60 Hikes within 60 Miles: San Francisco

Rating:
Summary: A handy outdoors travel guide for San Francisco visitors
Review: Compiled by Jane Huber, 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: San Francisco (Including Santa Rosa, Oakland, And San Jose) is a handy outdoors travel guide for San Francisco visitors and residents alike. Trail-descriptions, GPS-based trail maps, trail profiles, extensive directions, and hikes for everyone from kids to dog owners to wildflower spotters, hikes of varying lengths and difficulties and more pack this excellent, fact-filled, detailed, highly recommended, specialized, California-based hiking guide.

Rating:
Summary: A Letdown
Review: I found this guide weak on directions for finding the trailhead which counts for hours of lost time if you only have a weekend to go out hiking around here. I've checked the author's website and find it more useful than the book because it's easier to follow.

Rating:
Summary: Why buy this instead of just logging onto bahiker?
Review: I love Jane Huber's website, bahiker.com, so I wondered what this book could possibly add. It turns out that it's an excellent complement to the site. For one thing, it recommends some hikes, so if you want a short hike, or a strenuous one, or one in the redwoods, you can quickly find one. Each hike also has an elevation map (which would be hard to put on the website, much less download from it. And of course, each hike has Huber's descriptions, so you know what you can expect (so if it's a place with snakes or poisonous plants, you know you must wear long pants). It covers a wide territory, and only has room for 60 hikes, so if you do all your hiking within a few miles of your home, this book isn't for you. If you're like me, however, and you like variety (sometimes you want to have a great view, other times, you prefer a cooler hike by the coast), this is an excellent resource.

Rating:
Summary: For any who would plan a trip with a minimum of time
Review: This outlines trails and hiking opportunities within driving distance of San Francisco: each hike receives a trail description, map, profiles to help understand altitude gain and loss, and directions to trailheads. The 'at-a-glance' and 'in brief' color coded pages offer quick reference to any who would plan a trip with a minimum of time.