At 9,002 feet, the tallest peak in the Trinity Alps of northwestern California hardly compares to the High Sierras; but when solitude is important, such comparisons are meaningless anyway. As the authors gladly point out in their introduction to this assortment of 32 different day hikes and backpacking trips, "Bigger is not necessarily better." With scores of glacier-gouged alpine lakes, deep conifer forests, rushing coastal streams and waterfalls, and rolling meadows, the Trinity Alps are a gorgeous--if understated--destination for wilderness enthusiasts. And like other Wilderness Press hiking guides, this one comes not only with trail descriptions, but also with chapters on the area"s natural history, human history, climate, and wildlife, as well as a foldout topographic map.