The Must-Have Book for Hiking in San Diego
. This book led me all over the county to waterfalls and mountain peaks, to canyons and streams. Many of the hikes were shared with the person who is now my wife.
Moving to San Diego in 2000, I immediately went out and purchased the San Diego version of the book
I realize that this book will be a direct competitor with my book when it is published. However, while many of the peaks that are a part of the 100 Peaks journey are in this book (about 40), most of them are not.
If you have any interest at all in hiking in San Diego, you should get this book. It contains hikes in nearly all of the regions and parks in San Diego. From Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, to the mountains of Cuyamaca, this book really is comprehensive.
The book provides directions to the trailhead, mileage, elevation changes, trail difficulty, and excellent maps.
One of the strengths of this book is also one of its weaknesses. The author describes in great detail the area and history surrounding each trail, which makes for great armchair reading. However, if you are trying to get an overall idea of the trail with landmarks and turns, it is difficult to scan the dense prose for directions and mileage cues. You will have to take notes and bring them with you.
Regardless, this book is a must-have if you have any inkling of hiking in San Diego. It truly is the “bible of San Diego hiking,” as the Los Angeles Times opined.
And, as always, be prepared with a topographical map of the area wherever you are hiking and know how to read it!
This is a fantastic book. The girlfriend and I have been working our way through each of the trails in this book, crossing them off as we go. A few of the trails have outdated information (ex: The Miner’s Ridge Loop of Black Mountain), but you can always figure it out when you get there. Looking forward to your book as well.
I’ve had every edition of this book since the first. I used to date each hike, and make notes, but I usually pass the previous edition on to a new hiker, or coworker now. Now that I have a GPS I’m noticing some of the mileage in the “bible” are off, but it’s taken me many places in the last 20-odd years. I think there is room for another hiking manual in SD, Derek.
Thanks for the comments!
I agree, even the latest edition has some trail and mileage discrepancies.
But, ultimately, it will get you there or at least will get you thinking about getting there. And that’s half the battle.
Thanks for the suggestion! ill definitely checking it out
My wife and I love Afoot and Afield. We’ve made our way through a good portion of the hikes in the past year and a half that we’ve had the book. Some of the descriptions are a little vague so I’ve been uploading all our GPS tracks to openstreetmap.org so others don’t make the same mistakes
Assuming we’re still around San Diego when your book comes out–hey, I’ve got to graduate sometime
–, I’ll be sure to give it a look.
I have Afoot and Afield in Orange County and it is a great reference! I just wish the pictures were in color