Hiking the Road to Ruins

Book excerpt: In this user-friendly, beautifully illustrated, and occasionally eccentric guidebook, David A. Steinberg blazes the trail to more than twenty unusual landmarks and hard-to-find destinations-all within a two-hour drive of New York City. Geared for the experienced hiker or camping adventurer, the book includes hikes to a variety of urban ruins, including a World War II-era air force base, a vacant dairy farm, pine plantations, abandoned quarries, tunnels, cemeteries, and iron mines. Each chapter contains detailed directions, a hand-drawn map, suggestions for the optimal time and season to visit, and GPS coordinates to specific sites. Bringing fifteen years of experience as a leader of hikes, Steinberg leaves no part of the trip unplanned. He even suggests ideal conditions for the outing. An overcast day, for instance, sets up the haunted atmosphere appropriate for visiting a water tower in Mountainside, New Jersey, that has links to a murder-suicide in the 1970s. For less experienced hikers, the guide also includes a chapter on equipment and safety, detailed instructions on how to program a hand-held Global Positioning System receiver, and a glossary of terms. Both a practical guide and a creative chronicle, this book is bound to please hikers and history buffs alike.