Moon Take a Hike Los Angeles: Hikes Within Two Hours of the City (Moon Outdoors) [Paperback]

Ann Marie Brown (Author), Julie Sheer (Author)

Book Description

Series: Moon Outdoors | Publication Date: February 22, 2006

With hikes that lead you to forget the stress of the bustling city, Moon's first edition of Take a Hike Los Angeles gets you out there, exploring and experiencing amazing places just minutes from your driveway. Local California authors Ann Marie Brown and Julie Sheer show you the best hikes in and around LA. All hikes within the guide take less than two hours to reach by car, with details on public transportation options and clear directions on how to reach each trailhead.

Ann Marie and Julie have compiled lists of their favorite hikes including Best Coastal Hikes, Best Summit Views, and Best Hikes for Families. Let Ann Marie and Julie show you all the worthwhile hikes, from short, flat routes suitable for families to day-long, steep treks for more advanced hikers. From the summit of 10,064-foot Mount Baldy to the brayed tan sands of Malibu, this book covers all the best trails in the Los Angeles area. Trail profiles contain practical information including point-by-point trail navigation, facilities, fees, parking instructions, and an easy-to-use map for each trail.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Avalon Travel Publishing (February 22, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566917646
• ISBN-13: 978-1566917643
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #890,174 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Serious Hikes for Serious Walkers, March 12, 2006

By 

Fritz R. Ward "dayhiker" (Crestline, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Moon Take a Hike Los Angeles: Hikes Within Two Hours of the City (Moon Outdoors) (Paperback)

Los Angeles has a lot of neat countryside to explore if you know where to look. When I first came to the LA basin from Idaho, I was overwhelmed by the suburban sprawl, but I quickly found lots of nice outdoor experiences nearby. This book will help anyone else looking to escape the city for a few hours (or days). It features over 80 hikes all within 2 hours of LA.

I've hiked about a third of the trails described in this guide and all are nice. With time off in April, I expect to explore more. By way of a warning though, you will need to be reasonably fit to do many of these hikes. Most are 5 to 10 miles long, often with substantial elevation gain. Several are shorter, but a few are quite challenging. Happily, the authors also provide options for shortening (and sometimes lengthening) your walks. The bulk of the hikes listed are in the San Gabriel Mountains and Santa Monica National Recreation Areas. A few selections from Orange County, Palos Verde and Catalina Island round out the book. On the whole, this book is an excellent investment in fun and exploration.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, January 31, 2011

By 

Paul - See all my reviews

This review is from: Moon Take a Hike Los Angeles: Hikes Within Two Hours of the City (Moon Outdoors) (Paperback)

Overall this is a great book, with easy to understand directions, maps, elevation profiles, etc. The trails are all organized in an extremely useful way, and the writing style is very approachable.

My only gripe, and the reason it's 4 stars instead of 5, is that some trails are missing. If you go to the National Park Service website, you can get maps which are more comprehensive and show where multiple trails mentioned in the book intersect - for even longer, more interesting hikes.

But that said, this book is a great entry-point, to introduce you to an area and provide some great insight into the terrain. From there, a little online research only adds to the experience.