Goldfield Mountain Hikes: Book Reminds People to Go on a Hike

As we head into autumn in Arizona, it's a good time to remember that Arizona's autumns are similar to other regions' early summers or springs without the rain. The weather is comfortable, usually in the 70s or 80s, and sunny. The autumns are the perfect time to get out of the house, take a drive and go on a hike. While I am not a hiker myself, Ted Tenny's book, Goldfield Mountain Hikes, will make anyone want to hike those mountains.

Besides detailing every hike taken in the Goldfield Mountains, Tenny provides maps, pictures and descriptions that make readers believe they are on those hikes too. He provides practical advice if someone wanted to hike those mountains and provides compass directions and global positioning system coordinates. He even highlights some mistakes he made to prevent novices from making those same mistakes. He leads novices and readers through washes and dry streams, around bushes, through canyons and prickly plant life and along ridges. He points out landmarks and elevations. He also points out how to locate something familiar if hikers get lost.

The Goldfield Mountains are in the Tonto National Forest, near Apache Junction and the historic town of Goldfield. Hikers in the Goldfield Mountains often can see the Superstition Mountains, which are more common hiking spots. Tenny compares the two mountain ranges many times throughout the book.

Because Goldfield Mountains are not hiked as much, Tenny recommends novices to stay on trails as much as possible and go on easier hikes. He has rated hikes in his books as easy, moderate or difficult. The difficult, or advanced hikes, are usually off trail and recommended only for serious hikers that hike frequently. However, he lists plenty of hikes for novices or those that don't hike that often. None of the hikes are recommended for children in his book because there are some dangers.