Trails of the Angeles: 100 Hikes in the San Gabriels [Paperback]

John W. Robinson (Author), Doug Christiansen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 4, 2005

The rugged San Gabriel Mountains, rising starkly from the edge of the Los Angeles Basin, provide a sharp contrast to the hustle and bustle of the city and its surroundings. Angelinos across the county (a population of almost 10 million), as well as visitors from out of state, welcome the opportunity to escape from city chaos into the quiet wilderness. This 8th edition of the classic Wilderness Press guide has been revised and updated to reflect recent trail changes due to fires and floods, and now includes trips in the Fish Canyon Narrows, along Alder Creek, and to Jones Peak, as well as perennial favorites such as Old Baldy, Mt. Wilson, and Devils Punchbowl. Each detailed trip description notes the distance, difficulty, and ideal season, and points out the highlights of the trail.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Author John Robinson has been hiking the San Gabriels for over 30 years and is considered to be the foremost expert on the trails of these mountains. He wrote the first edition of Trails of the Angeles in 1971, and soon followed with San Bernadino Mountain Trails, in addition to three High Sierra hiking guides and five books on Southern California mountain history and lore.

For this 8th edition he's been joined by seasoned hiker (and airline pilot) Doug Christiansen, who updated the book to reflect the latest trail conditions.

Product Details

• Paperback: 260 pages
• Publisher: Wilderness Press; Eighth Edition edition (April 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0899973779
• ISBN-13: 978-0899973777
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #128,527 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > Science & Math > Nature & Ecology > Mountains

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review of 8th Edition, April 24, 2005

By 

Fritz R. Ward "dayhiker" (Crestline, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Trails of the Angeles: 100 Hikes in the San Gabriels (Paperback)

With this, the 8th and (for John Robinson) last edition of 'Trails of the Angeles' Southern California Hikers are given some new features to an old classic. The table of contents now lists all of the hikes individually, and a summary of hikes appears at the end of the book. Readers are also introduced to the new author, Doug Christiansen, who is taking over future updates to the book as Robinson's advancing age is starting to hinder his work. For his part, Christiansen promises to keep the text as close to Robinson's original as possible.

So why should you buy this book? Simply put, it is the best hiking guide to the San Gabriel Mountain Range in Southern California. Like all Wilderness Press Books, 'Trails of the Angeles' includes substantial coverage of natural and human history in the area. An excellent topographical map, with numerous details, is also included. But best of all are the 100 hikes that continue to offer challenges to generations of hikers. Readers should note that these are not easy walks of a mile or two. The average walk described in the book is over 8 miles and includes substantial elevation gain. But you will be amply rewarded by getting a genuine wilderness experience within an hour or so drive from LA. This is the big draw of a book that has been continuously in print for 35 years. What a joy to discover that it will continue to be updated for the foreseeable future.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Methinks I'm in for it, December 28, 2006

By 

Joseph Haschka (Glendale, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Trails of the Angeles: 100 Hikes in the San Gabriels (Paperback)

My wife has discovered the benefits of exercise. First, there was (and still is) the Y, where she spends 2-3 hours a day with step classes, cross trainers, and weights. The sick thing is, she loves it. (I go perhaps 3-4 hours per week, but only because I know it's good for me. I'd much rather sit with a good book, cheeseburger, and fries.) In any case, she's now discovered walking/hiking. She speed walks 10 miles every Saturday morning with a like-minded group of fanatics. They're planning to hike to the bowels of the Grand Canyon, and back up, in 2008; I'll be the one on the rim drinking iced tea.

TRAILS OF THE ANGELES describes 100 hikes into the San Gabriel Mountains north of Los Angeles. (It doesn't include the Verdugo Mountains immediately to the south of the San Gabriels or the San Bernardino Mountains further east, in case you're wondering.) I thought my wife and her walking chums would find it useful for getting into trekking shape.

