I had several problems trying to use this book.
1. The worst thing is that his descriptions of a lot of the hikes are confusing. We finally gave up using it as a result and switched to other books. In many cases, he also doesn't give distances where you find things or make turns. We've gone off course many times as a result, or searched all over the place for what he's talking about, and that is not fun. When he does give distances, they're sometimes not right which throws us off worse.
2. The maps are bad, hard to follow. Robert Stone's book has much better maps.
3. For some hikes, he doesn't give an actual hike at all, just says there are a lot of trails you could take here. I don't need a hiking book for that.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive Hiking Guide, February 21, 2008

By 

S. Lester (Orange, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Afoot and Afield: Orange County: A Comprehensive Hiking Guide (Paperback)

This is a very informative and comprehensive guide to hiking in Orange County. There are a very broad range of hikes, from Easy to Strenuous in here, suitable for a broad range of abilities, and each hike is clearly marked regarding the difficulty, length, and terrain.

Another feature I like is that the guide gives you information on the trail use and the best times. The trail use tells you whether that trail is good for kids, dogs, mountain bikes, horses, etc. And the best times gives you an idea of what the best time of year is to take that particular hike (e.g. November through May).

The maps in the book seem pretty good. They could be better, but I think they get the job done, particularly for experienced hikers. There is an overall map that breaks down the different areas of Orange County, which correspond to different chapters. Then, each chapter has its own map that shows all of the different hikes within that chapter. I would like to see a map of each individual hike, but I suppose that would make the book a lot longer. They do reference USGS maps for each hike that are either optional or recommended. For a particularly difficult or long hike, it would be good to get those maps, but for most hikes, you will be just fine without them.

What I really like are the descriptions. Each hike has a narrative that gives you some background on the area, and takes you through each point in the hike. It's very informative and helpful.

Overall, this is an excellent book and reference for Orange County hiking. I would highly recommend it for avid hikers, families, and beginners alike. Enjoy!