Many people have written asking for recommendations on hiking books. Let's face it, the web is a great place to peak our interest, but nothing beats having a great trailbook at arms reach.

Below, I have provided links for books in association with Amazon.com Books. The prices are as good as I've seen on the net or the local Phoenix stores.

If you aren't comfortable buying items over the net, then write down the titles and authors, and check with your favorite book store. I highly recommend these books because I own them and have found them very good sources for Arizona hiking information. I know you will find them of value to you also.

Exploring Arizona's Wild Areas: A Guide for Hikers, Backpackers, Climbers, X-Country Skiers & Paddlers Author: Scott S. Warren I list this book first ,because it is invariably the first book I reach for when I want to find information about an area. This mammoth effort includes area and trail descriptions for 87 of Arizona's Wilderness Areas. Descriptions of each area include statistics, hiking seasons recommended, plants and wildlife, geology, and a hiking narrative which includes good trail information as well as detailed information on how to access trailheads. An excellent basic map detailing every trail accompanies each area.

Day Hikes And Trail Rides In And Around Phoenix Author: Roger & Ethel Freeman This is the Bible for hiking in the Phoenix area. You will not find a better source of information. The trail information is incredibly detailed (to the hundredth of a mile) for every trail. Helpful basic topo maps are included in the back of this book for every area described. Maps show roads that access trailheads making it very easy to find how to get there. Areas covered are: Camelback Mountain/Echo Canyon Park, Papago Park, The 6 areas of the Phoenix Mountains Preserve (Squaw Peak, et. al.), South Mountain Park, Thunderbird Recreation Area, Lost Dutchman State Park, and the Maricopa County Regional Parks of Estrella Mountain, McDowell Mountain, Usery Mountain and White Tank Mountain.

Tucson Hiking Guide Author: Betty Leavengood Excellent book for specific trail information around Tuscon. Many consider this the Bible for Tucson area hiking. This one does not disect each area around Tucson and include every trail, but does have a large sampling of trails for the Tucson Mountains, Rincon Mountains, Santa Catalina Mountains, and Santa Rita Mountains. Each trail is written with insightful information and includes personal narratives from the author's experiences. Black and white copies of topo maps, with the trails penned in, exist for every trail covered. Very detailed descriptions are given on how to reach each trailhead. There are two editions available; 1997 & 1991.

Hiker's Guide To The Santa Rita Mountains Author: Betty Leavengood & Mike Liebert If there is any trail in the Santa Ritas (south of Tucson) missing in this book, I'd appreciate you letting me know. Every approach imaginable to the Santa Ritas is included. The layout of this book mirrors that of the Tucson Hiking Guide described above. If you want to know about hiking the Santa Ritas, this is the book you want. This book is currently out of print, but by following the Amazon link to the left, Amazon will do a query to find a used one. If you are in Arizona, I would also suggest calling some of the outdoor stores, and local bookstores, as they may have a few copies left.

Sedona Hikes Author: Richard & Sherry Mangum A very good choice for information on hiking the Sedona area. Includes 121 trails. I like this one as nearly every trail has information the authors have included from their experiences. The maps included in this book are too basic to use for hiking but do work well with the detailed written description to enable finding the trailheads. I have also found the elevation gains shown to be off by as much as 300 feet. Even with the map and elevation problems, this is still an excellent effort.

AZventure Bookstore