North Bay Trails: Outdoor Adventures in Marin, Napa, and Sonoma Counties Review

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(More customer reviews)I found North Bay Trails and the author's previous work, East Bay Trails, to be excellent. It provides great direction and is written from a hiker's perspective without confusing and unclear information that haunts so many guidebooks. The maps are always accurate and as fine as a bound format allows while the excellent photos help us choose where to go. The historical background is fascinating and the information on wildlife and flora keep me and my child going from discovery to discovery along the trail. This book has guided us to wonderful places we would not have thought or known to hike rather than take us to the often hiked Mt. Tam and Pt. Reyes areas (although his picks in these areas are jewels). This is a must-have if you want to hike the glorious North Bay - now, if Weintraub could just pack our lunch...

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North Bay Trails is the most complete and up-to-date trail guide for Marin, Napa, and Sonoma Counties. While the route descriptions pertain to hikers most of all, other outdoor enthusiasts-fitness walkers, joggers, equestrians, and bicyclists-will also find them useful. This is the only substantial guide to trails in the North Bay parklands, including the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Pt. Reyes National Seashore, Samuel Taylor state park, and the natural areas of the Sonoma and Napa valleys. The book contains something for everyone, from families with children to experienced hikers. Each route description begins with a snapshot of the hike: distance, time, difficulty rating, and highlights. The route descriptions are clear, easy to follow, and contain information about native plants, animals, and history.

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Golden Gate Trailblazer: Where to Hike, Stroll, Bike, Jog, Roll in San Francisco and Marin Review

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(More customer reviews)I have reviewed lots of travel-related guidebooks over the years, so I can say with some authority that the Golden Gate Trailblazer--the third title in the popular Trailblazer series--is a real find. Although I lived for a number of years in the San Francisco/Marin area, I was simply overwhelmed by the amount of new information I learned about this most wonderful place. The choices of hikes, walks, jogs, and off-road (and sometimes on-road) cycling options are simply overwhelming. The "Best of San Francisco and Marin" section thankfully helps to break down all these choices into dozens of useful categories to help you get to where you want to go faster (for example: Short Walks to High Places; Wildflowers; and Raptors and Woodland Birds; Family Rides; Beach Runs; etc.). The "Free Advise and Opinion" section near the back, while only three pages in length, is nothing short of fabulous in dispensing loads of cryptically written, helpful information and side-splitting humor in equal proportions. And the black-and-white photography throughout the book are stunning in creating a visual sense of place (In my view, the quality of the photos sometimes reaches award-winning status--I would certainly love to see enlargements of some of my favorites!). Including hundreds of trail descriptions, jogging paths, and so forth in a book less than 300 pages long is no mean trick. The Sprouts accomplish this by using a consistent, well-organized, yet compact format, well-selected abbreviations, and carefully crafted yet succinct directions. One important note: This is one book where reading the "How to Use This Book" section will be time well spent. The organization of the book works and works well. But the reader will benefit by taking a moment to orient him or herself. And buying a good street map of the area is another essential, as the authors themselves so indicate. Map drawing, especially in the backcountry of Marin County, is a major challenge and the authors were wise to leave that job to the cartographers. With a copy of the Golden Gate Trailblazer and a good street map in hand you will be ready to explore places you may have never even heard of in a lifetime of living in the Bay Area. And if you are first-time visitors you will be thrilled to have so much well-informed guidance in selecting the activity that is just right for you. And, oh yes, a final tip of the hat to the authors for taking the time to include dozens of good ideas for outdoor exploration for those in wheelchairs and parents who opt to push the little one(s) in a baby stroller.

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A new edition of the book has been published for 2004.It is completely revised and updated and contains twelve new maps. See: GOLDEN GATE TRAILBLAZER: WHERE TO HIKE, WALK, BIKE IN SAN FRANCISCO AND MARIN, isbn 0967007275.With 102 recreational trailheads covering San Francisco and Marin County - which are linked by the famous bridge - Golden Gate Trailblazer is a complete guide, for both first-time visitors and lifelong locals. Dozens of city strolls and cultural attractions are offered along with the book's 300 plus hikes. Joggers and mountain bikers will find some 200 paths. Parents pushing baby strollers and wheelchair riders are offered complete listings. Trailblazer also includes special sections for family outings, dog-friendly trails, kayaks, camping, and inline skating. All public lands are covered, including the Golden Gate national Recreation Area, Point Reyes National Seashore, Marin Headlands, Muir Woods, seven California State Parks, several dozen Marin County Open Space Preserves, California State Wetlands, Golden Gate Park and numerous city and neighborhood parks. City strolls take in Fishermans Wharf, Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge, Chinatown, Palace of Fine Arts, Haight-Ashbury!, the Embarcadero, downtown, Victorian neighborhoods and some of San Francisco's best kept secrets. Strolls are offered for Marin's hip and historic towns such as Sausalito, Mill Valley, Tiburon and Bolinas.

