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Book Cover |
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Excerpt |
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Alpine
County
Alpine
County is 775 square-miles, 95 percent of it public land. Its population
of about 1,000 is by far the smallest in the state, and far fewer than
the number of cows, deer, and a number of other resident mammals. The
county has more campsites than homes, even factoring in the major ski
resorts at Kirkwood and Bear Valley. All highways are official scenic
routes, and traffic control consists of a blinking yellow light at
Woodfords.
In this book
you will find 71 trailheads in the Alpine Sierra around Hope Valley and
Markleeville--with day excursions to Tahoe and Yosemite. These trails
lead to several wilderness areas--Carson Iceburg, Mokelumne,
Desolation, Hoover, Ansel Adams--as well as the Tuolumne Meadows area of
Yosemite National Park, and three National Forests--Toiyabe,
Stanislaus and El Dorado.
Alpine has
several major rivers, dozens of streams and creeks and peaks, and more
than 60 high-mountain lakes. Its topography includes polished granite,
volcanic plugs, slate-topped peaks, mountain meadows, hot springs,
alpine ridges, and sage-belt pinon forests. With its mountain passes
and Forest Service spur roads that go north and south, Alpine gives
access to the interior of the Sierra toward all points on the compass.
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Synopsis |
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Alpine Trailblazer is a book on where to
Hike, Ski, Bike, Pack, Paddle and Fish in and around Alpine County,
California. The book is divided up into five rectangular blocks: Hope
Valley, Markleeville, Sonora, Yosimite and Tahoe. Each section has a map
with the location of the trailhead.
There is also a Best For section
that lists: Day Hikes, Fall Colors, Wildflowers, Fishermen, Mountain
Bikers, Backpackers, Cross-Country Skies, Horseback Riders, Kayaks and
Canoes, Swimming Holes (Large and Small), and Best Ways for Celebrating
a Holiday. There are more than 200 hiking and backpacking destinations,
32 cross country ski spots, 39 trips for mountain bikers, 57 spots for
fishing, 27 lakes and rivers to kayak, canoe and raft, directions to
wildflowers, fall color and swimming spots, horseback riding, and 6
driving tours.
Each trailhead lists all of
the activities that can be done there. There are short descriptions of
what the location is best for, where to park, and the USGS topographical
map name (should you require one) of the area, a general description of
the location, and an even shorter description of the location for each
activity. In the back of the book, there are a lot of useful things like
Driving Tours, Common Plants and Animals, Free Hiking Advice and
Disclaimer, Resource Links, Alpine Fact Sheet, Happy Jack's Campside
Cookbook, List of Illustrations and an Index.
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Review |
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Alpine Trailblazer book is full of so many
activities, there are bound to be plenty of them that you could find and
accomplish be you a hiker, mountain biker, or just an outdoor
enthusiast. This is a great guide for giving you an idea of where to go
and what to do.
The authors kept the size of the book from become
humongous by not including maps for the trailheads. Should you require
one, you will have to pick that up on your own. That is not what this
book is for. Rather, you should use this book as a guide to what you
want to do...and where you want to do it.
So, if you want to get out
there and discover the great outdoors, where people are barely to be
found, pick up a copy of Alpine Trailblazer and let it direct you to a great experience. |
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