Hiking the Santa Barbara Backcountry
by admin on March 19, 2010
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My original copy (lost when loaned) had about twenty major corrections I had made in the margins. The mistakes were particularly annoying when directions were given 180 degrees wrong (e.g., ‘turn left’ should be ‘turn right’). I don’t know how many people are still wandering around in the backcountry trying to find their way out, as a result of these misdirections. The author, not being from the area he wrote about, garbled a good deal of the local lore, as well. Still, Gagnon depicted his own trail-packing with affection and enthusiasm, which made the book entertaining; and we locals did enjoy picking at all the flubs and gung-ho advice.
The book is out of print (published thirty years ago in 1974) and I’m now looking forward to replacing (and re-editing) another copy while I can still enjoy the hiking and the frequent adventure of finding my way out of forest despite Gagnon’s goofy directions.
Rating: 3 / 5
I’ve traveled all over the world and the most beautiful natural setting I’ve seen is Santa Barbara. The ocean, the mountains, the vegetation, flowers and incomparable climate make this a unique paradise. Hiking here is a sublime experience and its possible to do it year-round since the temperatures rarely dip below 50 degrees. If you’re a dedicated hiker and have missed Santa Barbara, please try and remedy this. You’ll spend some of the best hours of your life hiking in this incredible place.
This book is one of the best hiking guides I’ve found for the Santa Barbara area. If you’re a beginner, there are plenty of short treks for you, mostly clustered around the beach or city. There are also a dozen moderate hikes and quite a few trail descriptions for streunous jaunts, all of these in the mountain areas. The descriptions of each trail is quite good and the driving desriptions to the trailheads is adequate (I haven’t gotten lost yet from following their directions). I recommend this guide for everyone fortunate to hike in this beautiful locale.
Rating: 5 / 5