Customer Reviews

60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Albuquerque: Including Santa Fe, Mount Taylor, and San Lorenzo Canyon

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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.

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.

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.

I have lived in New Mexico all of my life and I would have never thought to go to or even look for where all of these beautiful places listed in this book are located. I have taken four of the sixty hikes in the last two weeks and all have been terrific. The book is very well written and directions to the hike are detailed, so there is no guessing if your in the right spot or if your going the right way. I am looking forward to completing the rest of the hikes soon. Although be advised that when he lists a hike as strenuous that he means it.

Clearly that is the best pace to see the surroundings. The Menasha Ridge Press has developed an interesting concept for a book series - hikes that are within an hour of a given American city. So far, they have published 29 guides, and this guide places Albuquerque "on the map."

Stephen Ausherman has done an excellent job selecting hikes in the Albuquerque area. He is a "citizen of the world," and writes in that style. No doubt he conformed to the publisher's style and format, which certainly works for me, yet his own insights are evident - indicating that a greater danger than bears and mountain lions are other people's dogs.

Suitably, Ausherman starts his preface with an epigraph from Edward Abbey. In the preface he outlines the groupings for his hikes. The introduction covers the basic aspects of hiking, and how the book relates to them - he strikes a good balance in including information for the beginner, yet reminding the most experienced hikers of all the essentials.

As to the 60 hikes, each is described in a consistent, quite readable format. There are even some urban ones, but most are in the area with much elbow room. There is the "Key Information at a Glance," an "In Brief" description of the essence of the hike, directions to the trailhead, which includes GPS coordinates, as well as the longitude and latitude. Each is accompanied by two maps, which Ausherman emphasizes were created based on his GPS coordinates, determined by his own Garmen eTrex unit, one showing the elevation, the other the "plan view." There is a detailed description of the hike, and in most cases, a description of nearby activities. Also, in most cases, there are meaningful black and white photos taken along the hike.

Another reviewer said that he had completed 17 of these hikes. I've done roughly 10 of them, enough to attest to the quality of the author's work. For example, last month I again climbed Mt. Taylor via the Gooseberry trail, and experienced the same confusion the author did concerning the trail's direction about a half mile along the trail. I was surprised the author omitted the more popular "La Luz" and "Pino" trails in the Sandia, but it only means there are two more "unknown" trails (to me) that can now be explored. In particular, I've wanted to hike Cabezon peak; had only a rough description of it from a newspaper, so, consider just that one section worth the purchase of the book.

Since GPS points have been introduced, think it would be beneficial if the author included 3-4 waypoints along each hike.

Anyone in Albuquerque - or just passing through, who needs some exercise, and who does not, should make this book an essential component of their library. It certainly beats working out in the gym, and one can even be dazzled by the diversity of our environment, all, within an hour's reach. Kudos to the author, and the publisher for making this series available. Future challenges for Ausherman: a better guide to the Gila Wilderness!

Great organization--In addition to the table of contents of hikes separated by geographic area, there is a list near the front of the book of hikes organized by distance, and another list of hikes in 21 categories (solitude, wheelchair access, birdwatching, summer hikes, sacred sites, kids, dogs, bikes...) Both lists give both the page number and a number that lets you immediately see where the hike is on a map inside the front page. If you scan through the book, the top of each page lists both the hike name and the geographic area. It's incredibly easy to find what you want by category or geographic area. The descriptions are very complete and useful. I've been on a few of these hikes, but there are dozens that I didn't know about and which I hope to work my way through. Maybe the best book of its kind that I've seen.

A great hiking book for Albuquerque and vicinity. It has all kinds of hikes, even urban! A must have when friends or family comes to visit. The book also have a lot of hikes that are not so well known, and it have some of the classics (like Tent Rocks National Monument). I even found some hikes around Santa Fe (where I reside) that I didn't know about until I bought this book.

It's entertaining and very informative to read. It really inspires you to get out there and explore the wonderful New Mexico landscapes within 60 miles of the Duke City.

Love this book as I love little hikes and this sends me off to wonderful places.

This book is awesome. Trails listed go from urban to wild (no trail). The directions to the trailhead and the description of the trails are very accurate. And the author gives additional information regarding the history, geology, flora and fauna that may be encountered along the way. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves getting out around Albuquerque

The best book about hitting New Mexico's trails.
--New Mexico Magazine

Escapades to hard-to-reach spots lift '60 Hikes' to the front of the pack.
--Albuquerque Journal

After thirty-five years exploring New Mexico's stunning landscapes, I feel I am still just getting started. But where to go next? Fortunately, Stephen Ausherman's splendid guide has arrived to provide a host of suggestions. I will depend on it to add method to my madness and point me in the right direction. Highly recommended!
--William deBuys, author of River of Traps and The Walk

This is a very impressive guide that I'm sure will be welcomed by the local hiking community, especially as it includes numerous hikes not widely known.
--Bob Julyan, author of The Mountains of New Mexico and New Mexico's Wilderness Areas