Exploring the Southern Sierra: East Side

Rating:
Summary: Informative but cumbersome.
Review: In his brief life, Jim Jenkins mapped out much of the Southern Sierra, including the Pacific Crest Trail in the region, and wrote two detailed guidebooks. Since his death in 1979 at the age of 27 his mother, Ruby Jenkins, has continued his work and updated his books on the region.

This book is loaded with information on the geology, flora and fauna of the Southern Sierra. It also includes an excellent map of the region which is almost worth the price of the book. But the heart of the book is the descriptions of 150 trips in the Southern Sierra, and it is this part that is difficult to use. Unlike most guidebooks, trail descriptions and directions to the trailhead are in separate parts of the book. This necessitates a lot of flipping through the book. And, while the trips described by the book are broken down geographically, they are not separated by type. I would prefer to see climbs, drives, and bike routes in a separate section of the book than hikes. Still, this is the most comprehensive guide to the area, and very informative. Hopefully ease of use will improve in the next edition.

Rating:
Summary: Informative but cumbersome.
Review: In his brief life, Jim Jenkins mapped out much of the Southern Sierra, including the Pacific Crest Trail in the region, and wrote two detailed guidebooks. Since his death in 1979 at the age of 27 his mother, Ruby Jenkins, has continued his work and updated his books on the region.

This book is loaded with information on the geology, flora and fauna of the Southern Sierra. It also includes an excellent map of the region which is almost worth the price of the book. But the heart of the book is the descriptions of 150 trips in the Southern Sierra, and it is this part that is difficult to use. Unlike most guidebooks, trail descriptions and directions to the trailhead are in separate parts of the book. This necessitates a lot of flipping through the book. And, while the trips described by the book are broken down geographically, they are not separated by type. I would prefer to see climbs, drives, and bike routes in a separate section of the book than hikes. Still, this is the most comprehensive guide to the area, and very informative. Hopefully ease of use will improve in the next edition.