"There are few more spectacular drives on Earth than Highway 395 along the foot of the great granite wall of the Sierra Nevada. In Sierra East, Genny Smith and her team of experts tell the story of that amazing terrain, and its fantastic contours, molded by tectonic upthrusts and Pleistocene glaciers; its spectacular weathers; its amazing diversity of plant and animal life; and the human struggles over its life-giving waters."--Harold Gilliam, author of Weather of the San Francisco Bay Region "For those of us who live within the Sierra East territory, this is the 'right' side of California. It is a wondrous place to visit. This book is not a superficial tourist guide to what you may see from the scenic overlooks. It is a real guidebook covering all the natural and unnatural history as well as geology, weather, and water. There are thorough descriptions of plants and animals you may wander across plus information on how they cope with the extreme rigors of the high mountains and harsh deserts."--Sally Gaines, co-founder of the Mono Lake Committee "This is the first comprehensive natural history of the Eastern Sierra. An outstanding team of authors, with years of experience in the region, meets the challenge of covering their specialties from the Mojave Desert to the tops of 14,000-foot mountains. This diverse material is uniformly accessible in a readable style."--Frank L. Powell, Director, White Mountain Research Station, University of California, San Diego

Written with few technical terms, Sierra East is a source book for the layperson and students on university field trips."--BOOK JACKET.

With this book in hand, hikers can spend their days wandering in wildflower meadows, hiking to cragged peaks, or swimming in cobalt-blue lakes in the Sierra Nevada, and then settle into a deck chair at sunset to enjoy the alpenglow. Hot Showers, Soft Beds, & Dayhikes in the Sierra describes 112 carefully chosen dayhikes in Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks, John Muir, Ansel Adams, Desolation, and Emigrant wilderness areas, and more. Many hikes have easy-through-strenuous options, and every hike listed is in close proximity to one or more quality accommodations (over 80 cabins, B&Bs, motels, lodges, guest ranches, and resorts are described).

Includes section "Book reviews."