75 Hikes in California's Mount Shasta & Lassen Volcanic National Park Regions (100 Hikes in Series)

The old saying "You can't judge a book by its cover" simply does not apply to this new edition of '75 Hikes' by John R. Soares. Indeed, the cover photo of Mt. Lassen reflected in the pristine waters of Lake Helen is almost worth the price of the book itself. If that photo doesn't sell you on the joys of the southern Cascade range, nothing will. As soon as I saw the cover, I was already dreaming about another visit.Just as Mt. Lassen dominates the cover of this book, trails in and around Mt. Lassen Volcanic National Park dominate the text. Although the book has 5 chapters, each corresponding to a specific area, the first two make up almost 2/3 of the hikes described here. This is as it should be. Mt. Lassen is probably the most accessible of the major peaks in the Cascades. The rest of the park is also heavily geared towards hikers: numerous lakes, peaks, meadows, cinder cones, waterfalls, and thermal features invite hikers to linger in this remarkable place and Soares does an excellent job of describing short and long hiking opportunities for these destinations. Most of the routes he suggests make for pleasant day hikes but he also includes numerous backpacking options.The material for Mt. Shasta and Lava Beds National Monument is understandably more limited. The main thing I got out of this section is that if I want to climb Mt. Shasta I should sign up with a guided expedition. I have lots of hiking and backpacking experience at high elevations, but none with ice axes and crampons on glaciers. Judging by Soares's descriptions, this is an absolute necessity for a successful climb on Shasta. Soares does list several options for hikers not intent on bagging the summit.On the whole, this is an excellent guidebook. If you are interested in hiking northeastern California, '75 Hikes' is a good starting point. All the classics are included: Burney Falls, Captain Jack's Stronghold, Bumpass Hell Themal Works in Lassen Park, and many others. Nice black and white photos accompany the text which is well written and moderately humorous in places. In all, this book is a worthy investment for any vacation in the region.

Detailed hike information

As I live in the area I am always looking for places to hikes. This book is a great find. Not only does it deal with the more known hikes in Lassen Nat'l Park but it covers some obscure areas only the locals would know about. What a resource!

We did four of the hikes in this book, and relied on it for guidance in Lassen. Directions, length, hiking time were spot on.

excellent book for hikers

I have been leading hikes in northern California for 15 years and have hiked all over America. I have over 200 outdoor books, mainly trail guides. On a recent trip to Lassen National Park, Mt Shasta and several nearby locations, I took John Soares book. This was after reviewing several of my guidebooks for the locations I knew I would be hiking. I felt before going that John's book was the best guide for the area and that was validated after the trip. The directions are great for locating trailheads. I have the 1994, 2000 and 2008 versions of the book and it just keeps getting better. Additionally, as directions change over the years, so do Mr. Soares updates, which is particularly helpful. The maps are great and I love the color photos, although I know that increases the cost of publication.I saw several new places and the guide was always with me. I would highly recommend it to anyone would wants to see some of the best outdoor locations in northern California.

A good guide.