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Rating: 
Summary: Helpful and organized
Review: I bought this to locate potential hikes near my home in Dana Point. I had hoped it would address the issue of bringing a dog along. Although the info is well organized and well written, there is never a single mention about hiking with a dog. Some areas permit this and others do not, so I feel this would have been a helpful addition. I have done only one of the hikes so far and it was accurately represented in this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Hikes, Great Fun, Not Enough Free Weekends!
Review: I've test-hiked 7 or 8 of Jerry's hikes. His descriptions and directions are quite accurate. Now I've only got 90-something left to go!I grew up in SoCal, and found it easy to get into a rut, always hiking in the same places, only during the summer. This book provides interesting hikes in the coastal foothills for the spring and autumn, hikes in the desert for the winter, and mountain hikes for the summer. His descriptions of the hikes allow the reader to match their adventure to their level of physical fitness. He includes enough information to determine how much water should be carried and even whether to bring the point-n-shoot camera or the 35mm SLR with a macro lens for wildflowers. Whether you're new to the area and want a few good hikes, or a long-time native looking to break out of a rut, this book is for you. (I even find it enjoyable armchair reading, the fantasies about being on the trail are fun!)
Rating:
Summary: The best of 'Afoot and Afield.'
Review: Jerry Schad is the author of numerous outdoor recreation guides among which are his popular 'Afoot and Afield' books for Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego counties. This book includes favorite hikes from all three of the previous guides, and a few others from Riverside and San Bernardino counties. What makes Schad's guides so terrific are the rating system he gives each hike (1-5 stars, based on difficulty) and the nice sketch maps he provides. Tables at the end of the book help one to easily locate a trails with varied physical features. Finally, like all Wilderness Press guides, this one is full of natural history and a fun read. If this book can be faulted at all, it is that it draws too much material from Schad's previous works. Relatively little space is devoted to the San Bernardino and San Jacinto ranges (5 hikes and 3 hikes respectively). Both of these areas deserve more detailed coverage. Perhaps Schad can be induced to write another book. Until then, this guide gives an excellent survey of some of the best hiking Southern California has to offer.
Rating:
Summary: The best of 'Afoot and Afield.'
Review: Jerry Schad is the author of numerous outdoor recreation guides among which are his popular 'Afoot and Afield' books for Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego counties. This book includes favorite hikes from all three of the previous guides, and a few others from Riverside and San Bernardino counties. What makes Schad's guides so terrific are the rating system he gives each hike (1-5 stars, based on difficulty) and the nice sketch maps he provides. Tables at the end of the book help one to easily locate a trails with varied physical features. Finally, like all Wilderness Press guides, this one is full of natural history and a fun read. If this book can be faulted at all, it is that it draws too much material from Schad's previous works. Relatively little space is devoted to the San Bernardino and San Jacinto ranges (5 hikes and 3 hikes respectively). Both of these areas deserve more detailed coverage. Perhaps Schad can be induced to write another book. Until then, this guide gives an excellent survey of some of the best hiking Southern California has to offer.
Rating:
Summary: This is the ultimate hiking book for southern California.
Review: Jerry Schad knew what he was doing when he wrote this book. He introduces a number of trails that are both well known and some trails that are more hidden. He answers every question you can possibly have about each trail. They are rated and described in detail so any hiker of any level can find the "right" hike. The next best thing to actually hiking the trail is to read about it. His beautiful descriptive review of each trail is capturing and his careful attention to details of each hike is a definite plus. He didn't miss a thing in this book. Read it! It's definitely worth buying!
Rating:
Summary: Schad's book is the bible for the so. cal trekker.
Review: My wife and I lived in LA for a few years. Along the way we happened upon 101 hikes, and it changed our lives. Schad's (or Jerry as we called him) writing is descriptive, eloquent, and full of excellent advice for the casual and professional hiker. We loved San Jacinto Peak, Mt Baden Powell, and Paradise Cove...be careful of the Pothole...neglect has made this trail nonnegotiable for the average outdoor lover. In our estimation 101 Hikes belongs next to a So. Cal resident's Thomas Guide. (We have 61 left!!!, thanks Jerry)
Rating:
Summary: A must-have for California hikers
Review: This is a good hiking book to have along with the Robinson California hiking bibles. Jerry Schad is an experienced hiker who has done all the hikes described within the text. He has a nice little ranking system for each journey, from ranges from one star for easy treks and 4 stars for the strenuous ones. I do think his ranking system is just a trifle soft. Some of the hikes that get 4 stars aren't really that difficult, nor do they have exceptional elevation gains. But this is a minor criticism. The maps are OK, nothing exceptional, but he does adequately describe how to drive to each trailhead. As all hikers know, this can make or break a hike, especially ones you've never before attempted. Schad does a good job in getting you to the trailhead with the least amount of hassle. There is an over-abundance of hikes in the Santa Monica and Santa Ana mountains and not a particular emphasis on the better hiking adventures in the San Bernardino wilderness areas. His descriptions of two classic Southern California hikes are both flawed, however: the venerable San Gorgonio is described only from the Vivian Creek trailhead and (a more egregious omission)- the Mt. Baldy hike is described only from the ski lift way. The other approaches to Baldy are much superior, but are omited. This is a curious error. All in all, a good book and one which every hiker in the L.A. area should own.
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