60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Phoenix: Including Tempe, Scottsdale, and Glendale Paperback Author: Visit Amazon's Charles Liu Page | Language: English | ISBN:
0897326881 | Format: PDF, EPUB
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Review
“Liu leads hikers and walkers through a diverse collection of superb trails perfect for hikers of all experience levels.” – NorthCentralNews.net
About the Author
Charles Liu immigrated to the United States from China in 1980. Spending his formative years attending Arizona State University, he grew increasingly fond of the Grand Canyon State's diverse outdoor offerings. Hiking quickly became his passion. Now a software engineer by trade, Charles spends much of his spare time exploring mountains, leading hiking trips, photographing and writing about trails around Arizona and throughout the Southwest.
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Books with free ebook downloads available Download 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Phoenix: Including Tempe, Scottsdale, and Glendale
- Series: 60 Hikes within 60 Miles
- Paperback: 262 pages
- Publisher: Menasha Ridge Press; Second Edition edition (January 13, 2009)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0897326881
- ISBN-13: 978-0897326889
- Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
The first time I climbed Camelback Mountain via the Echo Canyon trail I came to a new understanding of the word "steep." The trail rises in excess of 1,000 feet per mile and that includes a relatively level section. But Camelback Peak is hardly alone among the rigorous hikes and climbs in the Phoenix area. Many of the trails in the Phoenix Mountains are incredibly steep with no shade and few convenient rest spots. However, they also offer stellar views of the Valley of the Sun and some of the best off season recreation in the western US. They are also covered in detail in Charles Liu's new addition to the '60 Hikes within 60 miles' series from Menasha Ridge Press.
Like other books in the series, this volume has a lot to recommend it. It includes a useful introduction on the basics of hiking and how to use a GPS unit. Hikes are organized by geographical region (within Phoenix, suburbs, and areas to the northeast and northwest, as well as south of the city) and each hike contains key "at-a-glance" information such as distance, elevation, approximate hiking time, and, relatively unique to Phoenix, how many quarts of water you will need if you wish to survive the experience. I might add here that some of the information can be redundant. Under the heading "exposure" virtually every hike lists shade as "none" or "very little." Liu deserves a lot of credit for his careful maps that accompany the trail descriptions. These were recorded by hand-held GPS and plotted onto downloaded topographical maps. Based on the trails I have hiked that are described in this book, these maps are excellent.
In all, this is a great book if you are a Phoenix resident or regular visitor seeking hikes in the off season. (I fall into the latter category.
Have you ever purchased a guide and found yourself wondering if the author actually visited the site, and if he did, why he didn't provide more information? That will not be your experience with this book, 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Phoenix. The author, Charles Liu, gives a wealth of information for each hike with detailed maps, charts showing the elevation gain/loss, key at-a-glance trail info, GPS coordinates, and more. Each trail is described "In Brief" with a sentence or two, then expanded upon in usually 2+ pages of well-written prose, describing every aspect of the hike. Most descriptions also feature a black and white photo of the trail, scenery, or a unique feature of the hike. Each hike's description ends with a paragraph of describing additional nearby activities.
Included in the book's 20+ pages of introductions and prefaces, there are particularly useful lists that make it easy to find the kind of hike one might be looking for. Want a scenic, solitary hike that is 4-6 miles, on a multi-use trail by a stream? Try the Vineyard Trail. Or a 1-3 mile flat dog-friendly trail that is good for viewing wildlife and ends in a swimming hole? Try the Badger Springs Wash Trail. Or a scenic, solitary high-altitude 9+ mile steep hike alongside a stream? Try Reavis Ranch via Rogers Trough Trailhead. Also charted are hikes with scrambling or climbing, those with archaeological ruins, those best for children, hikes best for wildflowers, those for regular workouts and hikes for runners.
The book ends with a short-but-useful appendix section, listing where to locally find hiking supplies, maps, and hiking clubs, and a glossary of both general hiking terms and ones that might be fairly particular to Arizona (like hoodoo and javelina).
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