Pleasant Urban Walks

books:

	• 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Los Angeles: Including San Bernardino, Pasadena, and Oxnard (60 Hikes - Menasha ... Laura Randall Menasha Ridge Press, 2006 - 256 pages average customer review:based on 1 review view larger image
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Pleasant Urban Walks

Like other books in the 60 hikes in 60 miles series, this book introduces readers to pleasant outings within easy reach of a major metropolitan area, in this case Los Angeles. Prospective Amazon buyers should be aware that the subtitle of the book on the Amazon page is not accurate. It should read "Including San Gabriel, Ventura, and Orange Counties" not San Bernardino and Oxnard. These hikes really are close to the city.

The hikes are also, for the most part, fairly short. Distances range from 1 to 6 miles, but the vast bulk of the walks described are from 2 to 4 miles in length. These are trips you could take before or after work and still have time to squeeze in dinner or a movie. A few of the hikes described will have a genuine wilderness feel to them. The Grotto trail in the Santa Monica Mountains and Arroyo Seco Canyon outside Passadena are examples of such walks. Others are very urban. The Rose Bowl Loop and Duarte Recreational Trail are city walks. Most of the hikes fall somewhere in between. The nature trail at Descanso Gardens seems fairly typical of the offerings Ms. Randall gives her readers.

This is a decent book, but LA has more genuine wilderness near it than this book suggests. Many spectacular hikes in the San Gabriel Mountains are not included despite being very close to LA. In other cases, Ms. Randall's focus on shorter walks has prevented her from listing some truly outstanding adventures. For example, she directs readers to the loop trail through the Devils Punchbowl, a 1.2 mile walk. But the same trailhead also has a wonderful hike to the Devil's Chair, a prominent overlook from which to survey the entire region. This 7 mile hike has it all: spectacular views, a stunning pine forest right at the edge of the high dessert/mountain transition zone, and a serious workout. It is also not mentioned in this book. So, if you are looking for pleasant walks in and around LA, by all means get this guide. It is well written and offers several nice outings. Readers looking for longer hikes and less of an urban setting will want to invest in Ann Marie Brown and Julie Shear's 'Take a Hike LA' or the very comprehensive 'Afoot and Afield in Los Angeles' by Jerry Schad.

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With time and health at a premium, the four million residents of Los Angeles finally have an easy-to-use guide to hikes and walks in their own backyard. From Long Beach on the coast to the Cleveland National Forest to the south and Ojai to the north, 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Los Angeles details the best area hikes, encouraging even the most time-starved hikers and walkers to get on the trails and get healthy.