Customer Reviews

Hiking Colorado's Sangre de Cristo Wilderness (Regional Hiking Series)

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

 

 

This is by far the best guidebook for this area, I can't believe how many trails are included. I even live in the area and I never realized how many trails there actually are here. The number of summits that are described is overwhelming. If you are into climbing mountains, here they are.

Concise and to point, there is no fluff here, just get on the trail and enjoy. The pictures are unreal, these mountains rock! Good maps and trailhead directions get you to the trail, easy to follow directions lead you to the promised land.

Solid intro section and appendices with gear lists and GPS coordinates for every trailhead and summit round out this awesome guidebook.

If you are looking for fun, put this book down and get on these trails!

Having been on a number of these trails in the Colorado Sangre de Cristo Mountains, I can compare my actual field experiences with the book. The trailhead locations as well as the key points along the trails and the trail lengths are fairly accurate. The included maps are fair. Trail descriptions are brief but usually acceptable.

One major omission is that most of the trails in the Sangre de Cristos are in a continual state of major deterioration due to the fact that the Forest Service refuses to do any significant trail maintenance. The trails that are designated as acceptable for motorized vehicles (those not in the actual Wilderness designated areas) are extremely rough and dangerous with boulders, major ruts, debris, and reverse cross slopes. People have actually been killed on these unmaintained disasters (Hayden Pass). Even the much described Rainbow Trail, which is supposedly acceptable for ATVs, is basically a mess (its too narrow for most ATVs and covered with large loose rocks).

So be aware that what the author saw when he was on these trails several years ago may not be necessarily as passable as it is when you attempt the same trail due to the continued deterioration.

While I was happy to have a book listing numerous hikes in an often-overlooked area of Colorado, this guide is rather sparse in its descriptions of each hike. "Walk this far, turn east, walk that far..."
I just discovered a new guidebook for the Great Sand Dunes (and surrounding hikes in the Sangres) by C & D Winger. It has fewer hikes listed than in Moore's book, but the details, color photos, maps, and level of enthusiasm for what you'll see on each hike makes me much more likely to try out the hikes. I'm doing this for the FUN, after all!

I just came back from our long planned hiking trip into the Sangre de Cristos, both the east and west slopes. We referenced this book constantly as the changing weather conditions forced us to change our hiking plans also. I would highly recommend this book to anyone planning to tackle the wilderness areas around the Great Sand Dunes or Westcliffe. It is easy to follow the trailhead directions, accurately describes the difficulty of each hike and I can hardly wait to go back and try some more trails!

I have used this book over and over again! I live 10 hours away from the mountains and this book saves a lot of time with all the pre-planning that is available! GREAT BOOK!!

I was familiar with the book through a friend. Very complete, thorough in it's descriptions.

Excellent hiking book. Best book on hiking the Sangres.

This book provides a thorough list of hikes in a fantastic part of the state, but I agree that the descriptions are a bit sparse and cryptic. Personally, I prefer greater detail about what I might encounter on the trail rather than just the facts -- see Roach's 14er book as an example.