Yosemite: Hiker's Guide to the High Sierra: The Valley and Surrounding Uplands (High Sierra Hiking Guide)

Rating:
Summary: Excellent and inexpensive
Review: The most enjoyable hours of my life have been spent hiking in Yosemite and this inexpensive little guide is absolutely indispensible for the novice or experienced hiker.

The maps are detailed and will give you an excellent idea of what each hike is going to look like. I use it almost daily during hiking season and it helps in selecting hikes, planning them, reaching the trailhead and gauging whether a hike will be worthwhile. Each hike contains an accurate and fairly detailed description of the rigors of each trek. Occasionally I quibble with the author's ranking of a given hike, but usually he is on the mark.

A few cautionary notes: there are no photos in the book, and only general maps which introduce the hiker to each specific place. The descriptions of how to reach each trailhead are excellent, unless you have little experience with Yosemite.

My favorite part of the book is that the Touloume Meadows High Country area is not neglected, nor the great hikes around Hetch Hetchy. Equally detailed are the fantastic hikes on the Valley Floor. I use this guide when I do my summer hiking in Yosemite and can't reommend it enough. It's a no frills approach, but it's handy, convenient and weighs next to nothing.