Customer Reviews

Foghorn Outdoors Easy Hiking in Southern California

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When I put together my Amazon list of Southern California hiking guides some time ago, I listed Ms. Brown's book as the best of the comprehensive guidebooks to the area. Since then several good books have been published including Rod Adkinson's 'Southern California Hiking' and Jerry Schad's 'Top Trails: Los Angeles.' Nonetheless, I still find myself looking at Brown's book first when I want to go somewhere new, although that is getting harder and harder to do since I have walked over 60% of the trips described in this book. Simply put, it is still the best book on the market.

Generally speaking, an "easy" hike in Brown's book is less than 5 miles long and can be walked by just about anyone. Although short, the trails are scenic and often lead to relatively isolated destinations. Some of the wonderful hikes Brown describes in this guide include Mt. Waterman in the Angeles National Forest, the "Champion" Lodgepole in the San Bernardino Mountains, and Needles Lookout in the newly created Sequoia National Monument. For those who want more hiking she often includes notes to make the trips "more challenging." But even when these notes are not included hikers can often combine two or more trips from this guide. On a recent visit to Sierra National Forest, I did the Fresno Dome hike and the Shadow of the Giants walk in Nelder Sequoia Grove on the same afternoon. Both are short beautiful walks and I found ample additional trails nearby to fill out my visit.

Some other reviewers have complained about a lack of maps. I too wonder why Foghorn Press does not include short sketches of the trails in their guides. That said, I have never gotten lost on any of the trails in this guidebook. They are all very well marked and easy to follow. So, if you are a beginning hiker or someone who is looking to go someplace new and scenic in Southern California, this book is still the first place to look.