Customer Reviews

Peninsula Tales and Trails: Commemorating the Thir (Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District)

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The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District came into existence in 1972 as the result of an overwhelming vote in 1972 to preserve lands from rapid development. In 1976 the "open space" concept was extended into San Mateo county and in the nearly 30 years since the MROSD has come to manage almost 50,000 acres in an area where even small amounts of real estate command a huge premium. Divided among 24 separate "preserves" and managed for low impact recreation, MROSD lands protect much of the natural beauty of the bay area.

An accomplished hiking guide author, Weintraub's book does indeed list and describe one or more trails in each preserve. Distances covered range from short half-mile strolls in Foothill Open Space and Skyline Preserves to a 10+ mile jaunt through Purisima Creek Redwood Preserve. The vast majority of the hikes however are 5 miles or less and are more suitable for a contemplative walk than a strenuous workout. Accompanying the descriptions are some useful map sketches with mileage between key points carefully delineated.

The hikes, however, are not the centerpiece of the book. The real highlights are the local history selections. In addition to relating the history of MPOSD, Weintraub delves into the local history of each preserve. Old photos accompany Weintraub's descriptions of historical logging in the Purisima Creek area, wine making at Picchetti Ranch, and the former stables of Los Tracos Reserve. Better yet, Weintraub's talent as a professional photographer shows in the many beautiful plates and pictures that adorn this book and capture the beauty of the bay area. Finally, the book has numerous interesting sidebars that cover everything from wildlife in the area to the mechanics of trail building and maintenance.

Local history buffs and frequent hikers in the south bay area will certainly want to purchase this book. As a hiking guide it is a little limited. Unlike Weintraub's other guide books from Wilderness Press, this one is more narrowly focused. The reader is compensated by getting more wonderful prose and photos than the traditional guide book format allows. All factors considered, this is a wonderful book.

I really don't think this should have been written as a guidebook. The idea of including at least one hike from each preserve works well in a few cases, but is almost laughable in others. However, the history and background given on each preserve makes up for this poor guidebooksmanship.

A good example is the Saratoga Gap OSP. Saratoga Gap has only one trail, with virtually no redeeming qualities except that it connects users of Long Ridge OSP and Upper Stevens Creek County Park to the plentiful parking at the summit of Hwy 9. The book recommends that hikers walk down the trail and enjoy the "feeling of seclusion" as cars whiz by 50 yards away on Hwy 35. Yet the section is redeemed by its archaeological and botanical notes. I was also interested to discover that the preserve contains wreckage from a 1959 plane crash, one which my local fire department responded to.

I recommend this book to anyone who uses these preserves, and wishes to know more about the stories behind them.

Having a group of friends whom I hike with everyday we run out of places to go, well we did before I got this book. It's very comprehensive, including descriptions of each area, map of the area, facilities available and a bit of history. Even the appendix has useful information, with websites for many organizations that can provide addt'l info. I recommend this for anyone in the bay area who wants to explore our beautiful preserves.

This is an excellent book for anyone interested in hiking the hills on the Peninsula. It is very well organized and easy to use. Good for everyone from a casual hiker to serious outdoors enthusiasts.