Yosemite (High Sierra Hiking Guide, No 1) [Paperback]

Jeffery Schaffer (Author)

Book Description

Series: High Sierra Hiking Guide, No 1 | Publication Date: April 1985

Covers all the trails in the Yosemite Valley area and the backcountry to the south. Includes trails through the Mariposa Sequoia Grove and heading south off the Glacier Point Road. Contains both dayhikes and backpacking trips. Includes 15-minute Yosemite topo map.

What is a High Sierra Hiking Guide? It's a small, compact book that covers all the trails and trailheads in a popular area in the High Sierra. In each guide there is a minimum of 100 miles of trail described. Their compact size (4 ½" x 6") makes them easy to carry and each guide comes with an updated, accurate topographic map. Each book has at least 96 pages of information, an index, and photographs. If you're going backpacking, each guide covers the amount of area you're likely to venture through on a backpacking trip. If you're camping in the area, the High Sierra Hiking Guides will give you lots of options for dayhikes.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 90 pages
• Publisher: Wilderness Pr; 4th edition (April 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0899970524
• ISBN-13: 978-0899970523
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 4.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,485,043 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hiking the (real) History of the Yosemite Valley, May 24, 2006

By 

Fritz R. Ward "dayhiker" (Crestline, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hiker's Guide to the High Sierra Yosemite: The Valley and Surrounding Uplands (High Sierra Hiking Guide) (Paperback)

The 7th edition of this book, like its predecessors, is essentially a guide to the Valley and southern half of Yosemite National Park. Originally conceived as a hiking resource for the old 15' topo maps of the Sierras, this book offers 25 fabulous dayhikes which range from 1 to 16.5 miles. The nice thing about this selection is that you can even experience brief moments of solitude on many of these walks, even on the Yosemite Valley Floor; not an easy trick. With its companion volume to Tuolumne Meadows one has a pretty good guide to the park. Schaffer also throws in 5 nice backpack trips for those who would like to further explore the backcountry.

There are, however, many hiking guides to Yosemite. What makes this one stand out is that Schaffer has done more original field research into the geology and topography of the park than virtually all other guidebook authors combined. His conclusions are that the Sierras are far older than previously thought, and that glaciers had only minimal impact in shaping the Valley as we see it today. Rather, the Valley's stunning cliffs are the result of millions of years of weathering and breakage along fault and joint lines. Much of his research is condensed into this volume and following his trail routes is also incidentally a natural history lesson on the origins of this stunning place. For this alone it is worth the read and well worth a five star rating.

But this book is also quite valuable for its maps. Schaffer has lent his expertise to the maps in several Wilderness Press titles, including the 3 volume set on the Pacific Crest Trail and the guide to the Tahoe Rim Trail. The map included in this volume is far more accurate than the old 15' topo maps, or even the new 7.5' maps insofar as the trails are concerned. Between the fascinating text and the separate folded map, this book is a bargain and deserves wide readership.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good little book, November 9, 2006

By 

Tom D. (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hiker's Guide to the High Sierra Yosemite: The Valley and Surrounding Uplands (High Sierra Hiking Guide) (Paperback)

I used this and "100 Hikes In Yosemite" on a 10/06 trip. The Schaffer book is good because it fits in a back pocket and has a topo map showing all the trails (but only the valley and southern section of the park). The trail descriptions are good, though brief, and the difficulty ratings accurate. It does not give you elevation gain or trail profile.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb overview of Yosemite hikes!, June 15, 2006

By 

Rachel Robertson (San Jose, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hiker's Guide to the High Sierra Yosemite: The Valley and Surrounding Uplands (High Sierra Hiking Guide) (Paperback)

This is a very nice resource for someone looking to do a weekend getaway, especially when you have kids. I've been to Yosemite before but this book really helps getting a handle on everything that's available. The part about Hetch Hetchy was nice -- they got some really nice waterfalls over there, and there's not so much of a crowd as the valley itself.

I like how Yosemite is a great learning experience for kids too, since you can see with your own eyes of California's geologically violent past manifests itself. The book actually helps turn a beautiful hike into a lesson, too!

The maps are very detailed and the trail descriptions are nothing short of excellent. There are some longer hikes included that we obviously can't do, but the shorter ones are accurate down to the t. Five stars through and through!