Preface

      Just beyond the limits of Southern California’s ever-spreading urban sprawl lies a world apart. In snippets of open space here and in sprawling wilderness areas there, California’s primeval landscape survives more or less untarnished. In hundreds of hidden places just over the urban horizon (and sometimes within the cities themselves), you can still find nature’s radiant beauty unfettered—or at least not too seriously compromised—by human intervention.

      Our purpose in writing this book is to entice you to explore some of these hidden places. In the pages ahead you will find updated versions of trips previously published in Jerry Schad’s Afoot & Afield series of guidebooks on Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego Counties, plus additional trips from eastern Ventura County, western San Bernardino County, and western Riverside County—a total of 101 hikes described in detail. The overview map on pages x–xi reveals how the majority of hikes chosen for this book cluster around the major urban areas of Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego. As a result, no matter where you live within Southern California, you can likely access 50 or more of these hikes in less than a two-hour drive.

      Users of the Afoot & Afield books will already be familiar with the format and layout of this book. Each hike description includes a capsulized summary. Each trip is plotted on an easy-to-read sketch map. Photos of scenery and interesting features on or near the trails are sprinkled throughout the book.

      The book was originally written by Jerry Schad, the grandmaster of Southern California hiking guidebooks. Unequaled in his knowledge of the region’s wild places and in enviable physical condition, Jerry was abruptly diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2011 and passed away in the same year. At his request, I have revised this book to keep it up to date with changing conditions. I have endeavored to retain Jerry’s lively writing and insightful descriptions while reflecting recent changes, rendering the driving directions as unambiguous as possible, and adding GPS coordinates for the trailheads.

      I physically walked every trail in this book to ensure that the information contained herein is up to date. Based on this fieldwork, I have replaced 17 of the hikes covered in the second edition with outstanding substitutes. Seven of these hikes were closed or rendered inaccessible by fire. Two had access issues due to private property. The road to one had deteriorated to the point that it was impassable by stock four-wheel-drive vehicles. The others had become brushy, poorly defined, or simply less interesting than nearby trails. I have enjoyed all of the hikes in this book and hope you will enjoy them too.

      I would like to thank the team at Wilderness Press for making this book possible. My editor, Molly Merkle, envisioned the new edition. Laura Shauger’s exceptional copy-editing has made the book clearer and more consistent. Amber Henderson skillfully assembled the pieces into the final layout. The remaining errors are my own.

      Roads, trailheads, and trails continue to change every year. You can keep me apprised of recent developments and/or changes by writing me in care of Wilderness Press at [email protected]. Your comments will be appreciated.

      David Money Harris

      Upland, California

      June 2013