Day Hike! Central Cascades, 3rd Edition: More Than 65 Trails You Can Hike in a Day

This book has all the information I need to help my husband and I get out and enjoy the outdoors; hikes that are close by and not too strenuous. We can work our way up to the more difficult hikes when we are ready. We plan to get the Olympic hikes edition as well.

I started hiking early this summer, and this book has been my constant guide. Green Trails offers map bundles that include a copy of this book, so I guess I'm not the only one who thinks it's pretty good. Pros: - The large geographical range of the book. It covers hikes as far north as Mount Pilchick, and south through the Steven's Pass area to the I-90 corridor and Snoqualmie Pass. It also has several trails in the Issaquah Alps and North Bend area, which is a treat for someone who lives in Bellevue like I do. - The summary section provides good information about the hike. It covers pretty much everything you need to know: distance, elevation gain/max, difficulty, accessibility. The presentation is very clear, unlike some other guidebooks that bury this info either in a small box, or worse, a long rambling description. It even gives helpful notes like whether it's suitable for kids or dogs. - The descriptions are well-written, just the right length, and the author's style is engaging. McQuaide's writing inspired me enough to attempt even some of the more difficult trails--I give him credit for my victory over Mailbox Peak! - The book provides topo maps of the immediate area. As the other reviewer said, for a day hike there's not much need for a full topo map. [Although just to be prepared you might consider getting one; they are inexpensive.] Full topo maps can be large and bulky, but the smaller maps provided are perfect for minor orienting tasks. Cons: - The selection of hikes is not comprehensive, but rather give more of a general feel for the area's possibilities. If you want a fuller catalog, you might want to get a copy of Day Hiking: Snoqualmie Region (Done in a Day). - The quoted hiking times can be way off sometimes, though for the most part they aren't bad. I realize that the time you take to hike a trail depends on your own ability and how much time you spend at your destination. But sometimes I finish in less time, sometimes I take longer--it's not consistent. Online guides (wta.org, attrition.ws, Getaways in the Seattle PI) are more helpful when judging how long a hike will take. (Trust me, I've gotten into major trouble when a supposedly 6-hour hike took more than 7 hours.) All in all, this is a great guide. If you're thinking of hiking the wonderfuland that is the Central Cascades, I highly recommend that you get this book. Have fun!

Mike is a talented writer and Central Cascades is another great guidebook by him. As with his other books this has come with me on many trips.