Robert Stone Books

Like some of the other reviews have said, this is not a fancy book. However, it does have some great hikes. There are no color pictures or major details, but the basics are there. The mileage, elevation, driving directions, hiking directions and map are all given. I recently moved to this area and bought the book. So far it has been great. I recommend it.

This is not a horrible book, but its not a great book either. The book looks and feels like the publisher had some cost constraints he put himself under.

Pros: 1. There were some hikes under here that I would not have though of. 2. The maps, with one major exception ( which is listed in my list of cons ) seems to be pretty professionally done. There was nothing hand scribbled here.

Cons: 1. Maps - there is a little compass on each that shows where North is pointing. Sometimes north is pointed up, but a lot of times it isn't. This one of the items that says the publisher was cutting costs, and it really shows 2. There was nothing in the different hike descriptions that got me excited about that hike. 3. No pictures - another case of the publisher cutting costs.

We bought this book to take with us on our week long, mostly driving, tour of the middle California coast. We ended up taking about six of the shorter hikes listed. All were wonderful. Honestly, we never would have found most without this book. Apparently no one else would either because we were alone on five of the hikes. The information presented is clear and accurate. We had no trouble finding the trails and they were as advertised in the book. This was a great addition to our resource library for the trip. Highly recommended, at least for the casual traveler/hiker.

Focusing on the Santa Monica mountains and Griffith Park, this book contains a number of very nice short hikes. For longer hikes or hikes in a larger variety of areas, I'd suggest Afoot and Afield in Los Angeles County.

One very nice feature of this book is the simpliflied map which accompanies each hike. Each hike's map is zoomed in to cover only the area of interest, with important landmarks identified. I did find one small mistake on one of the maps, but it was easy enough to figure out what was intended.

The descriptions of the hikes are very brief, and there isn't any detailed information about what to look out for, but all of the hikes go to very interesting places. Again, the book Afoot and Afield in Los Angeles County can fill in many gaps, as that book lacks the nice maps, but has great descriptions of many of the hikes in this book. I recommend buying both. Read the long descriptions in the bigger book, then carry this book with you on the trail as it has more useful maps.

"Day Hikes Around Los Angeles" is a great place to start exploring L.A., especially if you're new to the area and not a regular hiker. The book gives decent directions on where the trails begin (but bring along your Thomas Guide for backup), and provides a generous estimate on the length of time you'll need to complete the hike. Most of the hikes are short -- a couple hours or less. If you're a more experienced hiker, or you're interested in doing hikes that last a whole day, check out "Afoot and Afield in Los Angeles" instead. But beginners or those who just have a few hours to spare will prefer "Day Hikes." If you do all the hikes in the book, you'll get a great feel for the L.A. area -- and you'll be able to say, without hesitation, that it's one of the prettiest areas in the U.S. And you'll have the pictures to prove it.

New in town? Don't know where to go to get away for a day?
This is the most economical way to get started, with 45 suggestions for hikes that are mostly in the Santa Monicas (a lot of these are in Malibu), state parks and wilderness areas, and even a few smack dab in the metro area (including the Venice canals and Runyan Canyon, right in Hollywood).

Each hike includes location, some directions to the trailhead, and a very loose map to show the routes suggested by Stone.

A reality check is very important with respect to the maps and the directions (especially distances). Landmarks change and in a couple of cases the distances are either mistakes or typographical errors. The maps are sketchy, and do not always accurately reflect the side trails you may find or their names.

Stone also does not describe very much of what you will find, leaving most of that up to you. Tuck the book in your pack, or leave it in the car, and explore.

This is a wonderful book. It is filled with great stories backed up with referances about Hancock Co.(surrounding counties too) and those who helped make it what it is today. Great for geneology work too.

Nothing against Mr.Ambrose,but this book is filled with mistakes.There are books published locally that are better researched.When speaking about the the movie filmed here"This Property is Condemned",he couldn't even get the name right.The book is written in such a way that one can tell that research was lacking.Save your money and do your own research.

