Day Hike! North Cascades, 3rd Edition: More Than 55 Trails You Can Hike in a Day

This is one of the better "Best Trails" books I've purchased. Better details than most.

I only got to spend a few days in North Cascades Nat'l Park so I had to find a guide that gave me the most bang for my buck. This is the book... One of the most frustrating things when trying to use a hiking guide is finding the trailhead to depart from. Not so with this book. It has good directions to the trails and nice, concise descriptions of the paths you'll be traversing. Two of the author's most recommended hikes (Maple Pass Loop & Cascade Pass) were also recommended by the ranger at the Newhalem Visitors Center. We took their advice and weren't disappointed, fantastic 6.5 to 7.5 mile trails, cool mountain temps and slopes covered with wild blueberries. We tried another trail near Mt. Baker but were turned back after thirty minutes thanks to a washed-out bridge over a raging torrent. That was OK, we used it as an excuse to spend the rainy afternoon enjoying our cozy cabin and its fire. There are some black & white photos in the book that don't do the vistas justice but that's OK. The idea is to get out there and experience the mountains for yourself. Day Hike! North Cascades is a handy and helpful guide for those of us who don't have time to really get into the back country for overnight camping.

I own the authors trail running book and liked it so I bought his new book as soon as it came out. It really fills the void in North Cascade guide books-it covers the Mt. Baker side very nicely, where other books ignore it. A definte must if you hike up here! I've carried it in my pack since I bought it. I like the rating system, the kid guide, the directions, and the topos - I also like that it isn't bulky or heavy. I met Mike Mcquaide at a book signing recentley - he really loves the trail!

I got this book because I read Mike McQuaide's "Trail Running Guide to Western Washington" and thought that anyone who could run more than 50 trails around here had to slow down eventually to write a hiking book. This one is a really good hiking book, too, with quick reference information on each trail at the top of the page. You can get everything you need to know about the hike without reading the whole description. Of course, if you do that, you'll miss some fine writing.This is another one of those new trail guides that provides the kind of information your feet will appreciate most, and there's none of the preaching and reminiscing you find in a lot of those older guides.If you're looking for the best guidebook to the trails of the North Cascades, you don't need to look any more.