Customer Reviews

Hiking Phoenix: Favorite Day Hikes

5 star:		(7)
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3 star:		(1)
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My friends and I recently visited Phoenix for a few days to escape our freezing weather in Chicago. We had purchased a copy of Hiking Phoenix before leaving home. We found it a good choice. Information and directions arepresented in a easy to use format. The hikes were Camelback Mountain, Peralta trail in the Supertstition Mountains and Picacho Peak. All three werefairly short and tough, just as Ray had warned and all three were unforgetable. Great views, fabulous desert vegetation and easy to get to. The freeway dirctions were right on and got us straight to the trailhead. The information about difficulty and distance were also right on the money. I never would have thought that there was so much beauty in the desert. We really enjoyed ourselves. We are looking forward to returning and trying some of the easier hikes in Ray's book. thnaks for the great little guide.

Ray's description and map of the hike at Pinnacle Peak is very accurate. Telling folks that dogs are not allowed, when flowers bloom and especially staying on the trail are great reminders for people. Ray has taken the time to obtain updated information. It is a great guide and we are using our copy constantly at Pinnacle Peak Park as hikers ask questions about other hikes in the area. Thanks for including Pinnacle Peak and the excellent write up on this area.

I recently moved out here from the UK to Arizona. I was whining to my father (when he was visiting) that a lot of people had told me there's nowhere to go hiking around Phoenix and I was finding that hard to believe given how much open space there is around Phoenix.
Anyway, we were in a book shop when he pointed out this book. I bought it instantly and have so far enjoyed five of this guide's hikes . . . and have found some beautiful places thank's to Ray's help. I just wanted to thank the author for making me realise that not all of this country is owned and fenced off and there are some places you can go where you feel as if you're walking where no one else has! Great book.

We live near Casa Grande, Arizona. We just purchased Hiking Phoenix and used it hiking at Lost Dutchman State Park in The Superstition Mountains. We love the humor as well as the wonderful maps. Also, we love the cactus identification.

I make about 2 trips to Phoenix every year and this book has been great for finding fun hikes for my family. Cosmic Ray has many great tips and accurate descriptions of every trail that we have hiked. This book has made my family's trips to Phoenix so much more enjoyable. I highly recommend it if you plan any hikes in the Phoenix area.

I have both hiking books--Best of Phoenix and Best of Flagstaff/Sedona. In fact, I am on my second copy of both as I have lent my first Phoenix copy to a friend (it disappeared) and wore out the first copy of my the Flagstaff/Sedona book. The maps are easy to follow and the topographical maps are awesome. Whenever I go hiking, I have two little girls (ages 1 and 4) in tow, so it is necessary to know the terrain inside and out before ever leaving home... Cosmic Ray is so detailed and so accurate that I never worry about being misinformed. Buy a copy for yourself and buy one for a friend... That way yours won't go missing!

On this handy book for day hikes around Phoenix, AZ; it's ok for some hiking but some trails was not on the book such as Black Canyon Trail which is well within day hike range from Phoenix(only 40 miles of freeway away from downtown Phoenix, the Badger Canyon trail was not on book, either.
Overall , I would say that this hiking book is barely ok, it's just better than nothing.
Isaac

I'm on the plus side of fifty, and though I have loved traveling in the Southwest all my life, hiking is a new passion for me, ignited by a recent trip to Southern Utah and its wonderful National Parks. So when I began searching for books about local hikes, Cosmic Ray caught my eye. I love his accuracy, his honesty, his humor, and his obvious love of the subject matter. I've done several hikes in the book now, and thanks to his recommendation of the Peralta Canyon Trail in the Superstition Mountains, I have discovered one of the most beautiful, magical places in the world.

After I began to do the hikes in this book I realized I had been to many of these areas on field trips when I was in grade school. They were so unspoiled, I assumed they were an hour or two away from town. When I followed Ray's trail into the Piestewa Peak area, right in the middle of the city, civilization went away. Amazing!

Buy his guide for Flagstaff/Sedona, too. Follow his suggestions, and you'll be such a happy hiker . . .