Robert Stone, a longtime RMOWP member, has announced the release this month of his latest hiking guide, the second edition of Day Hikes Around Orange County.
Stone tells us that Orange County lies along the coast in southern California between Los Angeles and San Diego, framed by the Pacific Ocean on one side while the Santa Ana Mountains stretch along the entire back side of the county. He adds that the coast-to-mountain landscape creates an interesting, diverse terrain that offers many opportunities for exploration.
Despite urban encroachment, nearly 30 percent of Orange County is preserved as city parklands, wilderness preserves, national forests, and state parks, he says, and along the county’s 44 miles of shoreline reside long stretches of sandy beaches, marine terraces, and promontories. The Cleveland National Forest and the San Mateo Canyon Wilderness cover thousands of acres of forested canyons and plateaus in the Santa Ana Range.
This essential 368-page guide describes how to get to backcountry trailheads in the Santa Anas, the best trails to hike in the county’s expansive parklands, and where to find access points to the coastline. Several inviting urban routes are included as well. Highlights of the hikes include sheltered coves, tidal estuaries, forested canyons, cascades, weathered sandstone peaks, and vista points with views from the ocean to the cities.
A range of hikes is included, Stone says, from easy coastal walks to strenuous hillside climbs. Statistics, accurate directions, and a map for every hike guide hikers on these adventures. Dog access information is included, as well as a thorough index.
Companion guides include Day Hikes Around Los Angeles, and Day Hikes On the California Southern Coast.
Since 1991, Robert Stone has been writer, photographer, and publisher of Day Hike Books. He is a Los Angeles Times best-selling author and an award-winning journalist of the Outdoor Writers Association of California, the Northwest Outdoor Writers Association, the Bay Area Travel Writers, Rocky Mountain Outdoor Writers and Photographers, and an active member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America. Stone spends his summers in the Rocky Mountains of Montana and winters on the California Central Coast.
The book, with a list price of $19.95, is available at www.dayhikebooks.com and also at www.amazon.com.