Whatever Wednesday: Book Review

Do you live near Salt Lake City or traveling to SLC and looking for some trails to hit? You may want to get a copy of the new trail guidebook, Salt Lake City’s Best 52 Hikes by Alicia Baker at the Girl on a Hike blog.

When Alicia asked me if I’d be interested in writing a review of her new book, without hesitation I agreed. Not only I think it’s awesome she has her first book but it’s inspiring to see people following their passion and saying Yes to the new opportunities.

First Impression

It’s not a same old hiking guidebook you’ve seen in the market over the years. First of all, it’s available in the Kindle format and it’s in color. It has pictures of Alicia and her golden lab Charlie exploring. Pictures help me with deciding on a hike and with gear preparation for the hike so, this is definitely a plus.

Review

You already know I like concise trail stats. Check out the Good to Know section of my trail write-ups like this one. I like them listed out using bullet points so I can quickly get the info I need when I am researching a trail. The trail length is given in roundtrip in this book. I love that. One of my pet peeves, when I research for a trail, is, I find the length information but it doesn’t say if it’s one-way or in total when it’s an out and back trail.

I know some people like to know how long it would take them to complete a hike. This book provides that information but personally, I don’t find it useful because it all depends on the fitness level of the hiker and how often and long s/he takes breaks. But if it helps you to know the duration, this book has it.

It has trail maps so you can see what the route looks like ahead. It’s great to see a good mix of different types of trails, some for day hikes and some for backpacking. There is something for everyone. I especially like that most of the hikes in the book are dog-friendly for the obvious reason. 🙂

In summary, Salt Lake City’s Best 52 Hikes provides you 52 hikes you can do in or near Salt Lake City. For each hike, you will find the following information:

• highlights of the hike
• directions to the trailhead
• length in roundtrip
• elevation gain
• duration
• permit/fee info
• dog-friendly
• kid-friendly
• trail map

When I travel to SLC, this will be my trail guides for sure!