California Desert Byways: 68 of California's Best Backcountry Drives [Spiral-bound]

Tony Huegel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 21, 2006

Presents 65 desert trips from Bishop to the Mexican border, including expanded coverage of popular destinations such as Death Valley National Park, Mojave National Preserve, and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. This book makes high-walled canyons, lonely ghost towns, and soaring peaks from Mexico to the Great Basin easily accessible to recreational drivers. Tony Huegel’s glove-box-sized Byways have been leading drivers to the hidden surprises found along unpaved backroads for more than 10 years. These books are for recreational drivers who want to use their four-wheel-drive or sport-utility vehicle beyond the pavement to explore, but who might not want to do hard-core or lengthy off-road driving. They are also for adventurers who use these trips as jumping-off points for muscle-powered exploration, such as hiking and mountain biking.

Product Details

• Spiral-bound: 200 pages
• Publisher: Wilderness Press; 3rd edition (December 21, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0899974139
• ISBN-13: 978-0899974132
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #86,055 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sightseeing by Car and ...., March 24, 2008

By 

Fritz R. Ward "dayhiker" (Crestline, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: California Desert Byways: 68 of California's Best Backcountry Drives (Spiral-bound)

California has some of the most stunning desert landscape in the west. At once stark and beautiful, it takes some getting used to. My own first experience in the California desert came at the age of 5 on a trip to Death Valley with my family. I have few memories of that visit, none happy, but now when I visit Death Valley, Anza Borrego State Park, and sections of the Mojave National Preserve, I am simply mesmerized by the scenery. The best way to see this landscape for yourself is to hit the trail, especially during the spring wildflower bloom. However, the area is so vast that you need an auto to get there and for some desert enthusiasts, touring backcountry roads by vehicle becomes an end unto itself. This is the target group for Tony Huegel's book California Desert Byways, now in its third edition.

Huegel frankly admits that in his younger days he preferred backpacking and mountain biking to taking his Toyota 4Runner out over barely marked routes and seeing what he could find. But as he aged and time and energy both seemed in short supply, touring backcountry routes has gradually become his preferred mode of travel. This book offers some practical advice (how to dig your vehicle out, and how much water you should have in reserve in case you need to dig your vehicle out), discusses the varying park rules and regulations for off (paved) road travel, and most importantly offers detailed route descriptions for 68 desert "tours." GPS coordinates in latitude and longitude are also included.

I have mixed feelings about this approach to desert touring. Like the author, I am starting to get on in years. Middle age and weight gain mean some activities just are not as easy as they used to be. And the desert is so vast, with so few destinations along paved routes, that I can appreciate what this book is trying to do: namely giving people access to our public lands that they might otherwise be excluded from. Indeed, I was pleased to find that many of Huegel's routes can be accessed in a passenger car. (I know because I have driven several of these routes in a fuel efficient compact.) To his credit, the author gives many options for exploration outside the car on almost every route he describes.

So in the final analysis, I am recommending this book. Huegel has done a great job of describing access routes for all parts of the California desert. The routes he describes range from easy dirt roads through the Alabama Hills outside Lone Pine to the historic Mojave Road. Other favorites Huegel includes are the Saline Valley and the Geology Tour in Joshua Tree. Literally anyone looking for new places to explore can find something of value in this book. But if you are going to make auto touring your primary means of desert exploration, be sure to take advantage of the many options Huegel includes for camping, hiking, and photography. And be sure to stick to the described routes. The desert has enough dangers without including getting lost or stuck away from any roads or help. And whatever you do, remember your car is a means to an end, not the end itself.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good guide but not 4x4 trails, April 10, 2010

By 

Reviewer (Orange County, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: California Desert Byways: 68 of California's Best Backcountry Drives (Spiral-bound)

Guide for dirt roads off the beaten trail but not for 4x4 trails. Any high clearance vehicle should be able to travel most of the trips. Look for another book for 4WD treks.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, take the family on a trip or escape to desert solitude, April 9, 2010

By 

ETAV8R (Orange County, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: California Desert Byways: 68 of California's Best Backcountry Drives (Spiral-bound)

This is a great book for anyone who wishes to venture into the deserts of California. I also use a Nat/Geo map for their detail. Go on an adventure!