Customer Reviews

Backcountry Adventures: Southern California

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The best book for beginners. Gives ratings and some pictures for all the trails, so you know what to expect. Probably not a whole lot for more advanced off-roaders, but then they probably won't be reading this book anyway. I recommend this book for anybody with an SUV who wants to use it off-highway. The only downside of this book is the detail maps of the trails. For some reason, they couldn't agree on which way to point North(usually north is up in all other maps) so sometimes you have to turn the book sideways to the right or left to get your bearings. Also, not much detail on the maps themselves, so sometimes you really dont' know where you are in relation to the surrounding area. But they give plenty of detail in the driving directions, so you almost don't need the map. Best book I've ever bought, anyone who likes to adventure outdoors should buy this. You don't even need an SUV on the easier trails.

First thing that hits you is the heft of this book. It is large and heavy, but that just tantalizes you of what lies beyond the cover. It is full of so much information about southern California's backcountry you could spend hours and hours reading. But this book is to be used as a guide for exploring. And guide you it does. The maps, descriptions and details are excellent for each trail. The history section is great and my family and I even used this book to identify plants from its full color photos on our last outing. For anyone wanting to explore dirt trails in So Cal, from mild ones not really needing 4 wheel drive to more difficult ones, this book is for you. Rock crawlers need not apply, but for the other 99% of us with 4x SUV's this book is perfect!

The latest volume in Swagman Publishing's impressive "Backcountry Adventures" series, Peter Massey and Jeanne Wilson's Southern California truly lives up to its subtitle description as being the ultimate guide to the backcountry for anyone with a sport utility vehicle. Detailed information and directions are provided for over 2,970 miles of SUV trails throughout southern California's backcountry, along with relevant instruction on how to enjoy off road experiences with minimal environmental impact travel. Step-by-step route directions for 153 scenic drives (rated from easy to challenging), range from the mountain regions of Big Sur through the Mojave Desert, and Death Valley. Profusely illustrated with hundreds of photos of frontier towns, historic mining operations, old railroad routes, windflowers, and native animals, Southern California also offers engaging accounts of Spanish missionaries, eager prospectors, and more. An ideal trip planning resource, Southern California is also highly recommended for campers, anglers, hikers, mountain bikers, snowmobilers, wildlife enthusiasts, amateur prospectors, and outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds.

This book is awesome. It has a lot of trails an accurate descriptions. Really a good book; but - why didn't they make a better table of contents with high-level maps? Also, the GPS coordinates are accurate, but are not reported as "way-points" on the map, making it harder to understand where they are. I ended up processing the maps manually each time before the trip, reporting. Also, a download-able version of the GPS way-points would have been interesting for a book like this.

I bought this, and another book about place to go off-roading in so-cal. This book is like the bible of southern California.
Not only does it have extensive trail location and info, it is a virtual encyclopedia of So-Cals towns, cities, how they got their start. In addition it has extensive info on native species, of plants and animals, important founders of California, and much more. I would definitely recommend it.

I've been using this book for close to a couple years now. While I don't consider myself a novice to off-roading, I definitely don't fall into the rock-crawling group, preferring to use my 4x4 to simply get me to new and out-of-the-way places when time permits. Thus far it has proven to be an excellent resource for quick weekend off-roading getaways and for reading up on new trails to explore. In fact, I've enjoyed this book so much I wound up buying two others as gifts for family and friends. The photos and overviews of each trail definitely help give a good feel for what to expect. If you're a techno-geek like me, being able to plot a computer-generated map using the detailed GPS coordinates will prove highly invaluable (though I have discovered a few critical--though easily identifiable and correctable--errors in the coordinates), and with a handheld GPS I don't need to worry about the often-unusual orientation of the printed maps. For those of us who love exploring, this book will make a fantastic resource.