Moon California Camping: The Complete Guide to More Than 1,400 Tent and RV Campgrounds (Moon Outdoors) [Paperback]

Tom Stienstra (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 24, 2009 | Series: Moon Outdoors

Tom Stienstra, the nation’s top-selling outdoors writer, invites you to spend the night under the stars with the latest edition of Moon California Camping. Extremely comprehensive and packed with useful information, Moon California Camping covers more than 1,500 camping options throughout the state, from sites nestled among towering redwoods to remote backcountry destinations in the High Sierra to sun-drenched, beach-side campgrounds. Detailed descriptions, directions, contact information, and Tom’s signature “scenic rating” are provided for each site. Tom also includes lists of the best campgrounds, such as Best for Hikes with Views and Best Family Destinations, as well as sixty pages of helpful camping tips. With Moon California Camping , seasoned outdoors enthusiasts and camping novices alike can experience the best of the great outdoors in the Golden State.

* The detail map on page 361 (Map 6.1, Tahoe and the Northern Sierra) has been updated. Download a printable version on the California Camping page at Moon.com.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

For 30 years, Tom Stienstra's full-time job has been to capture and communicate the outdoor experience. This has led him across California - fishing, hiking, camping, boating, biking, and flying - searching for the best of the outdoors and then writing about it.

Tom is the nation's top-selling author of outdoors guidebooks. He has been inducted into the California Outdoor Hall of Fame and has twice been awarded National Outdoor Writer of the Year, newspaper division, by the Outdoor Writers Association of America. He has also been named California Outdoor Writer of the Year five times, most recently in 2007. Tom is the outdoors columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle; his articles appear on SFGate and in newspapers around the country. He broadcasts a weekly radio show on KCBS-San Francisco and hosts an outdoor television show on CBS/CW San Francisco.

Tom lives with his wife and sons in Northern California.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 944 pages
• Publisher: Avalon Travel Publishing; 16th Edition edition (March 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1598800965
• ISBN-13: 978-1598800968
• Product Dimensions: 1.2 x 5.4 x 8.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #108,416 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #9 in Books > Travel > United States > California > General
  • #99 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Hiking & Camping > Camping

More About the Author

Tom Stienstra is best known as the outdoors writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, and in 2008, won first place for best outdoors column in America. He is America's first Back Country Sportsman of the Year, and the only two-time National Outdoor Writer of the year.
His books include California Camping, twice awarded by Amazon as No. 1 best seller of the year, parks and recreation. His television show on CBS/CW won first place as America's best outdoor recreation show, and his radio show won first place in 2010 for best environmental feature show in America.
In 2013, he published his first novel, "The Sweet Redemption, An Inspector Korg Mystery."
Tom has hiked 25,000 miles, caught world-record fish, led dozens of expeditions and taken part in all phases of the outdoor experience. He was the fourth living member inducted into the California Outdoors Hall of Fame.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Moon publishing versus Foghorn Press August 8, 2007

By Laurel Johnson

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have been a fan of Tom Stienstra's California Camping book for over 12 years. First purchased the 8th Edition from Foghorn Press. This particular edition from Moon is not nearly as well set up as the Foghorn Press editions.

The individuals maps are not as detailed, and much smaller print is used. The gridded "Chapter Reference Map" at the beginning of the Foghorn edition has now been replaced by a "California Regions" map not as useful. Foghorn edition also had a "Chapter Features" list of each numbered and named campground on each map, this is missing in the Moon edition. The foghorn edition also had a foldout California map in the back, quite useful if you forget to bring a map and this is also missing in the Moon edition.

As the previous reviewer took exception to the "Scenic ratings" this was not an issue for me personally as this is only a subjective classification. What might be a 5 for some, might be a 10 for someone else. Beauty after all IS in the eye of the beholder. Over the years I have seen many classify McArthur Burney Falls as a beautiful place. I was there once it was hot, dusty, not much of a falls and in my humble opinion not very pretty at all. Anyway, you get my point on that, I would never visit a place solely based on someones view of it.

