Reddit reviews Hiking California's Trinity Alps Wilderness: A Guide To The Area's Greatest Hiking Adventures (Regional Hiking Series)

I just came back from Trinity and... hot damn... I'm still in shock. What a beautiful place.

First and foremost, I found my way around a weeks worth of hiking without much use of the map. I definitely studied the area intensely, so had a great base of knowledge, but didn't really have to pull the map many times. Just a comment on the nature of the area, the identifiable peaks, valleys, rivers, etc.

Next, I recommend Gaia GPS or a similar app. Allows for offline/airplane mode GPS tracking. You can preupload your tracks (aka find GPS tracks of the trails you want to do) so they are all there for you offline while hiking. The app allows you to real-time track your location over detailed topography maps.

Next, I used the guidebook: https://www.amazon.com/Hiking-Californias-Trinity-Alps-Wilderness/dp/0762741236/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500325959&sr=8-1&keywords=trinity+alps

Made copies to place in a ziplock, as well as took pics with my phone. But just like studying for a test and making a cheat sheet, I was able to navigate the area without much need for further guidance. That being said, the guidebook contains essential information if you're new to the area, such as water sources, where to camp, how to approach when scrambling off trail...

The conditions are perfect there right now!!! Have a great time! I'm still reeling from my experience

There's a loop NE of the Stuart Fork that would probably be a different experience. It's more up and down, but you get a bit higher and look down into some of the big canyons. It's probably harder than it looks on the map, but with a few days you could probably do it. Not sure how the dog would do, some of it is trails graded for stock and some of it is basically no trail.

http://caltopo.com/m/5FN0

I originially found it here: https://amzn.com/0762741236