Walking San Diego: Where to Go to Get Away from It All [Paperback]

Lonnie Burstein Hewitt (Author), Barbara Coffin Moore (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2007

Now more than ever, this is San Diego's friendliest guidebook. It's like taking a walk with the authors themselves! Completely revised with fully updated walks, maps, and contact information. The best introduction to San Diego's finest and most accessible parks, beaches, lakes, and wildlife preserves. Special sidebars on natural history and illustrations of native plants-plus new information on nature's regrowth following the devastating fires in 2003. More than 100 photos and easy to read maps to guide your adventures.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I never leave home without my copy of Walking San Diego. It's a must have guide to discovering the finest trails.." --Larry Himmel, News 8

Product Details

• Paperback: 253 pages
• Publisher: Mountaineers Books; 2nd Revised edition (August 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898866928
• ISBN-13: 978-0898866926
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #550,279 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A classic reissued, January 27, 2008

By 

Fritz R. Ward "dayhiker" (Crestline, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Walking San Diego: Where to Go to Get Away from It All (Paperback)

Sparse deserts, pine clad forests, and a lovely coast means that San Diego County just about has it all (to paraphrase another author, Ann Marie Brown) when it comes to outdoor recreation. Throw in a mild climate and lots of sunny days and this is the perfect place for a quick vacation. Indeed, on the recent three day Martin Luther King weekend, my wife and I stayed on Point Loma and explored the San Diego coast. We had a lovely weekend, and if you would like to do the same, this revised edition of a Mountaineers Press classic is a good place to start.

After almost 20 years in various printings, 'Walking San Diego' still comes with numerous hikes along the coast and inland, but close by the major population centers in the county. Nature preserves, state parks and beaches, and some federal lands make up the bulk of this book. At each location, the authors describe one or more short hikes, some of the wildlife to be found, and other interesting natural history features. Readers will learn about the discovery and preservation of the world's rarest pine tree, the Torrey Pine, and where to see such hard to spot birds as the Least Tern and Snowy Plover (think Tijuana River Estuary). They also include walks in botanical gardens and along paved multi-use walkways such as the paths around Mission Bay.

On the whole, I think this is a solid guidebook to one of my favorite off season recreation areas in California. The appendix on native chapparel plants will certainly help readers to appreciate this part of the county. I also liked the emphasis the authors put on birding opportunities in San Diego. On the other hand, they do not do justice to the mountain areas in the county and they ignore Anza Borrego Desert State Park altogether. Perhaps the latter was simply out of the scope they wanted for this book, but I am truly confused by their decision to discuss Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, while at the same time ignoring the nearby Laguna Mountains, especially since the latter pretty much escaped fire damage and the former will probably never (in my lifetime) return to its previous splendor. Still, this is a solid guide to San Diego outdoor hiking opportunities, and should not be missed.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but note this is actually a 2000 edition, February 4, 2011

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T. Sovinec (Glendale, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Walking San Diego: Where to Go to Get Away from It All (Paperback)

The copy I received says first printing (of 2nd edition) 2000, fourth printing 2006. Although the listing indicates a 2007 date, this is actually the reprint date rather than the edition date. Only a few sentences of text have been updated since the 2nd edition was originally published in 2000; all of the phone numbers and fees are the same as in the 2000 first printing.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 80 Treasures, September 7, 2009

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Riverbook - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Walking San Diego: Where to Go to Get Away from It All (Paperback)

The book covers 80 parks and reserves, sometimes with multiple walks at each. Every description gives a good orientation plus something extra, sometimes about the birds, sometimes the history, the geology, the nearby buildings. The locations range from Oceanside to the Mexican border, and inland from Lake Wohlford to Otay Lake. Enjoy your time outdoors with this book!