Rating: 
Summary: A fabulous guide to outdoor activities in Alpine County.
Review: About a decade ago, before I started an academic career, my wife and I reviewed travel guidebooks. We published several books on the subject, the last one covering about 3,000 books. I mention this only to underline the fact that I have looked closely at a lot of guide books, including myriad hiking guides. With that in mind, let me underline my overall opinion: Alpine Trailblazer is as good as they come. The amount of thought and hard work embedded in this book is amazing. Alpine Trailblazer is more than just a description of hiking trails. It is much more versatile. If you are interested in outdoor activities (be they hiking, packing, biking, skiing, fishing or whatever), if you want to explore the Sierra Nevada mountains from Tahoe to Yosemite, but especially that less-discovered gold mine of a county called Alpine, Jerry and Janine Sprout will provide you with more well-informed, good ideas than any other single resource. The Sprouts are long-time residents of Alpine County and have enthusiastically explored its trails and hidden pleasures for more than two decades. That they are willing to share their discoveries with you must have come after considerable soul searching. But we are all the beneficiaries. And such attention to detail! From what should be an award-winning cover to the careful organization of materials, from the informative and beautiful black-and-white photographs to the practical hiking advice and Happy Jack's Campside Cookbook, this book has it all. Each suggested route is tied to the appropriate topo map and succinctly but informatively described. The types of outdoor pleasures most applicable to each route are clearly noted. The many choices are indexed in great detail. For example, routes that are best for wildflowers are then broken down into three subsections: early season, lower elevation; mid-summer, mid-elevation; and high elevation. Day hikes are organized under headings such as falls and cascades, old growth conifer quests, snow-free in late spring, short hikes with small kids and grandparents. And so on in incredible and useful detail. If you can't find what you want here, it doesn't exist. The hiking tips are short and to the point, capturing the wisdom of years of trail experience. The only advice I take exception to is the choice of external over internal frames for backpacks (though, of course, they are entitled to their opinion). While external frames have certain advantages, as the Sprouts detail, the internal frame provides my back with a comfort I only dreamed of with an external frame--and that, at least for me, is priority number one. Then again, perhaps the Sprouts are made of stronger stuff. Let your own back be the judge. In any case, I can't yell it loud enough (especially in print): grab a copy of this book without delay and visit the Alps of the Sierra Nevada. You won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: A Reliable Companion
Review: ALERT! You gotta get this. All of you living in the Bay Area or those of you planning to visit San Francisco, this is a must have. For those of you who dream of going, you will be enchanted by the pictures of the area. I just got a hold of the new Trail Blazer that is about the San Francisco Bay Area. It has everything for everyone. Roller bladers, baby-stroller-pushers, bikers, walkers, and of course all you jocks will find loads of trails just right for you. The book even tells me where I can take my dog and be legal. I have lived in the Bay Area for over 24 years and still this book holds many surprises for me. Thank you Jerry and Janine Sprout for a book that is a pleasure to read and that holds so many new adventures for all of us! Ask your local books store for the new Golden Gate Trailblazer by Jerry and Janine Sprout.(Wilderness Press)
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Summary: New Book
Review: ALERT! You gotta get this. All of you living in the Bay Area or those of you planning to visit San Francisco, this is a must have. For those of you who dream of going, you will be enchanted by the pictures of the area. I just got a hold of the new Trail Blazer that is about the San Francisco Bay Area. It has everything for everyone. Roller bladers, baby-stroller-pushers, bikers, walkers, and of course all you jocks will find loads of trails just right for you. The book even tells me where I can take my dog and be legal. I have lived in the Bay Area for over 24 years and still this book holds many surprises for me. Thank you Jerry and Janine Sprout for a book that is a pleasure to read and that holds so many new adventures for all of us! Ask your local books store for the new Golden Gate Trailblazer by Jerry and Janine Sprout.(Wilderness Press)
