Welcome to Menasha Ridge Press’s 60 Hikes within 60 Miles, a series designed to provide hikers with the information they need to find and hike the very best trails surrounding metropolitan areas typically underserved by outdoor guidebooks.
Our strategy was simple: First, find a hiker who knows the area and loves to hike. Second, ask that person to spend a year researching the most popular and very best trails around. And third, have that person describe each trail in terms of difficulty, scenery, condition, elevation change, and all other categories of information that are important to hikers. “Pretend you’ve just completed a hike and met up with other hikers at the trailhead,” we told each author. “Imagine their questions; be clear in your answers.”
An experienced hiker and writer, Charles Liu has selected 60 of the best hikes in and around the Phoenix metropolitan area. From city parks and preserves that highlight the diverse Sonoran desert landscape to rugged Central Arizona mountains and forests, Liu provides hikers (and walkers) with a great variety of hikes—and all within roughly 60 miles of Phoenix.
You’ll get more out of this book if you take a moment to read the introduction explaining how to read the trail listings. The “Topographic Maps” section will help you understand how useful topos are on a hike and will also tell you where to get them. And though this is a “where-to,” not a “how-to” guide, readers who have not hiked extensively will find the introduction of particular value.
As much for the opportunity to free the spirit as well as to free the body, let these hikes elevate you above the urban hurry.