Day Hikes on the Pacific Crest Trail: California (Hiking & Biking) [Paperback]

George Semb (Author), Patricia Semb (Author), Semb (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2000 | Series: Hiking & Biking

This guide breaks down sections of the famous Pacific CrestTrail into more manageable day hikes.

Product Details

• Paperback: 242 pages
• Publisher: Wilderness Press (May 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 089997256X
• ISBN-13: 978-0899972565
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #990,390 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Day Hiking Alternative to the Pacific Crest Trail, December 8, 2002

By 

Fritz R. Ward "dayhiker" (Crestline, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Day Hikes on the Pacific Crest Trail: California (Hiking & Biking) (Paperback)

At one time in my life (graduate school) it was easy to take off for a week or more to go backpacking. With regular employment, however, one is sometimes hard pressed to find a day, much less a couple weeks, to explore hiking opportunities. This book by George and Patricia Semb is the guide to the PCT for those who simply don't have the time for a two week trip, much less a through hike.

This guidebook has a lot to recommend it. It follows the organization of the standard guide, also published by Wilderness Press, but provides convenient entry and exit points on the trail. All hikes described are one way affairs, so having two cars is a definite advantage with this book. Trail descriptions are a bit brief, but this allows more space for explaining how to locate trailheads. For maps, the Sembs used Forest Service Recreational Maps which also help locate roads near the PCT. Using this guide, it is possible to hike the entire trail in Southern California as a series of day hikes.

The book does have a couple problems, however, which is why I gave it only 4 stars. Many of the hikes are so long only day hikers in excellent condition will be able to complete them. Walks of 15 miles are common, and several exceed twenty miles. In addition, some of the trail descriptions are misleading. For example, they describe a short stretch of trail in the Angeles National Forest as a "level" hike, even though the trail gains 1200ft in 1.3 miles: a grade that is far steeper than almost anywhere else on the PCT in Southern California.

These problems aside, this is a good supplement to Schaffer's volume on the PCT. My wife and I used it to day hike most of the PCT in the San Bernardino Mountains this year, and I'm looking forward to using next hiking season.