Peninsula Tales and Trails, by David Weintraub, Graphics Arts Books, 2004, 384 pages, $19.95
By any standard, Peninsula Tales and Trails is the most detailed, comprehensive guide to Peninsula parklands and trails ever written, offering much more than just directions and trail maps. A project to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD), the book honors some of the most beautiful terrain that the Bay Area has to offer.
Featuring history, maps, directions, and detailed site descriptions, the book covers MROSD’s 25 reserves, spanning three counties, from Half Moon Bay to Morgan Hill. What sets this book apart is Weintraub’s coverage of the people behind the parks—the folks who created them and keep them accessible to all of us. The author also goes to great lengths to tell us what we’re likely to experience at each destination; not a wildflower, songbird, tafoni cave formation, or whiff of redwood is left out. Each hike description also includes a level of difficulty rating, estimated time, and trail restrictions and rules. And to make it even easier, a special index lists all routes by difficulty and accessibility.
