OAHU TRAILBLAZER

Where to Hike, Snorkel, Surf from Honolulu to the North Shore

6x9, 256 pages, softbound, published November 2005
ISBN 0-9670072-8-3, $15.95

Oahu Trailblazer is essential gear for independent travelers. Readers are escorted not only to all of the island’s glittery attractions, but also to the jungle waterfalls, panoramic ridges, and ancient sites that are off most tourists’ radar. Veteran authors Jerry and Janine Sprout have again delivered their personal touch, with concise, well-organized text, and a gallery of photographs that are the trademark of their Trailblazer series. Adventurers won’t get bogged down in tourist traps or hopelessly lost trying to find the hidden spots.

All the landmarks are covered, such as historic Honolulu, Waikiki, Diamond Head, and Pearl Harbor, as well as the surfing beaches at Waimea, Sunset, and the Banzai Pipeline on the North Shore. Oahu Trailblazer gives vital tips for visiting the popular Hanauma Bay snorkeling preserve, as well as directions to dozens of other snorkeling spots, including the “secret” coves used by tour companies. For hikers, Trailblazer is a gold mine, loaded with well over 100 outings for all experience levels. Included are miles-long beach walks, botanical garden strolls, rainforest treks, and full-on day hikes to waterfalls and summits. Accenting the text are the treasures that reveal the true Hawaii: Bishop Museum, Iolani Palace, Polynesian Cultural Center, heiaus (temples) and other cultural sites, plantation villages, quaint churches, and Chinatown. Oahu Trailblazer makes the island come alive.

The guide’s “Strategies for Visiting Oahu” will be welcome advice for anyone joining the crowds on this metropolis in the middle of the Pacific. Among the extras are handpicked accommodations, a full menu of restaurants, local contacts, safety precautions, and how to pack for the trip. On a vacation to Oahu, Jerry and Janine Sprout’s Trailblazer will be “with you every step of the way."

Veteran travel writers Jerry and Janine Sprout have been exploring Hawaii and the American West for more than twenty years. They have lived on all the Hawaiian Islands and personally hiked and photographed all the places in this book, selected the accommodations and restaurants. Their books have been featured in Sunset and Islands magazines, the Honolulu Star Bulletin and the San Francisco Chronicle. They have authored three other best-selling Hawaiian guides—for Kauai, Hawaii and Maui—as well as their classic Alpine SierraTrailblazer which covers the area from Tahoe to Yosemite, and Golden Gate Trailblazer, for San Francisco and Marin.