This historical volume has been extremely well-researched, well-documented, and well-written. It is an excellent resource for history aficionados, especially those with a focus on Mississippi and Louisiana. It describes the people, places, and events that shaped Hancock County, Mississippi -- on the Gulf Coast -- from prehistoric times to the present.

There are countless interesting (and very descriptive) stories contained in the book; the author's writing style makes you feel like you were there -- this isn't just a "dry" history book. The people and places really come alive through the well-chosen words.

After reading the book and then visiting Mississippi and Hancock County for the first time, I felt like I was already in familiar territory!

Many people who routinely hike in Yosemite inexplicably ignore her lesser known sister park to the South: majestic Sequoia. I have hiked in both parks for 15 years and Sequoia is an outstanding National Park, particularly for serious hikers seeking a challenge. Yosemite's Half Dome remains one of the most beautiful and "must do" hikes in California, but Alta Peak in Sequoia is comparable and its beauty is sheer majesty. You can get greater elevations in Sequoia and the alpine terrain, especially in the early summer, will remind you of Switzerland.

This Guidebook is exceptionally useful and small enough to carry with you in your pack as you hike. The maps are detailed, as are the driving directions to each trailhead. The descriptions of each hike are concise, yet sufficiently detailed to give you the feel of each hike before you attempt it. There is little superfluous information, which is a frequent complaint of other hiking books.

If you have never visited or hiked in Sequoia, you're in for the unexpected treat of a lifetime. The park is incomparably lovely and the hiking is among the best in the Western states. This guidebook will help you discover the wonders of this underrated National Park. One caveat: this book only deals with short hikes, suitable for people with a family. Don't expect anything over 5-6 miles.

I just got back from a week in Sequoia/Kings Canyon.

I'm a fan of FalconGuides. The problem with FalconGuides is that they try to be everything to everyone. They include many more hikes, but several of them are "shuttle hikes," which require traveling with non-hikers or using multiple cars. If you're a fan of the shuttle hike, stay with Falcon. Then again, I doubt we will ever see the publication of a trail guide devoted to shuttle hikes. "Great Shuttle Hikes of the Rocky Mountains"? Don't look for it on Amazon!

Anyway, author Stone sticks to hikes that can be done by day hikers. No 45-mile, 9-day pack trips. Again, if that's what you're hoping for, Falcon is your guide. But if you're looking for a nice walk in the wilderness, Stone's got that covered. And there are a number of 6-mile or longer hikes. I hiked to Mist Falls (9 miles round trip).

That said, this volume is in serious need of an update. The General Sherman Tree area has been completely redesigned and now requires a significant walk. The Congress Trail is also farther from easy access than it once was. And the Kings Canyon entrance station has been moved away from a "dangerous tree" into the Big Stump parking lot. So for now, there's no parking for the Big Stump, Hitchcock Meadows, Viola Falls trails. Stone might also consider a description of the trail to Crystal Caves.

This is the book I took on the trail. (The FalconGuide was used, but it stayed at the lodge.)

This is a well organized guide for the traveler who wants to step away from the sand and crowds of Waikiki. The author gives you vital information on 22 different hikes around the island including Diamond Head. All of the hikes are easy to moderate, even for a 75 year old grandmother. One trail described has been closed indefinitely since the book was published (Sacred Falls) due to several deaths caused by flash flooding--therefore readers and hikers should exercise due caution when hiking on Oahu. Each description covers the hiking distance, hiking time, elevation gain, and appropriate topographic map (although you won't need it). There are paragraph hike summaries and directions for getting to the trailhead and navigating the trail itself. In some cases there are maps too, but these are useless without scale or compass orientation. If you want to hike on Oahu this is the guide for you!

