55 Hikes Around Steven Pass: Wild Sky Area

by Rick McGuire and Ira Spring

Book Overview

About an hour from Seattle and Everett lies one of the most rugged wild landscapes in the Cascade Mountains: The Skykomish Wild Country (also known as "Wild Sky" country) in the heart of the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, just north of the Stevens Pass Highway. The drama of the area's steep mountains rising from rich, old growth forests is matched by few places on earth. This marks the first time a wilderness area would include lowland forests,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0898869587
• ISBN13: 9780898869583
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: Mountaineers Books
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

One of my favorite Washington guidebooks

I'm in the midst of planning my first backpacking trip in Washington State this fall. Of all the many trail guides that I've picked up over the past month, this is my favorite. Rick deeply cares about the country that he's describing, and isn't afraid to speak out on the issues that matter to me. Knowing how he feels makes it easier for me to judge his opinions about a given trail. I've seen other guides that don't get around to mentioning heavy ORV or horse traffic on the trails that they cover - that's not the case with Rick. His writing, as mentioned in another rating, remind me a lot of Manning's. It's excellent, as are the photos by Ira Spring. Even if you don't plan to hike the Stevens Pass region, the book is still an excellent purchase because of the insightful comments regarding the Wild Sky movement. Keep 'em coming, Rick!

Another Spring classic, this time with spring hikes

I love all the Spring hiking books - the 100 Classic hikes, the Alpines Lakes version, and so forth. This book, unlike the others, offers several lower altitude hikes that are accessible in April and May (depending on the winter's snowfall). I strongly recommend it if you're frustrated with looking for hikes for the "shoulder season." The book has the usual good commentary, though I prefer Harvey Manning to Rick McGuire, and good pictures. My only complaint is the authors' recommendation in the forward that hikers not bring their dogs but instead strike out cross-country and off-trail if they wish to hike with a dog. The dog may not miss the views, but the people certainly will, and many hikers are not skilled / experienced enough to successfully and safely hike off-trail.

Nice Day Hikes Close to Home

Most hiking guides are simply lists of trails with driving directions and trail descriptions. Anyone with a map can write one of those, and they're fine if you just want some exercise. This book is interesting even if you're not looking for a trail. There is a lot of information about the natural (and political) history. The author clearly understands that you will have a richer experience if you hit the trail with some appreciation of what you'll see (and hopefully want to protect). I liked the the invitation to try "off-trail" hiking. I really enjoyed the authors opinions on the Forest Service. I'm tired of guides that avoid controversy in the interest of sales. I was reminded of Harvey Manning.

Good Hiking Book Thoroughly Covers The Stevens Pass Area

With so many hiking guides out there that seem like recycled knockoffs of the old classics, it's good to see one written by someone who actually knows and cares about this area. Good to see that Mountaineers Books hiking guides still have a pro-environment point of view. The author clearly has opinions, and isn't afraid to state them. In the introduction section alone he manages to say more interesting things about the forests, fish and wildlife of the Cascades than you'll find in many entire books. And it's nice to finally have the whole of Hwy. 2 covered in just one book; hopefully they will manage to get it protected.