Customer Reviews

Golden Gate Trailblazer: Where to Hike, Stroll, Bike, Jog, Roll in San Francisco and Marin

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have reviewed lots of travel-related guidebooks over the years, so I can say with some authority that the Golden Gate Trailblazer--the third title in the popular Trailblazer series--is a real find. Although I lived for a number of years in the San Francisco/Marin area, I was simply overwhelmed by the amount of new information I learned about this most wonderful place. The choices of hikes, walks, jogs, and off-road (and sometimes on-road) cycling options are simply overwhelming. The "Best of San Francisco and Marin" section thankfully helps to break down all these choices into dozens of useful categories to help you get to where you want to go faster (for example: Short Walks to High Places; Wildflowers; and Raptors and Woodland Birds; Family Rides; Beach Runs; etc.). The "Free Advise and Opinion" section near the back, while only three pages in length, is nothing short of fabulous in dispensing loads of cryptically written, helpful information and side-splitting humor in equal proportions. And the black-and-white photography throughout the book are stunning in creating a visual sense of place (In my view, the quality of the photos sometimes reaches award-winning status--I would certainly love to see enlargements of some of my favorites!). Including hundreds of trail descriptions, jogging paths, and so forth in a book less than 300 pages long is no mean trick. The Sprouts accomplish this by using a consistent, well-organized, yet compact format, well-selected abbreviations, and carefully crafted yet succinct directions. One important note: This is one book where reading the "How to Use This Book" section will be time well spent. The organization of the book works and works well. But the reader will benefit by taking a moment to orient him or herself. And buying a good street map of the area is another essential, as the authors themselves so indicate. Map drawing, especially in the backcountry of Marin County, is a major challenge and the authors were wise to leave that job to the cartographers. With a copy of the Golden Gate Trailblazer and a good street map in hand you will be ready to explore places you may have never even heard of in a lifetime of living in the Bay Area. And if you are first-time visitors you will be thrilled to have so much well-informed guidance in selecting the activity that is just right for you. And, oh yes, a final tip of the hat to the authors for taking the time to include dozens of good ideas for outdoor exploration for those in wheelchairs and parents who opt to push the little one(s) in a baby stroller.

Complete is the best way to describe this guidebook. I wasn't planning on visiting the Marin side but was forced to when the fog in San Francisco made it too cold and wet to enjoy the parks and trails. Marin was in complete sunshine everyday.

This book stands apart from all the rest because it was written by hometown authors who definitely know their turf and didn't mince on destinations, more than any other book on the subject. It mades a good companion with the Lonely Planet San Francisco book. If you like to explore the outdoors on your vacation buy this book. It will keep you entertained as well as busy.

We were lucky enough to stay at a hotel that provided complimentary copies of this book in their rooms. This was our first visit to the Bay Area and we had no idea where to go. We relied on the ferry system and public transportation and had no problems. The book guided us to Angel Island where we spent a most enjoyable day picnicking and exploring the historic trails. What views! We constantly found ourselves consulting the restaurant and Best Of sections. We now own our own copy and next year hope to explore more of Marin County where the sun always seemed to be shining.

We mountain biked in Marin and along the coast line of San Francisco using this book as our guide. We began our morning ride with misty views of the Golden Gate Bridge from the Presidio, then crossed the span and discovered all sorts of cool trails that connected to sunny Mount Tamalpais. This book has very good access information to all the open space area trails and even includes a two page list of places to take my retriever. Packing alot of sports into one volume makes this book very valuable to me.

First trip to the coast of California. Used this book to preplan the entire two weeks around San Francisco then stayed another week. What a great place! I relied on this book all the way. Absolute necessity for the person who isn't afraid to walk the extra mile and really get to know a place. Found Marin to be a mountain biker's paradise. You'd never dream that a metropolitan area like San Francisco has so much park space and this book has it all.

Detail, reliability, honest opinion, humorous insights are all reasons I consistenly choose these as my guides. I like the author's candid style and tips for knowing how to find all the top trails. I only spent three days in the area and left feeling saturated with knowledge and a new love for California. My favourite in their series so far.

Reading this guidebook before my first visit was probably the best decision I could have ever made. I didn't realize Marin was so close to San Francisco. The hikes there were world-class and offered stunning views of the city. Writing style was light and breezy. Alot of historical data packed into the book as well. Golden Gate Trailblazer defintely deserves five stars.

I recently was forced to cancel my trip abroad and bought this book to fill the time. There's so much to do, it's like being on vacation in my own hometown. Wonderfully paced and thoughtfully written. I'm recommending it to serious jocks, as well as my slow tooling Granny who I know will enjoy the Golden Gate Park walks. For the price of two movie tickets, it's a deal that will fill many weekends to come.

Normally we take three or four guidebooks on vacation. This time we brought only this book and it's all we needed. It was pretty handy having six types of activities in one. We picked new jogging routes from their "Best Of" list every day. It was a wonderful way to see the city and meet some of the locals. Our week was fully packed with places we would have never discovered on our own. Next time we'll bring our bikes so we can cover more ground. A San Francisco book written by San Franciscans - how ideal.

This book opens up a Pandora's box of things to do and see in the Bay Area. I brought along several other books and this was the best of the bunch. It filled every day of my three week stay in San Francisco. I wasn't counting on crossing the bay to explore Marin County, but it directed me to do so on days that the fog rolled in. It seems the sun was always shining over there. The maps were extremely accurate and the restaurants very unique and well chosen. The fact that the authors are locals guaranteed lots of nontouristy ideas. They introduced me to places I had never heard of. The Presidio and walks around the Golden Gate Bridge were especially good.

For first-timers like me, especially those that tend to travel no-frills, this book is a must.