Customer Reviews

Take a Hike New York City: Hikes Within Two Hours of Manhattan

5 star:		(6)
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I stumbled upon this book in a bookstore while looking for trail maps. There are some basic maps in this book (don't rely on them as your sole map if you do these hikes) but that's not why I bought the book. I bought the book because it had detailed information on hikes that I was already curious about, plus others that I was not aware of.

In addition to the information and route descriptions, there are "Options" and "Directions" sections for each hike, which are great. The Options section offers ways to make the hike shorter or longer by taking different routes so you can adjust the hike to your experience and fitness level. The Directions section includes not only road directions for access by car, but public transportation options, if available. I have found those to be extremely helpful as I, like many New Yorkers, do not own a car. I knew about a few hikes that you could get to by train, but there were several others in this book that I had no idea about. I would say at least a third of the hikes in this book are accessible by public transportation, with several others within reasonable distance of a train or bus stop (in which case he includes walking directions to the trailhead). With New York having one of the most extensive public transit networks in the world and a substantial carless poopulation, this book was very smart to take advantage of that, and it was the main appeal for me, in addition to the interesting bits of historical context and visual snapshots that make each adventure seem more interesting.

I just bought the book about a month ago and already went on two of the hikes in the book, which were awesome. I plan to go on at least 2 or 3 more before it starts getting cold. Again, make sure you buy the New York-New Jersey trail conference map for the area you plan to hike before setting out, which Skip Card himself encourages. Though the maps in this book are helpful, you will probably get lost if you rely on them alone. So buy this book, buy a map, and get out there! Happy Hiking!

I've lived in New York City for ten years, and just when I thought I'd done/seen it all, along comes this great book! I just completed my first hike outlined in "Take a Hike: New York City" yesterday (in the Ramapo Mountains of New Jersey) and I'm hooked. I carried the guide with me and - being a novice hiker - found that all the detail was perfect and wise. And it's smartly written as well with a bit of humor! I might last another ten years in New York now that I've been introduced to another facet of the city I call home.

This book details, in an easy to read fashion, legitmate day hikes (3-9 miles) in the NY/NJ region. If you are looking for hikes that offer the best of what southern NY and northern NJ has to offer, this book is for you.

This is the must-have book for anyone who loves hiking. It's got the best trails, along with tons of great info. Everything you need if you live in and around New York City and love the outdoors.

Saying that I use this book almost every week end should be enough.
This is the best book to have for one day getaway from New York.
Reliable and of good advice.
This is The book I read to chose my week ends hike when I can't leave for more than one day. It has saved my week ends more than once!

Easy to use and informative. I look forward to picking hikes for the summer.