Customer Reviews

Cycling USA: West Coast (Lonely Planet Cycling Guides)

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

 

 

I don't know how well this book handles Oregon and Washington, but the Southern California section is outstanding -- meticulous attention to detail both in terms of road info and in terms of background on towns and accommodations. Also, there is tons of fascinating stuff here on local natural history, place-specific cultural lore, and interesting goings-on, all worth many times the price of the book. The writers seem to be in love with this part of the world, and their enjoyment of it is contagious. For anyone planning to ride along the part of the coast south of San Francisco (including Catalina Island), you will be missing out on a lot of useful information if you don't get hold of this gem. ENJOY!!

Interesting guide book. The routes are well explained and detailed enough to not let you worry about getting lost. Well worth the money

I was looking for something with more depth. This scratches a very broad surface of the more popular rides. One can get much of this info on the Internet, perhaps making this book obsolete.

i bought this book a few years ago in preparation for a seattle to san francisco bike trip i was planning. i did not make it all the way, only about 300 miles due to an old bicycling injury acting up (my trip ended in manzanita, oregon) but i was pretty shocked at how easy this book made all my travelling, especially if used with a bike computer. i'd never used a cycle computer with a book and was pretty skeptical about how accurate they would work together. happily i only got lost a couple times, which is amazing for a trip of this stature.

there are many accurate and helpful maps and endless notes on places to stay and eat and see whether you want to rough it or not. there are even some terrific sections on bike maintenance and healthy eating habits for avid bicyclists. i'm planning another trip this year to finish the journey i started last year and i'm definitely using this guide again simply because i know i can trust it for all my needs. don't even think about biking the west coast without it!

the only reason i gave it four stars is because they haven't updated it since it was first published in 2002 so i'm sure there are a few things out of date. lonely planet discontinued this series for some odd reason, which is a shame considering how helpful i've found them. good luck!