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Summary: This book is beautifully designed and useful, useful, useful
Review: Alpine Trailblazer is a terrific guidebook that feels good in the hand, looks good, and- most importantly- works well at introducing folks to the unspoiled, less-explored Sierra between Lake Tahoe and Yosemite. Everything in this book seems of the highest quality: the maps, the photos, the organization and indexing, the design, the writing. But best of all is its usefulness; it's hard to believe how much solid information these Alpine County locals have been able to fit into a guidebook that can fit nicely in the outside pocket of a backpack. Bookended by quotes from John Muir, this handy volume gives you essential information for hiking, backpacking, cross country skiing, mountain biking, fishing, kayaking, rafting, horseback riding, camping, wildflower sighting, etc. etc. The heart of the book is the excellent, clear trailhead descriptions with good directions, advice, elevations, difficulties, maps, and so forth. In addition you can find driving tours, information on local flora and fauna, resource links to regional services and sights and events, fascinating historical background on this unique area, and even a campside cookbook. My favorite parts of Alpine Trailblazer, however, are the hilarious Glossary to Understanding Alpine Culture and Customs (Example: "Sign of summer: snow shovels are off the porches.") and the witty and wise :"Free Hiking Advice and Opinion." However, the best part of the guidebook is its practicality, usefulness, and abundance of information. If only all guidebooks had this combination of practicality and quality!
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Summary: Hiking Buddy
Review: I didn't think places like this existed anymore. I come up to the Sierra a couple weekends a month and have barely scratched the surface. This guide lists all the main trails plus scads of other places only locals know about, like Poor Boy and Thornburg canyons just outside of Markleeville. The authors really know their stuff. For cross country routes I take along a USGS topo map but have found that most of the trails are well marked and coincide with the authors descriptions. Alpine Trailblazer is my faithful hiking buddy.
Rating:
Summary: A Reliable Companion
Review: I had never been to the eastern side of the Sierra before. With this book as my guide I crisscrossed the Pacific Crest Trail and camped the wild remote areas only these authors know. The possibilities they offer of things there are to do between Yosemite and Lake Tahoe are mind boggling. Especially noteworthy were Mono Lake and the Yosemite hikes. This book makes for a never ending summer
Rating: 
Summary: alpine trailblazer review
Review: I purchased this book based on the reader reviews of 5 stars.
I was very disappointed in the book. Number 1 fault...NO MAPS.
Not even a rough drawing of any trails. I'm a map freak when it comes to hiking. Trail descriptions were sketchy and vague.
This book is fine if your looking for brief overviews of areas to hike, bike and kayak. But, if your even a moderate hiker or backpacker, this book won't cut the mustard for all the information that you'll need for a good and safe hike.
I've ordered a few Falcon Book hiking guides from amazon.com, and have used them on several hikes. The info and trail descriptions are very good with moderatly detailed maps for each hike.
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Summary: Solitude and Trout
Review: I stumbled on this book in a resort giftshop near Tahoe. For me it opened up a sleepy area in California that still remains untouched by malls and freeways. The book contains alot of challenging bike rides and the hikes took me into the heart of wilderness and trout heaven. I'm looking forward to putting it to the test when snow falls. Most of all, its well organized and written by locals who convey their special sense of place.
Rating:
Summary: An Insider's Bible
Review: I'm a cross country skier and avid hiker. I had never been to the Eastern Sierra before and this book piqued my interest. All the trails listed were true to their descriptions. You can really get the flavor of the area from this book. It includes driving tours, fishing spots and tips on how to fit in like a local. It's fun to read and I definitely recommend buying it.
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Summary: From the California Division of Tourism
Review: Named among the top 3 "Good Reads" for the High Sierra by CALIFORNIA 2000, The Official State Visitor's Guide: My First Summer in the Sierra by John Muir; Yosemite & The Range of Light by Ansel Adams; Alpine Trailblazer by Jerry and Janine Sprout
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