Best Hikes of the Trinity Alps

Rating:
Summary: Funny and well organized
Review: I only get to hike in the Trinity alps once a year, usuallyin August, and this is one of my favorite guides. Heck, I even read it in the dead of winter because it's so entertaining and well written. Bernstein has a keen sense of humor and an eye for the ridiculous and you'll find yourself laughing aloud at some of his more pithy commentary. There are a number of hiking guides relating to this region of California, but few that exceed this one in entertainment value alone. It's small enough to carry in your back, but meaty enough to read in your Lazy Boy in front of the fire.

I've traveled all over the world and one of the most beautiful natural settings I've seen is the Trinity alps. The mountains, the vegetation, flowers and mild summer climate make this a unique paradise. Hiking here is a sublime experience! If you're a dedicated hiker and have missed these mountains, please try and remedy this. You'll spend some of the best hours of your life hiking in this incredible place.

If you're a beginner, there are plenty of short treks for you, mostly clustered in the first one-third of the book. There are also a dozen moderate hikes and quite a few trail descriptions for streunous jaunts, all of these in the mountain areas. The descriptions of each trail is quite good and the driving desriptions to the trailheads is adequate (I haven't gotten lost yet from following their directions). I recommend this guide for everyone fortunate to hike in this beautiful locale.

Rating:
Summary: A good resource.
Review: Okay, here it is: if you're actually planning to get out and thoroughly explore the Trinity Alps, you want the most complete source of information, and refuse to buy more than one book, check out Wayne Moss's "The Trinity Alps Companion" instead. It's better organized, and more detailed in its road and trail descriptions. However, if you're like me, and enjoy "armchair hiking" almost as much as the real thing, you should really grab Mr. Bernstein's volume as well. Why, you say? Well, while Art's trail guide ain't perfect, it's more fun to read. His waggish sense of humor and eye for interesting if somewhat obscure facts (deer is the only native source of kosher food in the Alps, for example) spice up the trail narratives nicely. What the heck, if cost isn't an obstacle, buy both Moss's and Bernstein's guides. They complement each other nicely.