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Urban Trails: Peninsula and San Jose is Ready for Preorder!

Note: Preorder bonus mentioned at the bottom of this post!

On December 21, 2022, I hiked in Pulgas Ridge Open Space Preserve to explore the first route for my upcoming book, Urban Trails: Peninsula and San Jose. It took two and a half years to hike the remaining 49 routes, write them up, get them tested, and go through three intensive rounds of editing. After all that work, the book is finally ready for preorder on Amazon!

  

What's Inside the Book?

Writing this book was largely a solo endeavor, so now I'm excited to share my work with you. Here's a bit about the book!

The goal was to find hikes within a one-hour drive of San Jose. I chose 50 routes between Pacifica and Gilroy, which is a huge area. Here is a glimpse at the table of contents. I wanted routes with various difficulty levels, and aimed for 25% easy, 50% moderate, and 25% hard. That said, the Peninsula and South Bay are hilly, so here's where we ended up: 14% easy, 62% moderate, and 24% hard. A full 16% of the routes are right in San Jose, but don't be fooled — there are some wild parts of San Jose, like Santa Teresa County Park. 

 

My Favorite Hikes by Season 

While I love all the routes in my book, I do have a few favorites to share. 

In spring, Almaden Quicksilver County Park is green, gorgeous, and full of wildflowers. It also has historic mining equipment throughout, so you can learn while you hike. 

In summer, escape the heat and enjoy the ocean views and breezes in Pacifica! The Mori Point route is the cover image for my book!

In fall, visit Montalvo Arts Center, hike the trails and have a picnic on the lawn. The wooded trails have art installations throughout and there is a beautiful lookout over the Santa Clara Valley.

In winter, Uvas Canyon County Park, the waterfalls (which are largely dormant in the summer) come to life and the park feels like it turns into one large waterfall. Ladybug clusters also form around the park in December/January — it is a sight to see!

Preorder bonus! 

If you preorder, Urban Trails: Peninsula and San Jose, send me your receipt, I'll invite you to a preorder only book talk I'll offer a few dates and times this fall!

Location: San Francisco, CA 94110, USA

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