Customer Reviews

Top Trails: California Central Coast: Must-Do Hikes for Everyone

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

 

 

San Luis Obispo, Cambria, and the rest of the central coast is stunningly beautiful but it is not widely traveled. Yet in April and May this is probably the nicest part of the state for hiking. Finally, Brian Milne and Wilderness Press have realized this and published a guide to the region. Utilizing the very successful "Top Trails" format, this guide is both aesthetically pleasing and a useful compendium of some of the best trails in the region.

The "Top Trails" series provides detailed write ups, maps, lists of trail features, and sharp black and white photos. Milne divides the central coast into five portions, each of which receives a chapter. These include southern Monterey County, northern and southern San Luis Obispo County, Santa Barbara and northen Ventura county. Each chapter describes anywhere from 6 to 12 hikes, most of which are fairly easy and can be done by any reasonably fit person. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that over 1/4 of the hikes were under 2 miles and many more were in the 2-3 mile category. Hikers looking for longer workouts will also find a few trails here that meet their needs including an 18 mile trek along the shores of Santa Margarita lake, but this sort of trip is far more the exception than the rule.

I suspect I am not alone in confessing that California's Central Coast is one of the few parts of the golden state that I have not really explored. I've only hiked 12 of the 46 selections the author describes here, many in the last few months. But I am very impressed with the region and I want to return. All the trails I've hiked were winners and this guide will be my first resource on my next trip. When the subtitle says, "Must Do Hikes for Everyone" it means just that: everyone who discovers this treasure should do these trails. I strongly recommend this book and this region.

This book doesn't have ALL the best hikes on the California Central Coast It's missing the Sycamore Avila hike which has amazing views of Avila Beach. Trail begins behind the Sycamore Mineral Springs. It doesn't have that, but it has the Salinas River Trail walk, which is a fairly new (and still unfinished) path behind my house that I wouldn't consider a "hike" at all. Consider it more of a leisurely walk that takes you behind an apartment complex, behind Albertsons and Wendy's, past the homeless living under the bridge, and then off to a park before it ends in a residential area. This one should've been left out.

However the rest of the book is phenominal, and what makes it so great are these things:

1) Directions to each location are phenominal. No way you're getting lost with his precise mile markers. Even when you're on the hike, he points out where each little landmark is, when to hang a left, etc. You'll never mess up when you have this guide handy

2) The book is segmented by region (south county, north county, etc). If you want to go for a hike around San Luis Obispo, there's all the hikes for it in one location.

3) At the beginning of each region, you're given a brief summary of each hike, how long it is, and the 1-5 difficulty rating based on climbing difficulty and length of the hike.

4) At the beginning of the book, it gives a chart showing all the hikes, and you'll know with these with which ones you can take a bike, a dog, a horse, a kid, a wife, and your wallet, because.

5) He tells you which places charge a fee to get in.

If you have any questions about a trail, rest assured the answers are in the book. Where to park, how difficult it is to find the trail, etc.

Great book to refer to when you're ready to go see some nature.

Love this book! Every hiker, whether beginner or expert should get this.
I definitely recommend it!