Customer Reviews

Afoot and Afield: Orange County: A Comprehensive Hiking Guide

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

No Orange County hiker should be without this guide. Where and when to go, how to get there, what to expect - everything you need to know for the most rewarding hiking experience in this beautiful region.

I would recomend this book if you want to know where to hike and enjoy the area around orange county!

This book is good for people looking for day hikes in OC. I've lived in OC all my life and it gave me new places to go that I had never thought about before. I like the basic information that they provide at the beginning of the description. I would recommend this book for any one that is unfamilar with places to go in Orange County.

1 to 18 mi. hikes, easily accessable to all. Easy to follow directions make getting to start by bus, where available, simple.

I like the comprehensive nature of information covered more than Robert Stones book on the OC, and look forward to using this book in 2008.

Really, stay away from this book. It was revised in 2006 and not only are there STILL references to trails that have not be open to the public in ages and misleading information, but the directions are not adequate.Having been in the wilderness using Shad's directions, it is clear the author hasn't been on many of the trails. 50 Hikes in Orange County (by Klein) has filled that gap in quality, accuracy and frankly entertainment - for the avid hiker, that is.

Agree with some other complaints here--Poor maps and confusing directions. One hike in the book doesn't even exist.

Gave it 2 stars instead of 1 because some of the chapters are good. But if a hiking book doesn't have the two basics so I can find my way around, the rest doesn't matter too much.

This guide is very useful and informative. The author gives the information needed to choose the hike best suited to the abilities of the hiker.