Customer Reviews

Tahoe Sierra: A Natural History Guide to 112 Hikes in the Northern Sierra

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

 

 

The fourth edition of this book is a vast improvement on the initial release (3 editions ago). If you are looking for a complete trail guide to the Tahoe Basin, this is the one you want.

Wilderness Press hit a high mark with their Sierra North and Sierra South books. This comprehenisve guide to the Lake Tahoe Sierra is to be commended for being very comprehensive, containing 112 hikes that touch on all corners of the Tahoe area. The descriptions sparkle much more than than the typical dry text in these sort of guides as well.

Unfortunately the book could stand to improve its layout and maps, especially the all-important master map pages that clue you in to where hikes are located. Also, the individual trail maps are often nowhere near the text for the trip. Hopefully a future edition will improve upon the book's layout.

This book was one of the first that my wife and I bought upon coming to California in 1980. It has since fallen into at least ten pieces from overuse. This new version is also excellent.

There is a level of detail throughout that we appreciate, providing an interesting, experienced viewpoint and guide. We also like the way the different regions are highlighted. Sometimes we just head off to one of the regions and find a trail that looks interesting.

Enjoy!

Schaffer's book is the best I've seen, and I have them all. The reason he goes beyond Mike White's work is the geology. He actually tells the reader why the Yuba goes north and Bear Creek goes West at Emigrant Gap. This is just one example. Another bright spot in this book is a great deal of detail on west slope features. It is one of the few works that gives some detail on the American River giant sequoia grove.

This book is still the best source for hiking this area of the Sierra Nevada! Virtually all the information online about hikes, natural history etc is just copied from this book it seems. Even the outdated data about fish presence in the various lakes has been copied over and over from this book - BEWARE! Besides that, I highly recommend this for anyone adventuring into this wonderful region of California and Nevada.

My wife and I are avid hikers and had recently moved near Lake Tahoe and wanted to learn the trail system. This book goes into great detail regarding hike length, terrain, elevation, lakes, fishing and trailhead details. I also like the fact that it tells you which hikes are probably likely to be crowded and those less used.