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Best Easy Day Hikes San Francisco's North Bay (Best Easy Day Hikes Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)Somehow in between a full time career and being a full time mom, Tracy Salcedo-Chourre has found the time to write some of the best hiking and biking guides to California. She is one of my favorite authors and in this little book, she shares her favorite short hikes near her home in Napa. The north Bay region has a lot of excellent day hiking, so selection was something of a problem. Trails in Marin, Sonoma, and Napa Valley have so much to offer that the author faced an embarrassment of riches. But she faced another problem as well. As she notes in her introduction, some friends did not want her to write about these trails as they prefer the gift of solitude to sharing the wealth. Against their wishes, Salcedo-Chourre has produced a beautifully written compendium to her outdoors home, and invites the reader to come along.
In all this book offers some 22 routes, many of which are only between 1 and 2 miles long. But these hikes pack a lot of scenery into a short distance. The hike to the Point Reyes Lighthouse graces the cover, and there are few better places to watch for whales or contemplate life in the previous century. Walks through John Muir Woods (a personal favorite) and Armstrong Redwoods can awe even regular visitors. And for those who simply demand longer hikes there is an 8 mile loop route along San Pablo Bay that I intend to take the next time I visit the Bay Area. As with all books in the Best Easy Day Hike series, each hike description includes a decent sketch map, point by point mileage descriptions, and accurate driving directions coupled with GPS trail head coordinates. What more can you ask for?
But the book does offer more. It offers a conservationist vision that is far more attractive than the stern, sometimes anti-people environmentalism that occasionally rears its head in political discourse. As noted above, some people would rather not have special trails publicized. Their sense of isolation is more important to them than sharing the beauty of nature with others. But if public lands are truly public, we should encourage people to get out and hike the trails. And I think many who fret about sharing hikes with the masses whose taxes help pay for public land access are a little overwrought in any event. Yes, Muir Woods is crowded. But it is not the same type of "crowded" feeling one gets on Market street. The trees and canyon work their magic on virtually all visitors to that lovely park. They walk quietly in loving reverence always making room for others. And they can take their peace with them as they leave. We as a society are richer for the open access to places like Muir Woods, and many others found in this book. Kudos to Ms. Salcedo-Chourre for sharing the trails and land she values so much with the rest of us.

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Golden Gate Trailblazer: Where to Hike, Walk, Bike in San Francisco & Marin Review

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(More customer reviews)Of the three books we took to San Francisco, this was the one we had most fun with. It had by far more photos and for organization alone they deserve five stars. Walking was the way to absorb the real flavor of the big city and coastal towns. Alcatraz and Angel Islands are must sees. We found it very worthwhile having this book to refer to.

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Trailblazer is the only outdoor adventure guide that details all the parks and wild lands north and south of the Golden Gate—in San Francisco and Marin. With more than 200 photographs and concisely written histories and cultural tidbits, Trailblazer gives travelers a unique look at both parklands and towns alike. You'll get to know the place—and to share the author's love for it. First-time visitors to the Bay Area will have a trusty guide to hit the highlights; life-long residents are guaranteed to find new ways to make weekends more exciting. Inside are clear directions for more than 300 hikes and walks, both in nature's wonder and to the cultural attractions that lure international tourists. Presented are the Presidio, Golden Gate National Recreational Area, Golden Gate Bridge, Marin Headlands, Point Reyes National Seashore, and several state parks, including Mount Tamalpais, Angel Island, and Samuel P. Taylor. You'll also find the tucked-away treasures in the Marin Open Space, including high peaks of the oak savannah and the wetlands on the Richardson, San Pablo, and San Rafael bays. All noteworthy city parks are also covered, starting with San Francisco's renowned Golden Gate and continuing with a long list of neighborhood gems.All these place names translate into redwood and conifer forests, waterfalls, peaks, lakes, beaches, coastal bluffs, bays, lagoons, gardens, woodland forests—all of the amazing scenic diversity that makes the Golden Gate region a world-class natural treasure. City strollers can choose from several walks in San Francisco to take in Chinatown, Fishermen's Wharf, Nob Hill, Union Square, North Beach, Haight-Ashbury, Palace of Fine Arts, Alcatraz, and the rest of the all-star attractions. Walks are also offered for Marin County's host of remarkable towns, from upscale Tiburon, Sausalito, and Mill Valley, to funkadelic Bolinas, Point Reyes, and Fairfax. You'll be entertained as well as exercised.With all these offerings, it's easy to overlook Trailblazer's cycling sections. The knarly mountain trails are all there, along with the more leisurely pedals on bike paths and roads. Cross-town routes are also given, making it possible to find the best and most-scenic route available across a the enire landscape.Seventeen maps and spot-on driving directions and trail descriptions make getting there easy. Navigating the text is made simple by sharp graphics and thoughtful organization—a Trailblazer trademark.Trailblazer's extras include a special list of Doggie Trails and a Trailblazer Kids section that will keep families busy from when the kids are in strollers until they're old enough to drive (stroller paths, neighborhood parks, bike rides, hikes, day trips, museums, and more). The book's Best Of section asks ‘What do you want to do today?' and then providesresponses in the form of activities to suit the day and your mood—a welcome resource considering the book's wealth of activities. You'll also find a list of contact numbers for camping, parks, museums, attractions, as well as favorite restaurants and accommodations.

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