Looking for reliable, high quality, detailed hiking guides? There are numerous publishers of guides, and one of the best I’ve found is Cicerone Guide Books, the UK based publisher. They produce guides for hikers, mountaineers, climbers, cyclists and more. Their library of publications is continually being updated and improved, which make them invaluable for hikers and trekkers.
Unlike other guidebooks, which I find can be outdated or incomplete, the Cicerone guides I’ve used and reviewed are comprehensive and easy to understand. The specific trail guides are written by experts who know the region and trails well.
Cicerone Guide to the Pacific Crest Trail
The guide to the Pacific Crest Trail was just published in September 2010, authored by Brian Johnson, a 3 time PCT thru-hiker!
The 384 page comprehensive guide has a plethora of information – ranging from hike planning tips to information on the geology and wildlife. The guide is organized into logical sections with maps for each stretch of the trail. What I particularly like about this book is the consistency from page to page…each map is laid out with information about elevation, estimated hiking time to each notable point (with elevation detail and coordinates so you can check if you’ve made it!), and fun facts about animals, history, pointers from other hikers about that section of the trail, and more. It really makes it fun and interesting to see what is noted on each of the map pages.
Cicerone Guide: Avalanche!
Since I’ve been spending a lot more time recently on snow adventures, I have found the Avalanche guide to be extremely useful and potentially lifesaving! Similar to other Cicerone books, it is packed with essential information, yet does it in a concise, easy to read manner. This book includes personal accounts from people who have been involved in avalanches, step-by-step risk assessment guides, and colorful pictures that help explain concepts. Obviously I fully recommend that people should take an avalanche safety class if they plan to spend time mountaineering or backcountry skiing. This guide is a great supplement to a course and it is small and compact enough to take along on winter adventures!
The entire Cicerone collection is available on their website.
Have you used Cicerone guides? Would love to hear how you liked them in the comments below!
Hiking Lady Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Crikey! Enjoy the read – hope it passes muster!
Seasonal greetings and best wishes for some enjoyable hikes in 2011.
Geo.
Excellent point, George! I do really like the waterproof covers too. I should have mentioned that 😉
By the way your book is #1 on my To Read List! https://hikinglady.com/hiking/hiking-ladys-reading-list/
It comes highly recommended…
Hi HL,
Good to hear that Cicerone has now done a guide for the PCT. (used Wilderness Press for my effort) I did however use Cicerone for a hike along the Pennine Way in the UK and it was excellent. Besides the maps, descriptions, size etc., another of the things I liked about it was that the cover was plasticised and therefore waterproof. :^)