Pacific Grove at Your Feet: Walks, Hikes & Rambles (Pacific Grove Books)

A Monterey resident and long time walker/hiker, I like to think I'm pretty darn familiar with Pacific Grove and its walks. Even so, I learned a good bit reading Krieg's delightful little book. PG walks and the history that abounds clearly are passions for Krieg, which she shares in a breezy, interesting writing style.For visitors who want to get to know this charming town on foot: get a copy of this book! For locals who have walked PG for years: I'll buy you a coffee at Crema if you read the book and can say you already knew everything in it (not!).Here's hoping this is the start of a Monterey Bay series--Monterey at Your Feet, Carmel at Your Feet, etc.

I love Pacific Grove and visit often. I usually take time on each trip to amble (or stride if I've had an expresso) up and down the downtown area of the "last small town in America." Now, I have Ms. Krieg's chatty, fact-filled guide to fourteen different walks. Many of them cover areas I knew little about and some, I've never heard of--Rip Van Winkle Open Space?!?Each walk is prefaced with all the practical information adventurere need--distance in both miles and steps (for those smart watches), surfaces including iif suitable for wheel chairs or strollers, parking and, most importantly, convenient public rest rooms. The maps are clear and well-drawn. The book is illustrated with clever line drawings.My favorite parts are the little nuggets of history that crop up along the way. Holmans started as a country store, a railroad used to connect PG with parts north, and the first female lighthouse keeper on the west coast was at the Point Pinos Lighthouse.I've been sitting at home reading the whole book cover to cover. Not as good as being there, but Ms. Krieg's descriptions sent me on many an imaginary stroll that will have to hold me until I can return.

Ms Krieg has written a delightfully humorous yet informative guide to self-guided walking tours of Pacific Grove. Her writing style quickly establishes a friendly sense of camaraderie with the reader and she clearly loves the area's interesting quirks and oddities. This is the sort of guide that you sit down and read cover-to-cover, and then decide which ramble you want to do. And even if the opportunity to perambulate about in Pacific Grove never arises, a reading of this book will impart an appreciation for the history of the village

This is a great town to visit and to live in and this gives some very interesting walks to take.

Pacific Grove, California, calls itself “American’s Last Home Town,” and is a delightful city on the coast of Monterey Bay. This enjoyable book helps anyone fortunate enough to visit PG for more than a few hours to become more “in” than “on.” PG is also termed “Butterfly Town, U.S.A.,” because of the grove in which monarch butterflies winter during their multi-generational, astoundingly long distance migrations. Comfortably written, it introduces readers to 14 interesting walking paths -with valuable details about distance, road or path surface, location of restrooms, and other details such as whether or when dogs on leashes are permitted. Even if one is neither planning to make all or any of the walks, the engaging text conveys insightful and interesting information about the plants, animals, terrain, and shoreline, as well as the human history of the city and landscape. There are, of course, several levels, “degrees of difficulty,” of walking in general; but each of the 14 chapters, each describing a specific route, can accommodate all of these, from fitness, through social strolling, studiously observing, enjoying the natural history, and meditative, contemplative movement through nature. . John Steinbeck, Nobel Prize winner for Literature, spent many happy and productive years in Pacific Grove and environs, and some of his haunts and activities are described. In short, a charming book, nicely illustrated, suitable for people who want to stroll in Pacific Grove, and for people who want to read about strolling in Pacific Grove, regardless of where they might actually be.

I have been a full-time resident of Monterey County for almost twenty years, and this handy guide and history of fourteen gentle hikes was still a surprise for me! I will treasure this as a resource for when friends visit and want to enjoy a walk in Butterfly Town, USA, that few out-of-towners and locals know about!

What a delightful exploration of this pretty city! Most guide books are helpful but uninspiring. This is a dear meandering through PG's many byways written and illustrated by authors who love the town. If you were to walk each of the 14 little treks and read the description, you would learn all about the history of the area, the natives who settled here first, the various waves of exploiters and settlers who followed and most importantly, you would learn of the wildlife that has been populating the area long before humans found this natural paradise. This book is packed with information that will make your trip to Monterey Bay and Pacific Grove rewarding and informative.