Sierra South: Backcountry Trips in California's Sierra Nevada

Even though TW has "retired" and they've changed the name (made obligatory by the elimination of the even 100 hikes in previous editions) this information packed volume is still the best all around (with the companion Sierra North) hiking guide covering the Sierra Nevada in print today. This edition is organized a little differently and the spiffy fold out map is missing from the back cover but the same reliable and up to date information is available for both arm chair hiking and trip planning.A great many of the same routes are included as were in the previous volumes and it appears they have been updated with current (and depressing) requlatory requirements and accurate descriptions of the state of repair or disrepair of primitive camp sites and historic markers. Additional trips are included that appear to be more "moderate". Again up to date trail and camp site information along with hazards and fishing data are included.The only caveat I would add is to take the somewhat nostalgic pining for the "good old days" with a grain of salt. While it's true water quality degradation has made mandatory the use of filters or other types of purification and black bears (and too many friggin' hikers) have forced more and more regulations and quotas on a land that once was wide open for exploration; there's still more "wild" here than in just about any other locale in the country. And that's the same stuff that's drawn legions of backpackers, mountaineers and naturalists ever since John Muir "discovered" it over a hundred years ago. It's still there waiting for you...

I love this book already. It has a lot of different backpacking guides in the Southern Sierra Nevada. There is a companion book for the northern half of the mountains. They trips are detailed and also sorted by distance and difficulty. There is also a lot of advice about small side trips that can be added on. There are maps too however I would recommend buying a larger map, such as the Tom Harrison maps, to go along with this book.

Classic Sierra Guidebook! Every Sierra backpacker should own one of these books. Having owned multiple editions of this book (and the companion book Sierra North) I was hesitant to "like" this edition since it is formatted differently than previous editions. Also, some trips have been cut out. However, after I got used to the new style, I actually prefer this edition. The trips are laid out well, elevation gains/loss clearly stated, and information was up to date. We used this book all summer long in planning our trips and found it a valuable reference.

This is one of the best books on hiking in the Sierras. Very comprehensive. However, it mostly covers hikes that start at major trailheads that connect to other trailheads. If you are looking for hikes that just end, such as the ones out of Convict Lake, this book won't cover them. Also, I think of Sierra South as south of Lone Pine. This book covers south of Tahoe down to Kern.

This book has a problem that I have run into before, and it is so basic that it is really hard to understand how it can happen. There are many maps in the book, and while they are generally good, they do not indicate which map to move to when moving off of a particular map page. This makes following a longer route very difficult. For this reason the book -- and its companion for the North -- of very limited use to me.

Great book with lots of good detail on all of the trails and hikes.

Best guide I have used for the Sierra Nevada

Good, but doesn't give quite as much detail as I was hoping for. That's not really a fault. Guess I was just hoping to find a bit more of a "travelogue". It is still worth having if you are wandering in the area covered.