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Rating: 
Summary: The Only O`ahu Hiking Book You Need
Review: I won a copy of the first edition of this book in a contest in 1994, and since then it has helped me find dozens of beautiful and enjoyable trails. For example, one of the trails we found was a great hike in Wahiawa through the back country of an Army training base. As the author suggested, we wrote to the commander and we got permission to do this hike that rambles over hills and across streams, and all at the cool elevation of Wahiawa. Some of the highlights of the book include great descriptions of the flora along the trail, reproductions of topo maps for each hike that show you the pitch of the trail(although you should probably get the real topo if you plan to get lost), clear route descriptions that show that the author has been on these trails many times, and a wonderful layout. It is the best hiking book I have ever read (although I've probably only read about a dozen). It is without equal among O`ahu hiking books. I just bought the second edition, and if possible, it's even better than the first one.
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Summary: Don't hike O'ahu without it
Review: Most people never hear of the great hikes available on the island of O'ahu, but I thought that if I were going to live there I would need a few more hikes than the "Famous Sacred Falls" hike that all of the tourist hike. I set out to borrow a few hiking books and try the hikes that they listed...Stuart M. Ball's book beat all of the others easily. I had no trouble finding the trailheads, the hikes were rated along lines that I agree with, seasonal variations are taken into account, and markers are clearly identified...although you may want to familiarize yourself with exactly what an Ironwood tree and Australian tea plants are before you try to use them as points of reference. This book has now traveled with me from the gulches of the Windward coast to the highest point of O'ahu...Mt. Ka'ala, and I've made it back everytime so far too. If you're going to spend any time on the island of O'ahu and want to get out and do some hiking then forget all the other books and get this one...it is obviously written by someone that has been there and done that.
Rating:
Summary: A book for all ages, skill levels, and adventurers on Oahu!
Review: Simple: this is the best hiking book ever published regarding trails on Oahu. How do I know? Not only have I used it, I've hiked a couple of times with the author and watched him take notes. An experienced hiker with over 20 years in these mountains, Stuart Ball knows what he's talking about and describes the trails with detail, map, and comment. I've seen the other books on the market - this is by far the BEST reference for hiking on Oahu. Ask anyone you find on these trails - they might just produce a copy from their backpacks!
Rating:
Summary: A must-have if you plan to hike on the island of Oahu.
Review: Stuart Ball's book is an excellent resource for anyoneplanning to hike on Oahu. In fact, it has been in mybackpack on most hikes I've been on. Great info on how to get to the trailhead, the length and level of difficulty of the hike, and insights about what to see and expect when you're on a particular trail. The best Hawaii-based book I've read.
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Summary: Varied but difficult hikes!
Review: This book has taken us thorugh tropical rain forests, dense valleys, and sun-parched craters. The variety of hikes is wonderful. There is something for everyone in here, well, everyone except the beginner hiker. It seems even beginning hikes in the book are a bit challenging. This is because Oahu has such a varity of terrain. However, if you are looking to take a relaxing stroll through the woods this book will be of no use to you. We have children so we only do the novice hikes and even those are challenging, but fun and dirty! This is probalby for more serious hikers and some of the hikes mentioned are 12 miles long! That takes a long time in Oahu's terrain! The author always write in interesting tidbits of info in his hike description which I like. Things such as the where the strawberry guava trees are, where the WWII tunnel is, etc...The one negative to this book is that many of the hikes the author writes about are closed to the public and you have to write for permission to hike them. To me, this is a pain and I am not organized enough to plan ahead and do this. If you are better organized than I, I am sure you would enjoy them. We are just a bit more spontaneous. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Varied but difficult hikes!
Review: This book has taken us thorugh tropical rain forests, dense valleys, and sun-parched craters. The variety of hikes is wonderful. There is something for everyone in here, well, everyone except the beginner hiker. It seems even beginning hikes in the book are a bit challenging. This is because Oahu has such a varity of terrain. However, if you are looking to take a relaxing stroll through the woods this book will be of no use to you. We have children so we only do the novice hikes and even those are challenging, but fun and dirty! This is probalby for more serious hikers and some of the hikes mentioned are 12 miles long! That takes a long time in Oahu's terrain! The author always write in interesting tidbits of info in his hike description which I like. Things such as the where the strawberry guava trees are, where the WWII tunnel is, etc...The one negative to this book is that many of the hikes the author writes about are closed to the public and you have to write for permission to hike them. To me, this is a pain and I am not organized enough to plan ahead and do this. If you are better organized than I, I am sure you would enjoy them. We are just a bit more spontaneous. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: good book but outdated
Review: this is a great hiking guide but please keep in mind the published date; it's quite old by now and as such, the detailed hiking descriptions are sorely in need of an update. thus, please be careful when using the guide as a reference, as you could end up getting lost. getting an opinion from local hikers would be your best bet.
Rating: 
Summary: Wait for a more updated edition
Review: We bought this book for our recent week-long visit back home to Oahu and were tremendously disappointed. We tried three different hikes from the book, but we would have probably been better off leaving it at home. The hike descriptions lack some essential information like the estimated time of travel and how long and how far each section of the hike takes. Not only that, because the book was published in 1993, much of the information was outdated. For example, directions to the hikes had been changed because of things such as street reconfigurations and natural trail deterioration. The only good thing that this book offered was the name and approximate location of the hike. Our advice: If you want to have a pleasant and SAFE hike, buy another book.
Rating:
Summary: The only book you need!
Review: Working as an outdoor guide in Hawaii for a summer gave me a chance to discover the island of Oahu. It also helped me realize the that is the ONLY guide to hiking on Oahu that is worth buying. Not only do you get VERY accurate trail descriptions, you also get driving directions, directions from TheBus and information on flora and fauna in the area. I dare you to try and get lost!
Rating:
Summary: The only book you need!
Review: Working as an outdoor guide in Hawaii for a summer gave me a chance to discover the island of Oahu. It also helped me realize the that is the ONLY guide to hiking on Oahu that is worth buying. Not only do you get VERY accurate trail descriptions, you also get driving directions, directions from TheBus and information on flora and fauna in the area. I dare you to try and get lost!
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