The Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Book (Paperback)

by Tom Taber (Author) "TO GET THERE. . . take Almaden Expressway south to the town of New Almaden..." (more)
Key Phrases: open space district, call park headquarters, old ranch roads, Skyline Boulevard, Bicycle Access, Equestrian Access (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Rising just south of San Francisco, the Santa Cruz Mountains offer amazing scenery and outdoor recreation opportunities for Bay Area residents and visitors. This handy guide leads trekkers through redwood canyons, conifer and oak woodlands, along the rugged Pacific coast, and to breathtaking summit views of the Bay Area and beyond. Each chapter includes an overview of the park or preserve, detailed trail maps, and descriptions of trail conditions, topography, geology, and history. Special sections highlight everything from banana slugs and poison oak to the best areas for dogs.

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Oak Valley Press; 10th edition (March 8, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0960917098
• ISBN-13: 978-0960917099
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #371,805 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great choice for walkers in the bay area, December 21, 1999

By	R. Sagar (Santa Clara, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Book (Paperback)

This is a great book for people living (or intending to visit) the bay area, who like to go hike, bike, picnic and camp.

I've bought several books in the past, but this one covers a lot more of the trails in the area and with better detail. It tells you if trails are open to bikes and/or horses, talks about the camping facilities, details how long a walk you will have and the types of things you can expect to see out there.

There are also little sections on the local history, how the geology stuff works and many more useful snippets of info.

Definately the best book I've found for picking places to go walk, but then, it is somewhat targetted to the area where I live.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Review of the 10th edition, April 10, 2006

By	Fritz R. Ward "dayhiker" (Crestline, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

It says a lot about a book that it is continuously in print and updated for 30 years. This edition, the 10th and printed in 2006, preserves the nice features of previous editions and also offers the author's reflections upon what remains to be done for conservation and recreation in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

The general format of the book has not changed. Every county park, state park, open space preserve, or land otherwise available to public access in the Santa Cruz mountains is described (in alphabetical order) with special attention to the hiking opportunities in each. Trail descriptions are a bit sparse, but Tabor includes a decent map of each area to allow you to find your own way. The book is also chock full of "Special Sections" which detail local and natural history and also discuss such practical matters as where you can actually walk a dog in this part of the distinctively 'canine unfriendly' Bay Area.

Tabor's suggestions for the future of the Santa Cruz Mountains are worth noting. He urges the construction of more campgrounds and backcountry trail sites, an absolute necessity. It is almost impossible to get camping reservations on weekends. He also suggests practical ways to extend trail systems and increase the salmon and steelhead runs in mountain streams. I'm less sympathetic to his demand that the gun club near Castle Rock be shut down. I'm not a gun owner, but I never felt I was near a "war zone" when visiting this state park. In my opinion, antagonizing outdoor sportsmen will not promote conservation, but I could be wrong on this. On the whole though, this book is an excellent guide to the region and hopefully it will inspire more efforts at conservation and preservation in the area.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book for People in Bay Area, July 8, 2007

By	S. Duan "wolfdancer" (Bay Area, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

We live in Bay Area and have been using 9th edition of this book for several years exploring Santa Cruz Mountains. It has been a great experience!

The book has a map of Santa Cruz Mountains at the beginning of it, with the parks marked on the map and the list of the park names. There are pictures for you to get an idea of the area, and very good educational description of the park.