20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
2008's Best Book About New Mexico, April 9, 2008
This review is from: 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Albuquerque: Including Santa Fe, Mount Taylor, and San Lorenzo Canyon (Paperback)
Stephen Ausherman's new guidebook, "60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Albuquerque, including Santa Fe, Mt. Taylor, and San Lorenzo Canyon," is, without a doubt, my pick for 2008's Best Book About New Mexico.
I realize that, as I write this, the year has more than eight months left to go, and I'm aware that I myself am planning to publish a New Mexico title before the end of the year, but Ausherman's new book is honestly so good, so quirky, so informative, and so unique, that I feel I can go ahead and declare it as the year's best, without hesitation.
The book, as its title suggests, contains sixty hikes, all within about sixty minutes of Albuquerque--within sixty miles of the Big I, where Interstate 40 crosses Interstate 25.
What the title doesn't immediately reveal, however, is just how amazing these sixty hikes are, just how compellingly readable their descriptions are, or just how transformational this book has the potential to be to anyone willing to go out and experience them.
The book's preface lays out the book's contents, and I challenge any resident of central New Mexico--anyone with even a spark of lust for life or a smidgen of curiosity--to read that preface and not feel overwhelmed with a feeling that maybe this place you've been living has more to it than you thought; in my case, it filled me with an almost caffeinated urge to rush out and see what it described for myself.
The book's sections include:
*The Duke City--featuring urban hikes within Albuquerque's city limits.
*The Salt Mission Trail--venturing down into the Manzano Mountains.
*The Turquoise Trail--heading up into the Sandias and beyond.
*El Camino Real--exploring natural wonders along I-25 toward Santa Fe.
*The City Different--snooping around Santa Fe and its environs.
*The Cuba Road--heading down toward Cuba and Cabezon Peak.
*The Jemez Mountain Trail--finding amazing formations around Los Alamos.
*The Chihuahua Trail--moving through wild desert toward Socorro.
And:
*The Mother Road--following Route 66 from west of town to Mt. Taylor.
Since being introduced to this title, I have already hiked a number of its hikes, and have already found my view of what surrounds Albuquerque completely altered. This place is amazing, and even though I thought I had an inkling of what its deserts and mountains hid, I now realize I did not. At all.
If you live in Albuquerque, just get this. Just order it right now, or go get it from Page One. You will not regret it. It's rare that a guidebook comes along that makes you want to just sit down and read it from cover to cover, but whose hikes are so unique and intriguing that you have little choice but to put the book down and throw on a daypack.
Highly, highly recommended.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best hiking book in New Mexico, August 28, 2008
This review is from: 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Albuquerque: Including Santa Fe, Mount Taylor, and San Lorenzo Canyon (Paperback)
I have been an avid hiker in New Mexico for the past 7 years, and own every other hiking guide that has been published for the state. This is by far the best one yet.
Though I have hiked all over the Albuquerque area (including all of the Sandia Mountains trails and about half of the Manzano Mountains trails), of the 60 hikes in this guide I have only visited 17 of them to date. I consider this a testament to Stephen Ausherman's skill in locating unique and unknown trails that can be enjoyed by rookies and veterans alike. Reading through this guide, it's almost as if I'm about to rediscover Albuquerque.
Probably the best feature, however, is the wealth of at-a-glance detail at the beginning of each hike... including (to name just a few) shared use, driving distance, nearest facilities, and trail traffic -- these features are not typically included in other New Mexico hiking guides. The only complaint I could even attempt to make is that there are no specific details on trail access for pets... but none of the other local guides provide this either.
No veteran New Mexico hiker should be without this guide, and for beginners in the area... this is the first one you should buy.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Hiking Book for ABQ Area Out There, December 30, 2009
This review is from: 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Albuquerque: Including Santa Fe, Mount Taylor, and San Lorenzo Canyon (Paperback)
I have lived in the Albuquerque area for 15 years and have hiked many of the trails in the state. I bought this book because I saw out of the 60 hikes I may have only been on 4 in the past. I have a goal of doing all 60 hikes in 365 days in 2010. They are all day hikes--some easy some hard but all look very interesting. I have completed two of the hikes so far and found the information provided in the book to be very accurate and informative. I am looking forward to the next 58 hikes!
The information provided in this book is very detailed and the descriptions of the hikes are very enticing - making me want to get out on a trail right now!
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys getting outdoors and exploring the community you live in. This book is great for the beginning all the way to the experienced.
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