Exploring the Southern Sierra: East Side [Paperback]

Ruby Johnson Jenkins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1992

The network of outdoor trips described in this book explores the mountains east of the North Fork of the Kern River between the High Sierra to the north and the Tehachapi Mountains to the south.

This book describes 150 adventurous trips: 15 car tours, 34 dayhikes, 28 peak climbs, 37 backpack trips, 25 bicycle trips and 62 equestrian outings (some trips double as more than one kind of outing). A 4-color foldout map depicting all trips is included.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Wilderness Press; Third Edition edition (January 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0899971288
• ISBN-13: 978-0899971285
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,444,897 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Informative but cumbersome., November 27, 2002

By 

Fritz R. Ward "dayhiker" (Crestline, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Exploring the Southern Sierra: East Side (Paperback)

In his brief life, Jim Jenkins mapped out much of the Southern Sierra, including the Pacific Crest Trail in the region, and wrote two detailed guidebooks. Since his death in 1979 at the age of 27 his mother, Ruby Jenkins, has continued his work and updated his books on the region.

This book is loaded with information on the geology, flora and fauna of the Southern Sierra. It also includes an excellent map of the region which is almost worth the price of the book. But the heart of the book is the descriptions of 150 trips in the Southern Sierra, and it is this part that is difficult to use. Unlike most guidebooks, trail descriptions and directions to the trailhead are in separate parts of the book. This necessitates a lot of flipping through the book. And, while the trips described by the book are broken down geographically, they are not separated by type. I would prefer to see climbs, drives, and bike routes in a separate section of the book than hikes. Still, this is the most comprehensive guide to the area, and very informative. Hopefully ease of use will improve in the next edition.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good . . ., June 1, 2008

By 

Eloi (Ely, NV USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Exploring the Southern Sierra: East Side (Paperback)

. . . and as another reviewer notes, this is the only detailed guide to the area. Ruby Jenkins passed away last year, so this 1994 edition is likely to be the last ever. And there have been changes--for example, the 2000 Manter Meadow wildfire destroyed most of the Domeland Wilderness Area, focus of several trips in the book, so readers are advised to avoid Domeland hikes.

I have found that members of the Kern River Valley Hiking Club, a group founded by Ruby Jenkins and accessible on a certain website, regularly take trips described in the book and respond to questions about current conditions, obscure directions and the like with good humor.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exploring the Southern Sierra: East Side, July 14, 2008

By 

Chuck Sorensen (Buellton, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Exploring the Southern Sierra: East Side (Paperback)

This 1992 edition is still a wonderful guide to the large area covered. My wife and I recently used the book to greatly enhance our touring, camping, and hiking experience during a trip to the Kern Plateau.