60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: San Diego: Including North, South and East Counties

Bought this as a gift for my kids who are exploring San Diego area. Have seen several other hiking guides lately. One is interesting - it is on a ring and you can take the hike you want with you - saving bulk and weight. Good idea - although you can always copy the one you want to take with you.

I use this hiking guide all the time. It is well written and easy to use.

Hi. I am a native San Diegan, and ever since I read about this book in Venture magazine a while back, I've been more interested in exploring the natural beauty of San Diego. After opening up this book at a local bookstore, I decided to buy it based upon its detailed maps, descriptions, and pictures that I saw while flipping through. I found this book helpful every step of the way. For planning, a difficulty rating is included for each hike, along with a write-up that not only describes the hike but also the wonderment of what you will see. Once you get into the hike, the maps are very accurate. The landmarks are especially useful, and the author includes a lot of them. What sets this hiking guide apart are the detailed maps, the mention of many upon many California native plants, and especially the rich imagery. Here is one of my favorite excerpts: "As you hop from rock to rock, startled crabs scurry sideways into crevices. Schools of fish trapped in pools left by the receding tide swim to safety among fluttery pink and mauve sea plants. Take the time to stoop and get a closer look at what may seem at first just an empty pool. Often, you'll discover the collected water teems with life." This was from the La Jolla Tide Pools Walk. After going there with my niece and nephew, it has become a fond memory. It is a special treat to have these artful words to read over; they recreate the experiences again and again and remind me how much I want to go back to these hikes. I was surprised to find a hiking guide that had such a touching theme running through it. With the day to day busyness of the world today, we sometimes forget to take in the beauty of the earth around us. This book reminds us to take time to smell the fresh air, count the caterpillars on the trail, and spend time with our families including Mother Earth.

Sheri McGregor's book is wonderful. I picked up a copy after seeing her on local TV and am very glad I did. This book's unique among hiking books. It not only gives great description of trails and information about how easy or strenuous each trail is, but Ms. McGregor goes beyond that and points out so many local native plants, wildlife, with interesting information about them. She writes in such descriptive, vivid language, I feel like I am reliving the experience when I go back and re-read about the hike. One of the best features about this guide is it is so up to date. So much has chenged since the horrible 2003 wildfires. This book has those changes. I am thrilled to see (finally) an up-to-date hiking guidebook for San Diego.

The author of this guide has put together a sensory smorgasbord for anyone who loves the outdoors. She details the flowers and plants you'll see (no more do you have to wonder what that fuzzy gray-green plant is, she tells you!), birds and other wildlife, challenges of the terrain, and where to find a spectacular view. Cross-referenced lists help you choose which hike to do (or helps you prioritize--I want to do all of them!) Best of all, she covers the damage from the 2003 wildfires around San Diego, so the book is way ahead of other guides right now. This guide took this New Englander from "Man, southern California is so dry" to amazement at the variety the San Diego area has to offer, from coastline to forest to mountains.