100 Classic Hikes in Arizona [Paperback]

Scott S. Warren (Author)

Book Description

Series: 100 Classic Hikes | Publication Date: November 30, 2007

The best reviewed full-color guide to Arizona hikes has now been updated and expanded with the most spectacular canyon, desert, and "sky island" trips in this dramatic state.

100 hikes, 10 new to this edition, with color photos and maps.

Now includes detailed topographic maps, elevation trail profiles, and a trails-at-a-glance chart indicating distance, level of difficulty, and seasonal considerations.

Includes a mix of trails from easy day trips, to never-dull loop hikes, to more remote long-distance treks. No hiking guide captures the beautifully complex and varied landscape of Arizona like Scott Warren's. Thoroughly updated and expanded with useful topographic maps and elevation trail profiles, this third edition of 100 Classic Hikes in Arizona offers a wide range of the state's most scenic hiking trails. You can stand in a mile deep canyon one day, hike through a saguaro cactus forest the next, and stand on a nearly 10,000 foot "sky island" in the Chiricahua Mountains yet another day. You can hike Lenox Crater, an actual volcano with a nearby lava flow, or lose yourself on Dutchman's Trail, a solitary long distance trek in the fabled Superstition Mountains.

This classic guide gives you the best trails for both day hikes and overnight backpacking trips in the state.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Whether you want to scramble up the parched red rock of Boynton Canyon, soak your weary feet at the base of Havasu Falls, or cross Hidden Valley's desert sands dotted with Saguaro cactus, Arizona has a hike to suit your inclination and ability. Classic Hikes offers 100 choice trails for day hikers and backpackers alike to explore five regions of Arizona, including the Colorado plateau, central highlands, central deserts, southeastern basin and range, and western deserts. The guide features awe-inspiring color photos by the author, along with maps and at-a-glance information that details mileage, hiking time, elevation, seasonal considerations, and contact information. Each trail description contains directions to the trailhead, possible hazards, trail gradation, major junctions, and notable vegetation.

Longing for solitude far from frequently used trails? Warren examines little-known routes where "stone spires, totems, and hoodoos" will surround you, but also covers trails where rafters and "4WD vehicles packed with tourists" become part of the landscape. He also touches on the region's rich history, noting facts about the people who once lived there and the ruins they left behind. In other words, Classic Hikes offers something for everyone ready to explore Arizona's storied past and diverse wilderness. --Jenny Burritt --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

SCOTT S. WARREN has lived in the Southwest for more than thirty-five years. He has written about and photographed the outdoors for publications such as Smithsonian, Audubon, Outside, Travel & Leisure, and on-site for The Nature Conservancy internationally.

Product Details

• Paperback: 253 pages
• Publisher: Mountaineers Books; 3 edition (November 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594850259
• ISBN-13: 978-1594850257
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #89,077 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #93 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Mountaineering > Mountain Climbing

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars hiker, December 19, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: 100 Classic Hikes in Arizona (Paperback)

I bought this book best on the excellent recommendations
found in this site, and I was quite disappointed.
Some pointers to consider:
- The book is printed on chromo paper, making it too heavy for its size
in your backpack.
- The maps are tiny schematic things, giving you zero appreciation of
the topography you will traverse through.
- Has enough photos to fit coffee table display, BUT has no
gradings of hikes for quality. If you have limited time in AZ you will
not know how to cherry pick based on this book. Picking trails based on
one narrow-view photo is not optimal.
- For desert country most trails in this book are in-out the same way rather
than loops.
- Many hikes are concentrated near big cities. Do you really want to climb
a ridge for commanding views of Tucson or Phoenix?
And eventually spend the night in a camp site 1-2 hrs drive from these?
- The NE and W are almost ignored (see p.11, using this book).
It is not a bad hiking book. Just definitely not a great one,
and probably not quite for serious hikers.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great BUT..., February 20, 2006

By 

Emily J. Jensen "movie & book nut" (Oklahoma City, OK United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 100 Classic Hikes in Arizona (Paperback)

I really like this book (though I'd hoped for a bit more in the white mountains) it is quite varied and has great, concise trail descriptions. But my problem with it is quite serious; how do you get to the starting points of ANY of these hikes? They say things like "near Prescott" or "at the Grand Canyon" but don't tell which highways go there. The maps are great OF the trail but don't tell you how to get TO the trailhead. I know there is more than one route to almost any point, but a number in a vague area on a map in the front of the book really doesn't cut it. Hopefully in the next edition they will give the maps a bit wider scope.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stellar photography, great descriptions, November 6, 2002

By 

Candace Scott (Lake Arrowhead, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 100 Classic Hikes in Arizona (Paperback)

Arizona is a great state to hike. Even without the magnificent hikes in and around the Grand Canyon, there are plenty of other trails to explore and enjoy. This book does it all! It is an exceptionally well-designed book for hikers across the spectrum. Whether you're a neophyte or have climbed Denali, this book contains all the essential information you need to tackle the hikes listed. The photos are all in color and are breathtaking! You really get a sense of what each hike will look like before you undertake it. Every hike also has a color map to accompany the text description. The maps are easy to follow and instructive.

Equally pleasing is that the authors take the time to describe each hike in extensive detail, though they are never wordy. They list the elevation gains, give succinct but necessary directions to each trailhead and provide ample analysis of the strengths/weaknesses of each trek. The book is small and light enough to carry in your backpack, if you feel the need to consult it while on the trail.

I have over 50 hiking books in my library and it would be hard to imagine a more complete, more photographically stunning or better written guide. I enthusiastically recommend this gem!