Review of Golden Gate Trailblazer: Where to Hike, Walk, Bike in San Francisco & Marin

Golden Gate Trailblazer: Where to Hike, Walk, Bike in San Francisco & Marin
Average Rating: 5.0 Total Reviews: 18
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Golden Gate Trailblazer goes the extra mile

On: 2008-10-09

I found this book mentioned on a northern California travelers blog and immediately went out and bought it for the family. Now that weve been using it for about a month its opened up a whole new world of mountain trails, parks and off-the-radar beaches like Tennessee Valley which is tucked away near Mill Valley.

While there are heaps of travel books on the San Francisco Bay Area, I find this one is better than all the others. It has a good mix of activities and is laid out really logically. If youre on a budget its a good fit since everything in it is free. Your own energy and curiousity is all thats needed. In addition to their long list of insider spots theyve added some California history, just enough to make the outing interesting. This book will never go out of style.

A balanced guide for exploring crown jewel of West Coast

On: 2008-09-19

Unlike other outdoor recreation guides for this area that solely write about one type of activity, this one is different, it offers three. Personally I like to mix biking and hiking up so it really suits my style and delivers all the information I could ever want.

Marin County and San Francisco have to be the most beautiful of all the places to get outside around here. I use this book as a trail finder mostly for dayhikes and coastal rides. Its unfussy and since the authors are natives and know the terrain so well, list plenty of places that are not on the postcards. The writing style is fresh and humor is interjected here in unsuspecting places. Its a unbelievable value for residents.

my discovery

On: 2008-09-10

Last June I became aware of this guide. I hadnt realized that some of the best hiking in the world is in my own backyard....Marin County and San Francisco.

The Golden Gate Trailblazer opens the doors to every trail in the area and even includes bike routes. On Friday evenings my husband and I read over the hikes we want to take on the weekend. So many are shorties and are wonderful outings for our 5 and 7 year olds. Theres a trail map for the Golden Gate Park as well as the San Francisco downtown and the design is very reader friendly. For anyone just visiting it makes for an ideal itinerary planner.

My walking and hiking guide recommendation

On: 2008-08-18

If you like getting outdoors for a walk or hike in San Fran or Marin and want to get advice from two Bay Area natives, get this guide. I recommend it for its thoroughness and presentation. For people like me who have just moved here, its worth every penny.

The authors style puts adventurers at ease as they dissect the complex world of city streets and highways that lead to the trailheads. Theres no trolling through pages of dense text. Its all broken up with pictures and maps and cleanly numbered trail lists and descriptions. Its by far the best Ive come across for this area.

Our SF Trip Planner

On: 2008-02-01

I would say its one of the most helpful travel books Ive ever bought. The detailed descriptions for family walks around San Francisco and through the Marin woods were especially good. Its organized. The writing style is colorful, direct, and amusing. Buy this book and you might want to buy a restaurant guide to to along with it. Going to California is now going to be a yearly ritual.Zagat 2008 San Francisco Restaurants

weekend getaway to an amazing place

On: 2006-08-02

A great resource and really user friendly. We loved the whole feel and layout. We parked the car in one spot and spent one entire day walking and hopping the cable cars. All the action is grouped so our time was well spent and car expenses kept to a minimum. Strongly recommended for a city fix.

excellent working travelguide

On: 2006-06-13

Our carcamping trip to the West Coast last month was a big success. Our first stop in the San Francisco Bay Area was Muir Woods where the Trailblazer untangled the trail system for us. Our Marin campsite was a perfect staging area for our daily outings.

This book is fully illustrated with photos and locater maps and theyve even included a little California history to spice it up. Clean graphics, well organized. You can dip in and out of the pages and get clued in on the fly. The route from Fishermans Wharf to the Golden Gate Bridge by bike provided beautiful views of the bay. For us an excellent way to see the area on a limited budget.

For Bay Area locals

On: 2006-05-02

We just discovered this great hiking book. Our weekend trips have been put on hold and were finding some pretty places along the Marin coastline to explore. Doubles as a tourist guide for our out-of-town friends. They look at the pictures and tell us where they want to go.

Theres alot of advice and information in here and its nicely arranged for reference. Chunky and spunky, good to go!

BIG

On: 2006-04-14

For us, this guide is our number one source for dayhiking around here. We bought it after seeing it on the shelves of our Marin REI. Its a total package with its photos, bulging content and honest appraisals of ALL our trails. Most of our terrain is on the rolling gentle side and the mountain trails are well marked once you get on them. We have two dogs and their "Doggie Trails" section has been well used. Its nice to know where the pups are welcome and can run free.

a big disappointment

On: 2006-04-05

I bought this book based on reviews on this site and others. The descriptions are better than average, but the maps are of poor quality. Sorry, but good maps are ESSENTIAL for hiking in unfamiliar places! Ive seen better maps of neighborhood walks in Frommers and other general-use guides, and the maps of the trails in the SF part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (specifically the Coastal Trail), which were what I bought the book for, were inadequate. From experience, it is not good when you are reduced to hiking with a book in one hand for the description of the trail, because if thats all you have, youll get turned around at some point. Im still looking for a better guidebook.

