A fun read and useful tool. We visit family on Southern California so will add a fun touch to our hikes. Would recommend.

Excellent book featuring plants found along the Pacific Crest Trail. Plants are organized by type (trees, shrubs, etc.) and each has a photo to help with identification. There is a description that includes what sections of the trail and habitats the plant may be found in. The descriptions are great. I think the photos are a little on the small side to be a good reference for actual field identification, but they at least illustrate the plant in a color format, instead of a drawing. I find photos useful for plant identification, but they can also be limited because plants go through different life stages each year. If the photo shows the flowers in bloom and you find the plant in a different season, identification using a photo can be problematic. But, most plant ID books follow this format, so it's nothing different in that regard. I liked that the book has sections describing the various habitats found along the trail. This edition focuses on the southern California sections of the trail. Hopefully, there will be more editions with with the other sections of the trail forthcoming!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book is absolutely overflowing with information on the Pacific Crest Trail. Not only does the author describe each ecosystem along the footpath, but also an inclusive list of plant species seen in each environment. This is a great identification book to accompany other plant ID guides while hiking in California. I have never walked the PCT, but if I did, I would surely bring this book along as a trusty companion. As a naturalist, detail is important in determining specific species and subspecies, and the authors take care in relaying information in an easy-to-understand format, that is not overwhelming like some ID books. I would recommend this book as a plant enthusiast.

Dana York and James. M. André created a wonderful collection of images of plants and the Pacific Crest Trail. I could almost "smell" the sage brush on each page. I'm a Native Californian living in the East Coast and I loved turning every page! But I am from Southern California and love hiking those trails. I loved being exposed to the nature on the northern trails.

As far as where my library is likely to purchase this title, I had to answer no because I live in the mid-atlantic region. This book is a must have on the West Coast!

***I received a free ARC of this e-book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.***

This was a gorgeous book and very educational. I really enjoyed the photography. I would check this out from my library before hiking or traveling near the Pacific Crest Tril.

Thank you for allowing me to view this.

This book is meaty and full of information. It is a great comprehensive reference book for the Pacific Crest Trail in Southern California.
I like how the book is formatted - starting off with information about the different plant habitats, moving into specifics about the Pacific Trail and then finally transitioning into the various species descriptions. In the species description section, the authors break down this information into Conifers, Trees and Shrubs, Wildflowers and Ferns, Horsetails and Grasses - making it easy to flip to the right section. Each plant species is identified with the common name, genus species and plant family. The authors also provide the PCT location, habitat type, elevation and ecoregions each can be found, as well as provides the abundance and height information. There is also a brief description.
My only complaint about this book is regarding the size and quality of the photography. The photography is small and cropped. There are not a lot of close up images, and if they are provided, they are extremely small and hard to make out the details trying to be conveyed. I also found that quite a bit of the photography appeared to be blurry - but not sure if that is only because I was reviewing this book digitally.
If you are seeking an information book for the area, then this is a 4 star. If you are looking for a photographic reference book, then I would have to give this 3 stars. If the images were clearer, larger and there were better close ups and possible illustrations to go along with the photography, then this would easily be 5 stars.
I live in Southern California and despite my criticism, I can see myself grabbing a copy of this.

This is wonderful! I am planning on hiking the PCT in the following decade, mainly to really immersive myself in nature and as a biologist I always have an eye open for cool plants. This book contains beautiful, inspiring photos, clear descriptions of plant life and just excites me to start my hike even more. I will definitely get a hardcopy closer to my starting date!

This is a lovely book for any reader who is interested in either hiking the Pacific Crest Trail or learning more about the different plants and landscapes that can be found throughout California. Since I have been to a lot of the places along this trail I found this to be an illuminating display of useful information.

One of the best plants guide books I have seen. I love the way that they laid everything out, by sections, by plants... and the pictures are clear and the descriptions simple and easy to understand. I also liked how they described the vegetation by each miles section. A map would have been nice, but that's ok. The descriptions were easy enough to understand. Who knew there were so many different varieties of plant / bushes / flowers out there on the PCT! Makes me even more excited to go out and explore!