Customer Reviews

California Camping, New 1996-1997: The Complete Guide (1996/97)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's rather amazing how a book that has so many facts in it can be so consistently limited in its ability to capture the really important stuff about a place. Two summers ago we used it to pick campgrounds on our trip down the coast from San Francisco to Los Angeles and were disappointed to find coastal campgrounds that rated an "8" on Stienstra's scale, only to find that they were essentially located in the middle of parking lots. True, the book says that the number represents only a "scenic rating," but you'd think that campground's immediate surroundings might merit a mention.

Likewise, I just returned from a trip up north where I'd planned to stay with my two kids at a campground that Stienstra rated a "7" and had a description that stated it was "within easy reach of I-80 yet is in a beautiful setting"... with a "gorgeous stream." In fact it was in such easy reach of the freeway that you could literally see and hear the cars and trucks passing two stone's throws away. Was that mentioned? No. Is that my idea of a campground worth going to? Absolutely not.

If you want a book that simply tells you how to get to a certain campground, what amenities are available, whether dogs are permitted, costs, reservation information, etc., this book is exhaustive in its scope and undoubtedly useful. But don't, don't, don't, rely on it to give you a sense of the place. There are much better books out there for that. One we like: "Northern California's Best Family Campgrounds," by Roland de Wolk (Chronicle Books).

I have owned several editions of this book and have passed the old ones on to family and friends. Just the intro is wonderful for people starting to camp. (Key piece of advise from Tom - Schedule your camping time just like you schedule anything else, otherwise it won't happen.) It's fun to check out nearby campgrounds when you bring the book camping with you. I have enjoyed many nights turning the pages and deciding where to camp next. There are books like this for other states, but the California book is the gold stadard. The book will never be 100% accurate, but that's the nature of the beast. It would be great if this info was on a website with amazon-like feedback and google earth views of the campground, photos and maps -- plus a way to access it all in your car! Until then, this is the best. Get his California Hiking book, too. Thanks for writing them and keeping them up to date, Tom! They have lead to many wonderful, memorable trips and hikes for me, my wife and my camping buddies of various ages over many years.

I can't speak for the person who disagreed with some of the ratings. In my experience, this is an invaluable reference, and the personal descriptions of each campground are extremely helpful. Few references will go the extra mile to provide ratings and personal observations about each site like this one does. It's clear that the author has actually visited most of these sites, which is not always the case. It's a great book, and the anecdotes & camping advice in the introduction are very well-written. This book covers every kind of campsite in California, from hike-in primitive sites to RV parking lots. I highly recommend it.

Maybe this Foghorn publication, California Camping by Tom Steinstra, is the bible of camping, at least for California, but it probably needs another good scrubbing or at least an editor. I have purchased this book twice, 03 and 05 editions, and a few things changed, e.g., when the listing for Palomar Mtn SP mentioned that Reserve America honored this park as one its Top 200 Family Campgrounds. This was a nice addendum to the last edition. But, in some cases, the editors, more than Steinstra, need to make the rounds, at least at the more popular sites. For example, California Camping mentions that El Capitan SB has one of the "best fishing" sites, but from what we have understood over the last few years is that fishing no longer even takes place in the nearby stream - due mostly to drought. Though, if someone said El Capitan is the best for Dolphin watching that would be entirely accurate. Also, Tillie Creek is rated "9" for scenery, apparently, but all the upper front and near the lake sites were closed this year not to mention there is no "creek running" in the summer. However, this book has proven over and over to be accurate in about 90% plus of its content which is great when you have kids. A couple of suggestions might help if, for example, in addition to the scenery rating, could there just be an overall rating, i.e. 1-10 based on Steinstra's standards or the type of campground? And, could the editors create a means by which campers and readers could report their findings back to the publisher? Could the editors make sure to get an accurate update from park rangers, agencies, and private campsites for any basic changes that might have occurred? Okay, so no matter what I say, California Camping is probably the best camping guide out there, in my opinion. I just would like author, editor, and publisher to make it a bit more current and relevent for the next edition, which, of course,I will most likely purchase.

I have actually purchased this book twice now, once about 10 years ago and it was the best book then! then I lost the book in the Cedar fire in 2003. Now we are ready to go camping again, so what book did I look for? That's right, the Complete Guide but realized it had been burned like all the others. So I quickly purchased it again, and upon its receipt and review am amazed at all the new campsites he has added and all the fantastic information! The one thing I miss-all my notes I had made in the other book! Oh well, time to start the new one!

As indicated by other reviewers, the Foghorn (Moon) series of campground guides is not without flaws. Even so, we know of no directories which do a better job of addressing campground aesthetics than these wonderful guides. In our experience, the look and feel of a campground is often the single greatest factor influencing the quality of a camping experience . . . and the factor totally ignored by nearly all other campground guides.

There are a number of directories which rate facilities, provide directions, tell you how to make reservations and give you an idea of the cost for a night's stay in a specific campground. This series gives similar basic information and then goes beyond that. The Foghorn (Moon)guides actually give you a feel of what it is like to stay in a specific campground - a bit of a narrative description and a "scenic beauty rating" for each campground plus information about nearby recreation opportunities. We like that a lot.

Have we found instances where we liked a campground more or less than the book's author? Of course. Tastes differ and things change over time. Even so, we would rather have an admittedly subjective rating of a campground's intangibles than to have nothing to go on but a recitation of facts and figures.

Are the Foghorn (Moon) Outdoors the only guides we carry? No. But they are ALWAYS the first place we turn when selecting a destination campground.

We used the Foghorn Series to plan a trip up "The One". We camped three different nights and had a great experience at all of them. The book did an excellent job of describing the locations and each was exactly as described. One night we camped on the beach, another in a eucalyptus grove and the last in a stand of redwoods--it breathtaking and offered a diverse range of camping experiences. As visitors from Colorado we didn't know anything about camping in California and we an excellent experience due to the information outlined in the book.

We used this book in order to find a campsite on the most difficult weekend of the year (July 4th). It worked for us, we loved the out of the way camp we were directed to, and the interesting activities it recommended for the area. My husband and I will be relying on this book whenever we camp in this state.

We have used this book for years and glad to see a new addition in print. Book is accurate in detail and description.

Well organized and full of details. Tom Stienstra enjoys the outdoors. His years of camping experience provide details on what there is to do and why anyone would want to go to an area, in additions to accurate details about what facilities are there.