Customer Reviews

San Bernardino Mountain Trails: 100 Hikes in Southern California

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Note to Readers: This review is for the 2004 edition. In 2006, Wilderness Press published a new edition of this book, with a new author, new trail selections, and new design. Despite this, Amazon has concluded that the 2006 edition is essentially the same book and will not allow me to write a separate review for it. So, in brief, the criticisms I made of the 2004 book do not apply to the 2006 edition. The latter is an excellent book and I highly recommend it. Review (of 2004 edition) follows.

The San Bernardino National Forest, located on the Eastern ond Nothern edges of the LA basin, receives more visitors a year than most national parks. It is quite surprising then that so few hiking guides cover this popular area. Arguably the most comprehensive of these is John Robinson's 'San Bernardino Mountain Trails.' First printed in 1972 and now in its fifth edition, this is still best guide to the region. In addition to well written local history, it outlines 100 hikes ranging from easy nature walks to multiday backpack trips.

Unfortunately, I cannot give this edition more than 3 stars: there are simply too many mistakes in the text. Hike number two, for example, is listed as 25 miles long. Actual distance is five miles. Other mileages are also inaccurate, often by 25% or so. The text also contains anachronisms: the reference to Grizzly Bears being gone for more than half a century was appropriate in 1972. Now however, it is more like a century.

This new edition does have several positive changes as well. It now lists Gray's Peak, one of my favorite hikes in the Big Bear area. And the new photos are much sharper than in previous editions. So by all means, get this book. Far too many Southern California hiking guides slight the San Bernardino Mountains, and this book gives them their proper due. But be cautious with mileage: some hikes will be shorter than listed, others much longer.

I own about 30 hiking guides and this book is the one I use the most often and consult before any hike. John Robinson is one of the gurus of Southern California hiking and his guides are usually dependable, accurate and full of information that will ensure your safety while in the mountains. He provides an adequate history of each hike, driving directions and fairly precise descriptions of where to locate each trailhead. It's important to note that some of his information is outdated; for example, you always must display your Forest Adventure Pass when parking your car in a California National Forest. Robinson doesn't mention this because his guide was written before the Pass became "essential."

Another strength of this book is that Robinson usually provides separate descriptions of various ways to summit a peak. He details the standard way of climbing San Gorgonio, as well as three alternate treks to the peak and this is a valuable tool for the experienced hiker. He does the same for San Jacinto, perhaps the premiere hike in Southern California (as well as the most arduous!) The guide is tailored towards seasoned hikers and if you're a neophyte, this probably wouldn't be your best choice. But if you love to hike and live in the L.A. area, the Robinson guide provides indispensible information. Highly recommended.

Still the best guide for local hikes in the San Bernardino Mountains, though I'm a little nostalgic about John Robinson's retirement (the original author of the book, that I have carried on many a hike since the early 80's). I like the fact that the new book is slightly larger, which makes the photographs easier to examine. I also like the new map which is in color and on gloss stock, though I do miss the topography lines which have been omitted, making it less useful on the trail.

One concern, is about some of the hikes that are replacements for a handful of the originals, as I'm finding it hard to consider them hikes. I would certainly delete hikes that are located in amusement parks, and consider instead more cross country locations and trails utilizing abandoned fire roads, if necessary, to keep the "100". That said, it is still a great book, and David Money Harris is certainly keeping the legacy alive.

A revised edition of a classic book on hiking San Bernardino mountains. This new edition of the book includes key GPS way points and multiple tables of the various hikes to make finding a hike that matches your criteria as easy as it could be.

Furthermore, the descriptions of each hike are sufficient to permit the reader to determine if the hike would be of interest.

The book concentrates on San Bernardino but also covers the Santa Rosa hikes more extensively than I have seen anywhere else.

Great book! All the hikes are well described with easy to follow instructions. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to hike the San Bernardino National Forest.

I moved to Redlands, California five years ago. One of the first things I did was buy a copy of this book (an earlier edition). I have since read it cover to cover about 6 times, copied pages for individual hikes countless times to take along, and have walked almost every trail in the San Bernardinos and a lot of the trails in the San Jacintos. This book is well organized, well written, and an indispensible resource for anyone looking for a walk in the mountains outside the Inland Empire.

The old edition included many trails which are now inaccessible, mostly on the southern face of Yucaipa Ridge, closed now due to private property owners blocking access and the Morongo Indians prohibiting trailhead access on their reservation. The new edition (this book, which I got as soon as it came out) has removed these hikes and added a few good ones, notably expanding the section from the earlier edition that covers the Santa Rosa Mountains.

The new author's writing melds seamlessly with Robinson's. The historical sketches for each area are brief but useful (Robinson has written a number of books on California history (some out of print) which are more detailed and also worth a read).

Bottom line; there's a lot of books about hiking in southern California. This is the BEST book to get if your exploration is going to be in the eastern part of the Transverse Range. I have used many of the trails described in this book as a jumping-off point for cross-country hiking in the area. It's a great book. Robinson's book about hikes in the San Gabriels is also worth getting if you plan to hike there.

This book is a must-read for anyone who enjoys hiking and wants to experience the San Bernardino National Forest. I bought it after a hike to the summit of Mt. San Gorgonio, when I realized I was not very well prepared and needed some good advice. I read the book and realized how little I have seen of the local mountains and all they offer. The book details the location and degree of difficulty of each trail, which is very helpful in planning your trips. I highly recommend it to anyone who ventures into the San Bernardino wilderness.

I've been using an earlier release of this book since the 80's to research trails to hike in the San Bernardino Natl forest. It has also been an informal journal for these hikes since I write the dates, conditions and who I hiked with in the columns next to the trail we hiked. Most of the trails haven't changed since the 80's, but there have been some changes (mostly closures) and I wanted something a little more up to date.

The descriptions to the trail heads as well as the trails themselves has been improved (with varying degrees of change), there's a new map that appears to be sturdier than the older one; however, it doesn't say it is waterproof. My Trails of the Angeles guide map by the same company is waterproof. Funny they would make the map in the guide book for the Angeles Natl Forest waterproof and not this one.

This one also has GPS coordinates for each hike listed as well as contact info (which may or may not be accurate now) for various local government agencies that have jurisdiction over the hiking areas.

The new edition has a much better map that shows where each hike is. Very solid. I didn't care for all the area background stuff though.