Top 5 Southern California Hiking Books For Outdoor Enthusiasts

For those of you looking for a hard copy hiking book for hiking trails in Southern California, we would recommend one of the below books. Hiking books make great gifts for those outdoor enthusiasts in your life. Additionally, each of these books can easily fit in your backpack and accompany you on your journey to our local wildernesses. In no particular order, here is our list of the top 5 hiking books in Southern California.

Number 1: Explorer's Guide 50 Hikes in Orange County. This brand-new entry in the popular Explorer's 50 Hikes series covers the most interesting hiking trails in Orange County, California, providing diverse hikes in a variety of wilderness environments: from a short walk along a concrete channel to see endangered green sea turtles to more challenging hikes to find tide pools, waterfalls, and the treasures of the county’s private nature preserves.

Number 2: Afoot & Afield: Orange County: A Comprehensive Hiking Guide. This completely updated and expanded new edition in the Afoot and Afield series is the classic guide to the hiking opportunities throughout Southern California's Orange County. Featuring more than 100 trips from serene summits to sparkling beaches, Afoot and Afield Orange County covers the Laguna Coast, Newport Beach, Crystal Cove State Park, the Chino Hills, Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve, the Santa Ana Mountains, and more. Trips ranging from short strolls to rigorous daylong treks are all within a short car trip of the Southland's cities.

Number 3: Day Hiking Los Angeles: City Parks / Santa Monica Mountains / San Gabriel Mountains. In Southern California, the city of Los Angeles alone covers more than 500 square miles. Yet beyond the freeways and suburbia, there is a surprising amount of hikeable green space and wilderness. This new guide details trails in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, the world’s largest urban national park stretching from the Pacific Coast right into Hollywood itself; the Santa Susana Mountains in Los Padres National Forest; Angeles National Forest, including the San Gabriels and Mount San Antonio, the highest point in Los Angeles County; the striking desert landscape of Antelope Valley; the Santa Ana Mountains; portions of the San Bernardino Mountains; Chino Hills State Park; and slivers of green space and city parks such as famed Griffith Park.

Number 4: Afoot and Afield: San Diego County: 281 Spectacular Outings along the Coast, Foothills, Mountains, and Desert (Afoot & Afield). This fifth edition of San Diego County’s classic hiking guidebook features 282 trips, ranging from short, self-guided nature trails to challenging peak climbs and canyon treks. In Afoot & Afield San Diego County, coauthor Scott Turner has fully updated this edition, which includes new maps and more than 30 new hikes. The book encompasses almost all public―and a few private―lands within San Diego County, including Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Cleveland National Forest, the Cuyamaca Mountains, and numerous county and city parks.

Number 5: 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Los Angeles: Including Ventura and Orange Counties: With time, health, and pin money at a premium, this handy guide helps Angelenos get back to nature without going out of town. From Palos Verdes on the coast to Santa Clarita to the north and the expansive San Gabriel Mountains, it details 60 hikes and walks within roughly an hour's drive of Los Angeles, encouraging even the most time-starved trekkers to get on the trails and get healthy.

Disclaimer: We have not been paid or compensated by any of these publishers or authors. However, these are books that we own and recommend to others, given we realize our audience is looking for anything and all things hiking related, including trail guides. We would receive a small commission from anyone using the above links to purchase the books through Amazon.