Customer Reviews

Best Rain Shadow Hikes: Western Washington (Best Hikes)

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I like hiking in nice weather. Don't we all? But in the Pacific Northwest, if you are forced to wait for the sun, you may not hike much at all. You can hedge your bets by hiking on the lee side - the rain shadow - of Pacific Northwest mountains. At least on days when it's drizzling around Puget Sound, there will be an excellent chance of dry - if not downright sunny - weather, on the range's far side.

Best Rainshadow Hikes - Western Washington, by Michael Fagin and Skip Card, is a boon to the fair-weather hiker. The guidebook lists dozens of hikes in the rain shadows of the North and South Cascades, Mount Rainier, the Olympics, Stevens Pass, Salmon La Sac and Teanaway.

While the book is entirely printed in black and white, the pictures are crisp and clear, and prints a useful elevation graph for each hike.

The book would be more useful if directions were in the same place in each chapter instead of randomly strewn in there, somewhere. I did appreciate the detailed trail descriptions. And, as with all good hiking guides to the area, the guide lists approximate snow-free periods for each trail.

A useful introductory chapter discusses how mountains create a rain shadow, and how to get a feel for weather by looking at clouds and sunbows.

I was thrilled to find this book, being from the bright and dry American Southwest. I don't like overcast days and wetness, but I do enjoy mountain trails, views from passes and high alpine lakes. Fagin's book helps me meld my desires by pointing me in the right direction for the Pacific Northwest's best weather bets. I look forward to using this book to death.