Afoot & Afield San Francisco Bay Area: A Comprehensive Hiking Guide (Paperback)

~ David Weintraub (Author)
Key Phrases: horses during wet weather, toilet near the trailhead, route description refer, San Francisco, Skyline Blvd, Canyon Trail (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Part of the acclaimed Afoot & Afield series, Afoot & Afield San Francisco Bay Area contains more than 100 carefully described trips in the nine-county region. Included are all the well-known favorites: Mt. Tamalpais, Point Reyes National Seashore, Henry W. Coe and Mt. Diablo state parks, and Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve. The book also features more remote parks and preserves, from the rugged Sonoma coast to hidden canyons south of San Jose, as well as regional open spaces and county parks from the East Bay hills to the Santa Cruz Mountains. This comprehensive guide to the best parklands in the Bay Area has something for hikers, runners, cyclists, and horseback riders. Trail-use symbols, at-a-glance information about distance, elevation gain, and difficulty, and precise driving directions accompany each trip. Carefully researched route descriptions lead you along the trail, and sidebars point out interesting aspects of human and natural history.

Product Details

• Paperback: 332 pages
• Publisher: Wilderness Press; 1 edition (September 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0899972918
• ISBN-13: 978-0899972916
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #252,039 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If You Choose Just One Hiking Book for the SF Bay Area, This Is It, August 22, 2006

By	Wizkid (USA) - See all my reviews

Wilderness Press has a series of books on the SF Bay Area hiking trails (two of which are written by Weintraub): East Bay Trails, South Bay Trails, North Bay Trails, and Peninsula Trails. Those books are excellent and obviously have the kind of complete and detailed coverage that a single book of the same size cannot offer for the same vast area. But if you wish to buy only a single book on hiking in the SF Bay Area, this one is the best I've seen. It discusses hiking opportunities from Santa Rosa in the north to just outside Santa Cruz in the south. It discusses more hikes than any other book (except the Foghorn one, which however offers no maps). It has excellent maps, along with detailed directions, the attractions of each hike, the best season for the hike, and so on. Unlike those in some other books, the maps included cover more than just the hikes discussed, so in essence it leads you to many more trails than those listed in the book. It also mentions (though does not have the space to discuss in detail) some of the flora and fauna you might notice on the hike, and offers some photos. If you don't get separate books on each area, this is almost certainly the one to get.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most comprehensive hiking guide to the CA bay area, November 5, 2004

By	j johnny - See all my reviews

Great guide to the bay area. If you want just one book for a hiking guide to the bay area this is the one to buy. Truly up to date and will probably surprise most bay area outdoor enthusiasts with the comprehensive hiking coverage of the area. Even after living here for more than a decade I found new reasons to visit parks that had faded in memory. This guy has truly walked these trails. When you see the accuracy of the trail descriptions, the abundance of information on wildflowers and the choice morsels of local lore you know you are walking with a guide whose heart is in his boots. Another great guide book from this author.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An invaluable, "user friendly" guide, February 4, 2005

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

The newest title in the outstanding "Afoot & Afield" series from Wilderness Press, Afoot & Afield San Francisco Bay Area by David Weintraub features no less than 102 memorable hiking trips around the greater Bay Area ranging from a 1.5-mile stroll through Golden Gate Park, to rigorous10-mile treks. From M. St. Helena (near Caistoga) the tallest summit in the North Bay (4339 feet), to the Sonoma coast's Kortum trial skirting the Pacific ocean, to the waterfalls of the eastern Santa Cruz mountains near San Jose, to the Peninsula's Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve, this is the ideal guide for hikers, dog walkers, bikers, backbackers, and outdoor enthusiasts. An invaluable, "user friendly" guide to personally exploring the coast, canyons, and ridges around the San Pablo and San Francisco bays and beyond, Afoot & Afield San Francisco Bay Area is the ideal and enthusiastically recommended planner for day trips, weekend excursions, or holiday outings.