Top Trails Los Angeles (Paperback)

~ Jerry Schad (Author) "The Santa Monica Mountains are a study in environmental contrast..." (more)
Key Phrases: adventure pass, trail description, fire road, Los Angeles, Santa Monica Mountains, Dogs Allowed (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

TOP TRAILS LAKE TAHOE

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Wilderness Press (March 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0899973477
• ISBN-13: 978-0899973470
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 4.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #311,094 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not for the Casual Walker, August 12, 2004

By	Fritz R. Ward "dayhiker" (Crestline, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Top Trails Lake Tahoe (Paperback)

Mike White's contribution to the Top Trails series has some spectacular hikes. People who are heavily into the sport will really enjoy the book. Included are hikes up Mt. Rose, the highest peak in the Tahoe basin and long segments of the Tahoe Rim Trail. But this book is not for the faint of heart. Most of the route descriptions in the book exceed 9 miles and several exceed 15 miles. Moreover, these miles involve considerable elevation gain.

White does include some shorter walks. The Tahoe Meadows Whole Access Trail is the best of these. Sugar Pine Point also receives some much deserved attention. But the bottom line is that you will need to be in excellent physical condition to fully appreciate what this book has to offer. So if you enjoy strenuous all day treks that offer stunning scenery in return for your efforts, this is the book for you. But if you want a guide to the many pretty nature trails that surround Lake Tahoe, you will have to look elsewhere. Moreso than other books in the Top Trails series, this book is for serious hikers that like to push the limits of their endurance.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Most of the Best Hikes in and around Los Angeles, June 16, 2004

By	Fritz R. Ward "dayhiker" (Crestline, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I'm always happy to find another book by Jerry Schad. I have used his trail guides to enrich my life in Southern California for many years. He is an established Wilderness Press author and was the natural choice for the Los Angeles edition of the new "Top Trails" hiking series.

The purpose of the "Top Trails" series is provide a list of "must do" trails in various regions of California. Editor Joseph Walowski conceived the series and provided a very useful schema for locating trails and assessing their difficulty. People looking for an easy stroll, a strenuous workout, or child-friendly outdoor locations will find this guide very useful. By and large, Jerry Schad's selection of hikes meets the goals of the series. He includes nice waterfalls, easy (and not so easy) peaks, and terrific bike paths. Also, there was surprisingly little overlap with Schad's '101 Hikes in Southern California.' Even hiking enthusiasts will find something new here.

Readers should be aware of a couple of flaws in the text. On page 9 Schad says that there are no trail quotas for any of the hikes in the book. While generally true, that statement does not apply to the Vivian Creek trail up San Gorgonio Peak. The Forest Service issues only a limited number of permits and weekends can be booked for more than a month in advance. On a broader level, this book really does not do the San Bernardino National Forest trails justice. Schad includes only 3 hikes in this region. Many more deserve mention. The Grandview Point Trail and Gray's Peak Trail near Big Bear are among the most scenic trails in Southern California. Taquitz Peak and the Desert View Nature Trail on Mt. San Jacinto also deserve inclusion in a book like this. To Schad's credit, however, no one will be disappointed by any of the hikes he listed. Get the book and have fun.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Most Comprehensive Sequoia Hiking Guide, January 15, 2006

By	busotti - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sequoia National Park: A Complete Hiker's Guide (Paperback)

This book accompanies the author's "Kings Canyon National Park: A Complete Hiker's Guide" For those who aren't aware, Kings Canyon (north) and Sequoia (south) are basically one big park. The two books are the most comprehensive guide to the trails in these two parks. Moreover, the book also has some excellent and useful tables in the appendix that detail the length of the trip, whether it is a loop vs. out and back, elevations... For those serious about this region, these are necessary. Two things could improve these books for future editions:

1) The maps are not very clearly printed. It is good that they are topographic USGS-style maps, however the contrast is poor and smudgy. Anyone doing these hikes ought to have a high quality fold-out map from Trails Illustrated or Tom Harrison anyway. Future editions should consider a higher-contrast less detailed map, or two-tone illustration as in the Lonely Planet guides.

2)Together, the two books are over 600 pages long. Clearly at this size they are less than suitable as backpack material anyway. The author may consider expanding them to include cross-country routes for class I/II hikes, as the Roper/Secor/Arnot books have little competition on this angle.