60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Phoenix, Including Tempe, Scottsdale, and Glendale (60 Hikes - Menasha Ridge) [Paperback]

Charles Liu (Author)

Book Description

Series: 60 Hikes within 60 Miles | Publication Date: February 1, 2006

Arguably the Southwest's premier city, Phoenix offers its 1.4 million residents a mind-boggling array of hiking destinations. All roughly within an hour's drive of the Valley of the Sun, the trails highlighted in 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Phoenix begin right inside the city limits with the likes of popular Camelback Mountain. From Hidden Valley to the south to the Superstition Wilderness to the north, author Charles Liu leads hikers and walkers along a superb collection of diverse trails. Whether novice hikers or seasoned trekkers, this guide is an indispensable tool.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"To help take the sweat out of finding a trail near you...buy one of the 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles guidebooks."--Newsweek (praise for the series)

About the Author

Charles Liu immigrated to the United States from China in 1980. Spending his formative years attending Arizona State University, he grew increasingly fond of the Grand Canyon State's diverse outdoor offerings. Hiking quickly became his passion. Now a software engineer by trade, Charles spends much of his spare time exploring mountains, leading hiking trips, photographing and writing about trails around Arizona and throughout the Southwest.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Menasha Ridge Press; 1st edition (February 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0897325931
• ISBN-13: 978-0897325936
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,024,096 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For a Rigorous Off Season Workout, Call..., April 24, 2007

By 

Fritz R. Ward "dayhiker" (Crestline, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Phoenix, Including Tempe, Scottsdale, and Glendale (60 Hikes - Menasha Ridge) (Paperback)

The first time I climbed Camelback Mountain via the Echo Canyon trail I came to a new understanding of the word "steep." The trail rises in excess of 1,000 feet per mile and that includes a relatively level section. But Camelback Peak is hardly alone among the rigorous hikes and climbs in the Phoenix area. Many of the trails in the Phoenix Mountains are incredibly steep with no shade and few convenient rest spots. However, they also offer stellar views of the Valley of the Sun and some of the best off season recreation in the western US. They are also covered in detail in Charles Liu's new addition to the '60 Hikes within 60 miles' series from Menasha Ridge Press.

Like other books in the series, this volume has a lot to recommend it. It includes a useful introduction on the basics of hiking and how to use a GPS unit. Hikes are organized by geographical region (within Phoenix, suburbs, and areas to the northeast and northwest, as well as south of the city) and each hike contains key "at-a-glance" information such as distance, elevation, approximate hiking time, and, relatively unique to Phoenix, how many quarts of water you will need if you wish to survive the experience. I might add here that some of the information can be redundant. Under the heading "exposure" virtually every hike lists shade as "none" or "very little." Liu deserves a lot of credit for his careful maps that accompany the trail descriptions. These were recorded by hand-held GPS and plotted onto downloaded topographical maps. Based on the trails I have hiked that are described in this book, these maps are excellent.

In all, this is a great book if you are a Phoenix resident or regular visitor seeking hikes in the off season. (I fall into the latter category.) The author does describe several fairly level paths: the trail in Papago Park and the Bridal Murphy trail, to offset some of the more challenging adventures. For my part, I will use this book to explore the Bradshaw Mountains the next time I visit Phoenix in the warmer months. Liu points out their elevation makes them a nice alternative to the longer drive for Flagstaff if you want to beat the heat. I think it is a safe bet that even seasoned local hikers will find something new in these pages. So get the book and go take a hike (but not during June, July, or August).

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Based on experience this book is worth every penny, March 8, 2009

By 

Ashton (Chandler, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Phoenix: Including Tempe, Scottsdale, and Glendale (Paperback)

We have a group of friends that hike almost every weekend all year and we've been referring to this book for almost two years for new hikes. We've done more than 30 so far plus some of the variations given in the book and every one have been well worth doing at least once. Most of them we have done multiple times or plan to do again.
We've done almost all of the longer hikes 4-12+ miles and the book has provided very accurate and helpful information. For instance finding the trailhead for the Vineyard Trail by Roosevelt Lake--if it wasn't for the book's instruction we would have never found the trailhead and it was one of our favorite hikes!!
The only complaint that I would have is that the book calls Tempe Town Lake and four similar paths "hikes" -- they shouldn't be in there at all -- if you're on a sidewalk you're really NOT hiking!
The book is very very good. If you want to explore new areas around Phoenix, this book is a great way to introduce you to them!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic, detailed hiking guide, July 5, 2007

By 

Only Sometimes Clever "Karen Joy" (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Phoenix, Including Tempe, Scottsdale, and Glendale (60 Hikes - Menasha Ridge) (Paperback)

Have you ever purchased a guide and found yourself wondering if the author actually visited the site, and if he did, why he didn't provide more information? That will not be your experience with this book, 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Phoenix. The author, Charles Liu, gives a wealth of information for each hike with detailed maps, charts showing the elevation gain/loss, key at-a-glance trail info, GPS coordinates, and more. Each trail is described "In Brief" with a sentence or two, then expanded upon in usually 2+ pages of well-written prose, describing every aspect of the hike. Most descriptions also feature a black and white photo of the trail, scenery, or a unique feature of the hike. Each hike's description ends with a paragraph of describing additional nearby activities.

Included in the book's 20+ pages of introductions and prefaces, there are particularly useful lists that make it easy to find the kind of hike one might be looking for. Want a scenic, solitary hike that is 4-6 miles, on a multi-use trail by a stream? Try the Vineyard Trail. Or a 1-3 mile flat dog-friendly trail that is good for viewing wildlife and ends in a swimming hole? Try the Badger Springs Wash Trail. Or a scenic, solitary high-altitude 9+ mile steep hike alongside a stream? Try Reavis Ranch via Rogers Trough Trailhead. Also charted are hikes with scrambling or climbing, those with archaeological ruins, those best for children, hikes best for wildflowers, those for regular workouts and hikes for runners.

The book ends with a short-but-useful appendix section, listing where to locally find hiking supplies, maps, and hiking clubs, and a glossary of both general hiking terms and ones that might be fairly particular to Arizona (like hoodoo and javelina).

My only wish is that the author would have better-covered the areas to the north and west of Phoenix. However, that's not enough of a detraction to warrant less than five stars. I have read and owned many, many guidebooks, and this one surely ranks among the best.

(The cover of my book is different from the one pictured here on Amazon.)