Customer Reviews

California Coastal Byways: Backcountry Drives for the Whole Family (Backcountry Byways)

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

 

 

Who'd ever think that California, of all places, would have so many beautiful little dirt roads through the coastal mountains? It was such a pleasant surprise to see so much of wild, old California still in existence, thanks to this book and my Toyota 4Runner. At last, a guide for the non-hard-core four-wheeler!

The spiral binding of this paperback may not make it accessible for library lending, but individuals seeking a family driving guide for backcountry California will find it wonderful. California Coastal Byways covers roads from the Oregon border to San Diego, focussing on the coastal Route 1 and offroad between this and 101. It's easy to look at the general map, choose a specific region, then read the different trip descriptions which include notes for car, bicycle and stops along the way, maps needed and how to get there. Highly recommended for any California resident or visitor who enjoys rural back roads explorations.

As new owners of a 4x4 SUV, we bought this book as a guide for weekend off-roading. We have done a few of the trails in San Diego and found Tony's book to be informative; with times, highlights of the trail by mile, and any cautions needed. However,'El Nino' has changed some terrain since the 1995 printing. We found some trails designated "easy" are now "moderate", etc., according to Tony's definitions. Great resource for finding those dirt roads and heading off into nature!

Living in California, I never knew there were so many great places to drive my SUV. The trail descriptions in California Coastal Byways are extremely accurate, concise and helpful. I liked the photographs because they give a perspective on a tour. The list of resources, parks and places of interest in the back of the book is invaluable. I wish I had time to go on all the drives. Good job.