We have another hiking book for Oahu but found many of the hikes to be too long and too challenging to do with young children so I bought this one. I am very happy with it. All of the hikes/walks are pretty short. Long enough to get out and get some exercise but not too long. The book lists hikes throughout the entire island-I think there is good variety. Some of them are just simple beach walks that you may not have thought of on your own. There are a few serious hikes but if you are a serious hiker I'd get a different book. It has great directions and explanations for the hikes. This would be a great book if you are planning on traveling to Oahu and don't want to hang out on the beach all day, every day. The two very small negatives are it doesn't have the difficulty rating for each hike, but I imagine they are almost all beginning to intermediate. The other is it lists a hike that has been closed by the government for over a year now and it doesn't look like it will open any time soon. I would prefer the author replace that with another hike. Enjoy!

I live in Morro Bay, CA, in San Luis Obispo County, and have undertaken to walk every trail in the immediate area. Robert B. Stone's "Day Hikes in San Luis Obispo County" is absolutely the best book I've run across for this purpose. The local Sierra Club's trail guide book, while perhaps more detailed, does not have the clear maps, and concise hike summaries... the how-to-get-theres, and hiking directions. Each hike is laid out on two facing pages, so you could photocopy (fair use I'd think) it on one 8 1/2 x11 " page to take with you on each hike.

I'm a fan of Robert Stone's guides because they are concise, well-written and give great driving descriptions to the trailheads. This is another fine hiking guide, though the treks do tend to favor the beginning hiker. There are few strenuous jaunts listed here, so if you're an experiencer hiker looking for some challenges, either hike someplace else or choose another guide. San Luis Obispo offers some stunning vistas, both mountain and ocean variety. This is the best guide for this areas and its environs, a first-class guide to a magnificent area.

Este es un libro que todos debemos leer. Si quieres que tu vida sea mejor y mejor, solo leelo y me entenderas.

an excellent method for getting better and better.Silva's method is accurate,plausible and many people have learned a lot about guiding their lives in a better way for being happier.

This book is a reliable resource for fun hikes near Ventura. I've done some of the beach and mountain hikes and have enjoyed them all. The hikes are presented as day hikes, but the author conveniently notes when hikes may be strung together, making for either a longer day hike or an overnight trip. All of the hikes I've done from this book have had excellent vistas.

I'd like to note that Hike 28 hasn't existed since the major rainstorms of early 2005 (a co-worker tried to go there last week and was turned away by the ranger), but it is still included in this and other California hiking books.

My one caveat to others regarding this author is that I never agree with his listed hiking times. I'm usually regarded by my hiking buddies as an average or fast hiker, but I also like to stop for water breaks on a warm sunny days. If you plan to stop for water, admire the scenery, hike with children, or do anything else that might slow you down, you should add at least an hour onto the hiking times provided in this book.

This book lists 72 day hikes in Grand Teton National Park. This is probably a bit excessive -- are you really going to take 72 day hikes unless you live there? In addition, some of them are really just variants of one another that you could figure out yourself with a map. (The Bradley and Taggart Lakes loops, for example, as do the Willow Flats hikes between Jackson Lake Lodge and Colter Bay Village.)

The hikes are well organized by region. The book includes a separate map for each hike showing trails, cutoffs, local roads and other landmarks. Unlike the Falcon guides, there is no information about elevations on the maps.

The information is good but not abundant. Most trails get only a single page of text, and the hiking directions are only a paragraph or so. Obviously this is necessary to cover the number of hikes in the book. Armchair planners will be frustrated, however, as there is not enough trailside information to help you decide which hikes you would find most interesting.

I'd recommend Schneider's book instead (see all my reviews).

This is a good book for what it is: a collection of 16, mostly short, hikes in and around Steamboat Springs, Colorado. It is great for someone who intends to vacation in lovely Steamboat, or who is new to the town and/or hiking. The directions are clear, and the maps are quite good (accurate and simple enough to orient you well for the hike). As an added bonus, there are quite a few full-color pictures of the area.

This is NOT for someone who wants difficult hikes and/or who is already somewhat familiar with hiking at Steamboat. However, it is a great "starter" which will familiarize you to the hiking alternatives in the area.