The 2-3 pages dedicated to each of the hundred hikes includes "Features" and "Description", as well as a heading noting the hike's length, difficulty, and season. Perhaps two-thirds include a single black and white photo of something interesting to be seen nowadays or some structure of the past now represented only by ruins. Additionally, the volume contains separate brief chapters: "The San Gabriel Mountains" (geology, fauna, vegetation), "Humans in the San Gabriels" (a history of human influence on the area, recreational hiking being a major pastime between 1895-1938 before paved roads invaded the wilderness), "Hiking Hints" (including "hiker ethics"), and "Using This Book".

TRAILS OF THE ANGELES ends with a "Summary of Hikes", which lists all 100 according to difficulty (easy to strenuous), length (1 to 28 miles), and trip (round trip, one way, or loop).

The key ingredients of any guide of this sort are the directions given to the trailhead, and the route to be followed once boots hit the ground. Author John Robinson seems to do reasonably well at this though, mind you, I haven't had to put the acquired knowledge to practical use - yet. Directions to the various trailheads follow the same general tone as the following (Angeles Forest Highway to Big Tujunga Narrows, Hike #53):

"Drive up the Angeles Crest Highway to Clear Creek Junction, then left on the Angeles Forest Highway (L.A. County Road N3) to an unmarked parking area shaded by a lone incense-cedar on your right, 15.5 miles from La Canada. If you reach the Narrows Bridge, you've driven 0.3 miles too far." What happens if some prankster chops down that cedar tree in the dead of night and hauls it away for firewood?

Once on the chosen path, Robinson's directions are exact (as for Eaton Saddle to Markham Saddle, San Gabriel Peak, Hike #32):

"Walk past the locked gate and across the rugged south face of San Gabriel Peak via the Mt. Lowe fire road 0.5 mile to Markham Saddle. At the saddle, just beyond the water tank, turn sharp right (north) and pick up a brushy, unmarked trail leading up the mountainside. Follow the trail up one switchback, then across the west slope of San Gabriel Peak to the high saddle between Mt. Disappointment and San Gabriel Peak, about 0.75 mile. Part of this pathway is eroded where it crosses the steep slope, so watch your step. At the saddle, turn right (east) and follow a steep climbers' trail up the ridge to the top." Hmm, do you suppose they could replace the water tank with a coke machine?

A picture, so to speak, is worth a thousand words. And it's here that TRAILS OF THE ANGELS falls a bit short, in my opinion. Whereas in the hiking guides authored by Robert Stone (e.g. DAY HIKES AROUND LOS ANGELES and DAY HIKES ON THE CALIFORNIA SOUTHERN COAST) where each route is illustrated with a very detailed map within the book itself, TRAILS OF THE ANGELS attempts to accomplish the same with a separate, but included, 38" x 19" recreational map of the region. One side is a small scale rendering of the entire San Gabriel range, the other "zooms-in" on individual locales (Liebre Mountain Area, Crystal Lake Area, Big Tujunga Area, North of Pasadena, and Mount Baldy Area). On both sides, the trails are drawn in red with the corresponding hike number (1-100) from the book noted alongside. Now, while this seems acceptable, and is probably perfectly adequate, I would personally prefer the relatively large scale rendering of each trail in the Stone books and not have to unfold an unwieldy map every time I needed visual reinforcement. What if the unfolded map blows away in a sudden gust? I guess it's a matter of individual preference and experience (the latter of which I have none - yet).

My wife has been closely studying TRAILS OF THE ANGELS, visually evaluating my physical constitution with a critical eye, and verbally sampling my willingness to be a trekking buddy. She's already gone and purchased hiking boots. Oh Lord, I've created a monster. I could've gotten her the GUIDE TO L.A. COMFORT FOOD EMPORIUMS instead, but no!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Guide To The San Gabriels, March 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Trails of the Angeles: 100 Hikes in the San Gabriels (Hiking & Biking) (Paperback)

This book was very usefull in getting me started hiking in the local mountains the San Gabriels and I take it with me everytime I go up ! The maps are great and directions are clear and concise.