Moon Handbooks Northern California (Paperback)

~ Kim Weir (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

If you're planning a family camping vacation in the Coastal Redwoods, a romantic weekend of culinary delicacies and drink in the Wine Country, or a rigorous hiking trip in the Sierra Nevada, Moon Handbooks Northern California provides all the essentials you need and want. Detailing the entire region-the Del Norte-Humboldt Coast, Mendocino and Sonoma Coasts, Sonoma and Napa Valley, Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, the San Francisco Bay Area, Monterey Bay and Peninsula, and the Central Coast-the updated fourth edition offers coverage of major cities and attractions, as well as undiscovered gems. Acclaimed California travel author Kim Weir provides fresh coverage of outdoor recreation, entertainment, events, accommodation, and dining options for all tastes and budgets, along with color maps, photos and illustrations, and an in-depth look at regional history and culture. From the trails of Mount Shasta to the finish line of the World Championship Cross-Country Kinetic Sculpture Race, Moon Handbooks Northern California will help you find the perfect destination.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1000 pages
• Publisher: Avalon Travel Publishing; 4th edition (April 20, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566915554
• ISBN-13: 978-1566915557
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #539,391 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best One-Stop Guidebook for Northern California, July 5, 2000

By	"sfodxp" (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Moon Handbooks: Northern California (3rd Ed.) (Paperback)

As a busy parent of three children, I am always on the look out for new weekend adventures--this book has it all. It gives great history, detail, local color, places and events...even usable local area maps.

With listings by regions, Kim Weir has a succinct novelists eye for what makes Northern California beat. Makes great reading...I keep this large 1000 page pocket book at my nightstand to read colorful stories about places I might someday visit. Equally compact, I then load the book in my car for ready reference to see what's hot whereever we roam.

Written with the insight of Mark Twain, this is an excellent source for anyone wanting to capture the diversity of Northern California at it's greatest. Lot's of fun. Quite readible. Full of nice pictures.

Well worth the $ for the new 2000 edition. Congrats to Moon Press for another winner. Please keep those updates comming.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pricey But Indispensable, January 19, 2006

By	Bookman (California USA) - See all my reviews

If you're only going to buy one NorCal travel guide, Moon Handbooks Northern California is it. It covers sites, lodging & camping, eateries, and more, all in a down-to-earth style, giving you tips and insights you won't find in typical guidebooks. I've owned each edition, and each one has taken a physical beating because I live in Northern California, I keep this guide in the car at all times, and I refer to it frequently.

The newest edition (4th) is an improvement over the 3rd, beyond the innumerable updates. The listings now include web addresses for the first time. In addition, open the book to any page (in the middle 80%) and the book will lie flat, so you can write notes at a table without having to hold the book open with your hand. Moreover, the paper is thinner, so the book is thinner (and therefore easier to work with), even though the 4th edition contains more pages. These last two points might seem minor, but when you're traveling, you're more likely to refer to a book that isn't a pain in the butt to use.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Out of date listings, but good general info, August 13, 2003

By	Ockeghem "lslouffm" (Vancouver, BC Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Moon Handbooks: Northern California (3rd Ed.) (Paperback)

In general I like the Moon Guides. I appreciate them for the practical, honest advice about attractions -- if it's a tourist trap, they'll tell it as it is. -- and the mix of both high- and low-end restaurants and hotels. However, this particular guide has become obsolete very quickly. I used it for my trip down the California coast this July. In general, the information about attractions was mostly valid (prices were off), but I found myself repeatedly driving to restaurants listed in the guide that had since closed. Two different restaurants in the Redwoods that the guide said would be serving dinner were closed or out of business. In the end, we had to keep driving the highway and looking at every exit for restaurants not listed in the guide. Our experiences all the way down the coast as far as Big Sur were similar. If you buy this guide, you'll have to supplement it with another book for the hotel and restaurant listings.