Living it up

On: 2005-12-16

This time we unroughed it at the Mountain Home Inn in Mill Valley and that way avoided all the traffic. We took some major beach hikes and went into San Francisco to a different restaurant every night. Our prime time on this coast is early winter. We do all our Christmas shopping in Point Reyes and Inverness. On previous visits we tooled around on our bikes. The maps are all you need and the mix of trails they put in here, extraordinary.

We recommend following

On: 2005-11-17

the bike trails in this book especially along the streets of the city and up on Mount Tamalpais. Topping our list was the ride across the Bridge to Sausalito. Then the route from Ocean Beach and out through the park to the Hall of Flowers. The book provided a nice culture buzz and full plate of walking options. We reserved our hotel and bikes using their recommenations in the back. The authors are from California and dont shortchange you on driving directions which youll definitely need if youre visiting for the first time.

A good book to own if you live in the Bay Area

On: 2005-10-12

Ive lived in San Francisco since 1995. It was a real shock when I first opened this book last week and found all the walks I was missing. Even though I consider myself a local by now I had never been to Alcatraz or Angel Island or Kirby Cove, a little beach right under the bridge that no one knows about. It even lists little out of the way places in Golden Gate Park, my stomping grounds for long runs after work. Where this book excels is its organization and straightforward presentation. It lays out all the cards in a nice simple style. And its pretty to look at.

Go see San Francisco

On: 2005-07-11

Our first trip to San Francisco in June was one of the best relaxing/invigorating vacations weve ever had. For almost three weeks we explored this city and only rented a car for the last three days to see the towns and coastal villages of Marin County. We were able to get around easily riding public buses and ferries. The maps in the book were very handy and well placed and only when we were downtown did we supplement with a detailed street map.

We took the shoreline hikes in the Presidio and took a day to walk the entire length of the Golden Gate Park. People watching from various sidewalk cafes was also a pastime. My boyfriend and I saw and learned more things about the area than most locals do in a lifetime. This book was our pennypinching friend and we recommend it to you.

Our weekender guide book

On: 2005-06-12

Good things about this book are:

1. It provides not-so-obvious trails that alot of San Franciscans dont even know about along Lands End. Most locals crowd Chrissy Field and dont realize that places like Fort Funston are just minutes away. The beach there is outstanding.

2. It covers hundreds of trails all within one hours driving distance from San Francisco. I can jump on my bike in the morning and be dozens of places within two hours.

3. The book has everything packed into one compact reference. For biking, its one of the best sources around. A dream machine for day hiking.

4. Dog owners, there are two pages devoted to doggie trails. They havent forgotten families and have filled eight pages with easy kid walks. Our favorites are out in Point Reyes along the lagoons.

5. Good overall maps with detailed insets for places like the Golden Gate Park.

For tourists or anyone living in the Bay Area this book is a real find.

Offering more than 300 hiking trails

by: mwbookrevw On: 2005-01-08

The collaborative work of Jerry and Jenine Sprout, Golden Gate Trailblazer: Where To Hike, Walk, Bike In San Francisco And Marin is the ideal guidebook and excursion planning manual for families and outdoor adventurers offering more than 300 hiking trails to peaks, meadows, creeks, wetlands, beaches, redwood forests, rolling woodlands, lakes, and lagoons. Also provided are some 200 city, coastal, and mountain trail bike ride routes; strolls through dozens of area cultural and historical attractions including gardens, downtown streets and ethnic neighborhoods; there are even places to to walk with a baby stroller, as well as a special "Trailblazer Kids" section. Enhanced with seventeen maps and a wealth of photographs; special sections for dog-friendly trails; contact numbers for all public agencies, visitors services, lodging, and restaurants favored by the locals, and a "Best Of" section for making sight-seeing outings and travel routes truly "visitor friendly", Golden Gate Trailblazers is the definitive guide to hiking, walking, biking, and enjoying San Francisco and Marin County.

Outstanding guide for family outings

On: 2004-11-12

My idea of one of the best guidebooks for the area. For content alone - this one has 300 hiking trails and 200 bike riding routes - it outdoes all the others. We live in San Francisco and frequently spend our weekends camping in Marin County. Our kids are 13, 10 and 7 and weve reached the stage where all can keep up. One of the nicest features is the books layout. Trails are all grouped together and keyed to large maps that portray the streets and highways. The kids choose where to go by using the photos. Winter and summer, were out there, life is good.

A Perfect Choice

On: 2004-10-05

Of the three books we took to San Francisco, this was the one we had most fun with. It had by far more photos and for organization alone they deserve five stars. Walking was the way to absorb the real flavor of the big city and coastal towns. Alcatraz and Angel Islands are must sees. We found it very worthwhile having this book to refer to.