100 Classic Hikes in Southern California: San Bernardino National Forest/Angeles National Forest/Santa Lucia Mountains/Big Sur and the Sierras

Southern California is not all freeways, suburbs, and smog. It features some of the most diverse and fantastic landscape in the country. When I first moved to Riverside in 1988, I was stunned at the sheer numbers of people; I had never been on a 6 lane freeway before, much less come to a stop on one, but I quickly discovered many great trails and mountains which have kept me here ever since. One of the great joys of reading '100 Classic Hikes in Southern California' was revisiting so many of these scenic locales. This may be my new favorite guidebook for hiking in this region. One of the best features of this book are the numerous color pictures; one for virtually every trail described in the book, and many others as well. These are quality shots that allow even the armchair hikers among us to revel in the scenery. In addition this book features nice color topographical maps with the trail clearly delineated. The actual route descriptions are very thorough, and driving directions are for the most part adequate. In short, this book is almost perfect. Almost, but not quite. I did notice a few mileage errors and several places where the maps were slightly misleading, usually by failing to show an alternative loop route. (For the record, described routes are mapped as thick red dashes and other routes or side trails are usually, where noted, delineated by a thin black dotted line.) One specific trail description, Ewoldsen trail and McWay Falls, illustrates both these points. The author lists total mileage for this combined route as 3 miles: following his description, however, actual mileage is at least 4.6. However, one can also make a loop of the interior hike, rather than just go out and back, and this adds only 1.3 miles, but the connecting route is not shown in this instance. As an aside, parking is no longer free at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State park, but no guidebook can keep up with California's changing fee structures. These are fairly minor points however. Even where mileage is off a bit (and in most cases the author is spot on) or the map does not show connecting routes, you will not get lost on these trails if you use the book. And its many good features more than make up for a few flaws. Perhaps the hardest part of writing a '100 Classic Hikes' book is trying to pick the best, a very subjective process indeed. But having hiked almost 2/3 of the trails Reidell recommends here, and explored parts of many others, I must admit the author succeeded in this difficult task. This is an excellent book for hikers and anyone who wants to find out about some of the nicer parts of Southern California. Get it and enjoy.