Beyond Mount Si: The Best Hikes Within 85 Miles of Seattle

Rating:
Summary: great hikes / well written / good directions
Review: best hiking book I've come across for near-seattle hikes.

this book has -good- driving directions (and GPS coordinates). along the lines of "go north off exit #34 for 1.7 miles - trailhead is on your left" - I have never gotten lost trying to find a trailhead in this book.

a lot of the hiking books I've come across are written by well-intended old farts who know the area like the back of their hand. unfortunately they assume you also know where you are going and leave out detailed directions. I sometimes suspect they have a secret agenda of trying to prevent too many people from actually finding the trailhead.

nice selection of hikes - some of which are 30 minutes from downtown - others a bit further away. all of them are within a few hours drive.

Rating:
Summary: Great trails
Review: Finally a comprehensive guide book for a variety of hikes close to the Seattle area - previously hikes around the area have been scattered through various guide books, some good, some not so good. This is a good one! The driving directions and hike maps are easy to follow and very informative. Each map stands alone with its own micro-legend. The rating system and elevation profiles provide a good starting point. There are gps coordinates for each hike for folks that know what to do with that info and for those who are just learning. Indicating which hikes are appropriate for children also helps in the selection process. This is a great book for sitting in a cafe on Saturday morning trying to figure out where to go for the day.

Rating:
Summary: Great for anyone
Review: My husband and I just moved here from California and we are both just getting to know the area here in Seattle, so this book has been great! The rating system is really excellent as well as the descriptions, maps, and driving directions. There are plenty of options near and far from the city and of all different hiking levels.

Rating:
Summary: day hikers of all skill levels will enjoy this book
Review: Simply stated, the book offers hikers of any caliber a great selection of day-hiking opportunities close to the Seattle area. I was in Seattle for a summer and bought this book from a used-book shop for a dollar... one of the best purchases I have ever made. I gave it away when I left, and now that I'm about to return, I'm going to buy this book again.

Throughout the summer, I took about 12 distinct hikes from the book. Sometimes I went solo to move at a faster pace and start early in the morning, and other times I used it as a guide for selecting a hike for a group of not-exactly-in-shape people. The directions to the trail heads are excellent, although occasionally misleading about the road conditions... but if you have an SUV and not a cavalier or escort like I have, this won't be an issue for you. Never once did I get lost travelling to a hike.

Moreover, I never once got lost on any trail. Washington state doesn't seem to label anything, unlike many trails in the East. But the small maps were enough to get me through all of the trails that I travelled, and the descriptions about the tricky points in the trails were a huge bonus. You might consider richer topographical maps just to be safe, but I was able to get through with little problem. I also really like the visualizations of the elevation changes so I have a good idea of what I'm in for climbing-wise. Also, the descriptions of times to hike (i.e. when the snow has melted) were great for someone from the East who usually doesn't see snow in the mountains past April.

In short, an excellent guide to a great many hikes near Seattle. It's a no-brainer for avid or occasional day-hikers alike.

NOTE: If you're looking for guides to hikes near Olympic park, this is *not* the book for you. All hikes are north, east, and south of Seattle... there are no hikes listed to the west.

Rating:
Summary: In a word: maps!
Review: Zilly is not just an outdoors geek. He is a great writer. His descriptions are user-friendly (I especially love how he signals a tough stretch with an "oof!" and a confusing fork with a "whoa!"). And the trails he's chosen offer great variety--I usually hit the trail in spring with the easier ones then graduate to the tougher ones in early fall. But the best part, I think, are the maps. They're simple, use recognizable icons and also offer an elevation cross-section, so you can visualize the elevation gain (or lack thereof). I buy all my new-to-town friends this book and they love it too.