Afoot and Afield: San Diego County: A Comprehensive Hiking Guide

Jerry Schad is a remarkably prolific outdoor author. He has written extensively on hiking in southern California including the wildlands within Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. But San Diego is where Schad's heart truly lies and it shows in every edition of 'Afoot and Afield San Diego.' I have owned each one since the first in 1986 and this book just keeps getting better and better. The 4th edition (2007) features over 250 hikes and is sure to keep outdoor enthusiasts busy.Most of the 30 or so hikes new to this edition are in the chapters dealing with Beaches and Bays and the Coastal Strip/Foothills sections. In the last 20 years San Diego County has made remarkable progress at putting aside open space for recreation and this version of Afoot and Afield chronicles many new preserves that have appeared over the last decade. New hikes include the Hosp Grove, a walk among Eucalyptus Trees just south of Oceanside, the addition of three new routes in Mission Trails Regional Park (along with the banishment of one path up Cowles Mountain), and multiple new trails in the Alpine/Jamal area.While urbanized areas have seen many changes, the mountain and desert portions of the book are similar to previous editions. In Rancho Cuyamaca State Park, only one new hike was added, a pleasant jaunt along Cuyamaca Reservoir. Sadly, although the book has not changed much, the surrounding mountain landscape has. The 2003 Cedar fires destroyed much of the park and Schad's assessment that it will recover in a decade or two seems highly unlikely. As an aside, I was disappointed that Schad repeated the park claim and attributed the fire to "a century of fire suppression." That was, of course, part of the problem. But rampant mismanagement by the state park also shares the blame. Thinning, controlled burns, and spraying for bark beetles would have done much to mitigate the 2003 catastrophe. Happily, Palomar Mountain State Park has learned from the disaster that overtook Rancho Cuyamaca and is returning to active management of its resources, beginning with clearing away brush and downed wood. Because of this careful management, the many beautiful trails and cross country routes Schad describes on Palomar will be safeguarded for generations to come.In conclusion, this is a very good guidebook. It retains most of the best features of earlier guides and all of the best hikes. I miss the little icons that appeared in previous editions, but the heading for each hike provides all the information you need in a concise, readable format. The trail sketch maps are also for the most part adequate, but you will want to supplement these with more detailed recreational maps where available. Still, this is the most comprehensive guide to San Diego County, a four season outdoor wonderland. If you want to explore the region, you would do well to get this book.

This book is very well organized. Book is easy to navigate. The first trail we decided to take our children on was Roberts Ranch... supposedly a former cattle ranch... former being the operative word! A kid friendly easy hike... it was absolutely beautiful - as indicated in the hiking guide description. However, the semi-fresh cow patties should have given us a clue that when we would envision "where cattle once grazed... quintessentially Old West..." we just may encounter BULLS! Whoa - that is quintessentially Old West alright! My 3 year old excitedly shouted,"Oh mommy look! Cows! Look how cute!" They were headed our way... walking... just a few... then a few more... then a few cow - babies frolicking around... then walking faster with BULLS in the lead! UM, we quickly turned around and walk/ran outta there! Daddy had the Kelty back pack with our 1 year old smiling away... my 3 year old little girl finally realized that this was not "fun" anymore... she said, "Mommy I'm scared." Then she started praying "God please protect us." (How cute is that?!?!) I grabbed her Yoda walking stick and her hand and we ran... eventually we laughed... and still laugh about that first hike!So my recommendation for the book: add a section on what to do if you encounter Bulls!

This is simply an amazing book. My family and I love to go on hikes quite often. It has a few categories and skill levels, so you will find an enjoyable hike. It truly is all over San Diego, not focusing on one part over the other. It is our go to book for hiking.Pros:-Hefty binding, can throw in your pack and take a beating-Very easy to find the type of hike you want-Great hike descriptions, warnings, and pictures.Cons:-Some ratings are a bit off, or may have just changed.-Unfortunately, this book is no longer being updated due to Jerry Schad passing away.-Hiking trails get over grown, washed out, and hard to navigate over time. Not just these hikes, every hiking trail that isn't maintained.A few tips to new hikers:-WATER! I cannot stress this enough. Bring enough water for your entire group. No, that one plastic water bottle will not last you all day. Look up the recommended amount for your hike and area.-Trail courtesy. Respect the trails. Stay on them, and take what you left behind.-Switch it up! Try a different area and trail every time. Ask around for other hikes.

As a resident of San Diego and a hiker/outdoors enthusiast, this is about a good as it gets for hiking guides for this area. Okay, it is the best - why get anything else? I wouldn't.I have the first, cheaply produced edition. This edition, just few years old at the time of this review, is updated with new information, pictures and new trails. A great balance is between trails that are near urban areas, backcountry areas, easy to darn difficult trails. There is more than enough to interest most every reader.The book weaves a good balance between natural features, history and interesting aspects of most hikes to get the reader motivated. Most of the time Schad nails the essence of the hikes. This man knows his stuff.My only criticism are a few minor quibbles. First, color photos would be a great addition, although superfluous. Second, and more importantly, some of the descriptions/directions for hikes are inadequate at best. I suggest adding GPS coordinates and some better maps specific to chapters to ensure the reader doesn't get lost on the way to the trail. (it has happened to me and others on some of the more remote trails in the book)All in all, this is an essential book if you hike in San Diego County.