Re: Recommendations for Trail Guides for Sequoia NP

I am interested in recommendations on trail guides, hiking books and or annotated maps for Sequoia National Park.

Based on the internet views, the Tom Harrison maps appear inferior to standard Topos. I am willing to entertain alternative opinions,however.

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The cure for a fallacious argument is a better argument, not the suppression of ideas.
-- Carl Sagan

I like Tom Harrison. Get the Mt. Whitney High Country Trail Map. It's $9.
Grab those free Topo's you linked to. Good to go.

Do that loop I mentioned.
Crescent->Bearpaw->Hamilton Lakes->Kawaea Gap->Big Arroyo->Little Five->Black Rock->Redwood Meadow->Bearpaw->Crescent

I only have Kings NP Hiker's Guide by Mike White. It's ok.

My suggestion is: nps.gov, study topo maps, explore

Note: Bearpaw looks easy on the topo...it's deceptive.

I've got the standard National Geographic Traills Illustrated map for SEKI. Maybe it's not annotated, but they've got the best topo maps I've seen. They're actually a plastic material that's difficult to tear and can take getting soaked.

Yeah. I love the Trails Illustrated Maps too... great for the big picture and planning mileage w/o a computer
and for planning routes...
they just aren't great if you want to do xcountry stuff. you really want the USGS 7.5 maps or equiv. for that
type of adventure planning...

Wow! What a response. Amazing.

I have this one too:
A Falcon Guide
Hiking: Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

For hiking or backpacking trip ideas I actually think the Falcon one is a
little bit better than the Wilderness Press one. Although I must admit
neither of the books are beat to heck like my Yosemite Shaffer book.
Although nowadays I usually just look at the topo maps, garmin mapsource,
and google earth to concoct some goofy plan.

I like the Falcon guides, too...they are the only ones that I have NOT thrown away!

(Do the Topo maps have detailed info on Manzanita density???)

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BushWackingManzanitaLovingBee
(Do the Topo maps have detailed info on Manzanita density???)

Evidently yes. I just missed it.
And.. they moved the trail due to the massive quantities of Manzanita.
(the GPS tracks are correct)...

"Thick Delicious Manzanita" "Yummy Manzanita"???!!!!!!

(there is a lot of rooting around near the manzanita trap)

Quote
Bee
"Thick Delicious Manzanita" "Yummy Manzanita"???!!!!!!

Official USGS terms?

One minor drawback to both the NG Trails Illustrated and Tom Harrison maps is that the topo lines and elevations are so lightly drawn that they tend to be somewhat obscured by the color shading. The Wilderness Press maps have much bolder topo designations (unfortunately, they don't seem to have any maps for Kings/Sequoia).

The light lines/notations are no big problem if you are not out in the backcountry trying to find a mid-hike alternate route (wind blowing, rain pelting, but the lightning strikes help with illumination).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/04/2009 12:07PM by szalkowski.