Foghorn Outdoors California Camping: The Complete Guide to More Than 1,500 Tent and RV Campgrounds [Paperback]

Tom Stienstra (Author)

Book Description

Series: Foghorn Outdoors | Publication Date: February 4, 2005

Covering every worthwhile destination in California, this is the camper's guide to finding the best spots in the Golden State. Families, day-trippers, and seasoned campers looking for a change of pace will all find the perfect campground among the options selected by renowned outdoor enthusiast Tom Stienstra. Destinations vary from the Mojave Desert in the south to Redwood forests in the north, and beaches along the Central Coast. This guidebook provides updated, easy-to-use region and trail maps, descriptive keynotes for every geographical region, and facility and fee information. Detailed descriptions let campers know when they're near a waterfall, scenic overlook, or wildflower field. Foghorn Outdoors California Camping has the details on the best California camping available.

Product Details

• Paperback: 936 pages
• Publisher: Avalon Travel Publishing; 14th edition (February 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566916879
• ISBN-13: 978-1566916875
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #138,079 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #50 in Books > Travel > United States > States > California
  • #66 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Hiking & Camping > Camping
  • #93 in Books > Travel > Reference & Tips > Food & Lodging > Parks & Campgrounds

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Encyclopaedic but uninformative, September 4, 2005

By 

Misha Weidman "mishman" (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Foghorn Outdoors California Camping: The Complete Guide to More Than 1,500 Tent and RV Campgrounds (Paperback)

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).

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You gotta have it!, November 9, 2006

By 

Bill Staley (Santa Monica, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Foghorn Outdoors California Camping: The Complete Guide to More Than 1,500 Tent and RV Campgrounds (Paperback)

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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive and personal, August 25, 2006

By 

Carl J. Jonard (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Foghorn Outdoors California Camping: The Complete Guide to More Than 1,500 Tent and RV Campgrounds (Paperback)

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.