All in all the Moon edition is useful if you have nothing else, but I for one am glad I retained my old Foghorn Press 11th edition, and oh Tom, if you happen to read this, please go back to Foghorn, and that format for the next edition

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Definitive Guide to California Camping May 9, 2007

By Fritz R. Ward TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Tom Steinstra is one of the most enjoyable outdoor writers California has produced. Reading his work is simply a treat. He is at once amusing, self deprecating, and, most important, thorough and accurate. This new edition of California Camping combines the best of his writing in one volume and should be your first resource when looking to camp throughout the state.

Besides a must read introduction covering such topics as how to avoid getting blisters and getting lost, strategies for keeping camping costs down, and how to limit bear access to your precious food supply, this book covers nearly every campground in the state from the Redwoods in Northern California to the Anza Borrego Desert in San Diego County. The book is divided into chapters, each of which covers a unique geographical province of the state. (These provinces match those found in Steinstra's popular book 'California Hiking' coauthored by Ann Marie Brown.) Each campground description includes a set of icons detailing nearby activities such as fishing, hiking, hunting, mountain biking, and swimming. The description also includes a list of scenic highlights near each camp. Finally, driving directions and the fees you can expect to pay are included. (Note: fees at state parks in particular go up regularly. Some prices listed will be outdated shortly after publication.)

Some people have had a few problems with previous editions of this book. There is, for example, considerable disagreement over the "scenic" ratings Stienstra assigns to each campground. I think these are for the most part accurate, though one could always quibble with the details. (In Humbolt Redwoods State Park, for example, I would rate Burlington an 8 and Albee Creek a 7: Steinstra reverses these ratings....) As a rule of thumb, the more urban the site is, the lower the scenic rating. A KOA near a city will not get as nice a rating as a state park. Readers should be aware that noise level is not included in the scenic rating, and this can detract from the experience. To his credit, Steinstra notes locations where readers of past editions have complained about noise level.

For me, the main benefit of this book is that it lists numerous free forest service and BLM campgrounds. Camping fees have gone up exponentially in the last few years (along with the cost of gas to get to the campgrounds.) I really appreciate Steinstra's careful listing of the obscure and remote campgrounds that are still available at no charge throughout the state. Although free, they are priceless, and readers looking for a nice base camp in California's many wilderness areas will find this book very useful. But then again, if you are looking for a place to park your RV or trailer, this book is also helpful. One of the great joys of comprehensive guides is that they contain something for everyone. Unlike most such books, this one is also very readable. Be sure to get it and have fun exploring this great state. Read more ›

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Insufficient Information, caters primarily to RV users May 26, 2010

By Cali Hiker

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

The author mentions the trails to, from, and around the sites. Rarely was I able to find information about the length of hikes that were referenced in the book. For example, the "Fisherman's Hike In" on p. 781 says "Get here and you join the 5 percent club......it's worth the significant effort to get here." How many miles is it? What can I expect? "Difficult" and "significant effort" are subjective. For one to plan their trip, they'd need factual, verifiable information. This is completely unacceptable and insufficient.

The title of the book is hugely misleading. The primary emphasis is on RV "camping" and RV campgrounds. When perusing the LA and San Diego areas, I only found a handful that were for ONLY tent camping/hiking. And those that are listed often don't give you the mileage. (As I referenced in my second point.)

I was disappointed with this purchase. I'd return it, but the shipping would be almost as much as the book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars sorry, but not very helpful. August 7, 2012

By Nicholas Clifford

Format:Paperback

very disappointed, while I appreciate it would be very difficult to give a detailed description of each site this book provided absolutely nothing except a scenic rating. That's it !! Hopeless unless you don't really care much about things like ... how big are the sites? how close are they ? is there much shade? are bears a big problem? etc etc
just look up this books details on places that you have stayed and see how helpful they are to a new camper.
I'm sick of campgrounds with tiny "lots" and neighbors literally feet away. There are plenty of great campgrounds out there, this book does little to help you find them.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars most comprehensive February 16, 2010

By kur-v

Format:Paperback

I have completely worn out several earlier editions of this book. There are not long descriptions of each
campground. Nor does it tell you the best sight in individual campgrounds. But it has every campground in California as far as I can tell. It does have scenic ratings which is important to me. Tom Stienstra is utterly thorough. The only problem is the california economy, It now costs 35 to 50 dollars a night to camp in a state park. That certainly isn't the fault of the book though, and the book might just help you avoid one of those overpriced overcrowded place. Stick to national parks and forest, or locally run parks.