Guide to Southern California Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Like so many people, I bought my first four-wheel-drive SUV for practical reasons-more cargo room and good traction in bad weather..." (more)
Key Phrases: reset your odometer, hardcore trails, green sticker vehicles, Waypoint Coordinates, Ocotillo Wells, Big Bear Lake (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

I've lived in Big Bear 40 years and still haven't seen everthing. This book takes the work out of exploring our mountains. -- Greg Hoffman, OHV Coordinator, San Bernadino National Forest

I've lived in Big Bear 40 years and still haven't seen everthing. This book takes the work out of exploring our mountains. --Greg Hoffman, OHV Coordinator, San Bernadino National Forest

Product Description

A clear, concise guide to southern California's remote backcountry. Book includes 75 trails with detailed directions, GPS waypoints, 86 custom maps and over 340 quality photos. Sport utility owners will enjoy 50 easy and moderate routes to incredible scenic backcountry locations. Serious 4-wheelers will love our difficult Jeep trails. All routes were driven by the author. Trails are near Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Barstow, San Bernardino, Big Bear, Glamis, Truckhaven and Ocotillo Wells. Also included are the Mojave Road, Hungry Valley, Corral Canyon, Dumont Dunes, Last Chance Canyon, Sledgehammer Canyon, Calico Mountains, Superstition Mountain and Anza Borrego Desert State Park. We promote low impact driving and environmental responsibility. For complete trail listing and a look inside the book visit the FunTreks website.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 286 pages
• Publisher: Funtreks Inc; 1st edition (March 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966497643
• ISBN-13: 978-0966497649
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #95,590 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just Like Having a Local in the Right Seat!, May 27, 2003

By	Jim Allen "Jim Allen" (NW Ohio) - See all my reviews

Here's another great book from Charles Wells to make four-wheeling less a stressful shot in the dark and more fun. When you can put more of your attention on the `wheeling, the scenery and the companionship of friends and family, and less to not getting lost, the trip is always more enjoyable. I've used and reviewed all of Well's books and this one lives up to his usual high standard of accuracy, utility and value. In most cases, I've had a chance to take the book on a trip and spot check Well's work. I've almost given up trying to catch a mistake... because I haven't yet!. While I'm way too far east right now to spot check this time, I know parts of the area covered in this book very well and in those areas, I know he hit a bulls eye. The best part of Well's guides is the value for dollar. There's a lot of info packed into these books, from basic vehicle and trip prep, a primer on off-highway driving as well as specialized tips on the local areas. There's also a section on GPS and, of course, the maps and routes to some of the best four-wheeling SoCal has to offer. Guide to Southern California Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails is the fifth book by Wells on some of the best four-wheeling areas in the USA. May yours become as dog-eared and trail dusty as mine have become!

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Helpful but flawed, October 17, 2004

By	SoCal_C (Southern, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This book is very detailed and the content is excellent. There are two main flaws. The first, the quality of the book binding is some of the worst I have ever seen. Forget taking the book with you on the trail. I have now had two of these books and both times the book fell apart with casual use within the first two times of flipping through it for trails.
Although the appendix does give phone numbers for the forestry service offices for the various trail areas, the biggest problem is many of the trails in this book are closed indefinitely (more than just seasonal closures) according to the forestry offices. This is not a fault of the book, but a result of the southern california fires. The desert roads are mostly open, but forget the mountain and foothill routes for a while. Great book, but be aware before you buy that many of these routes are not legally accessible anymore.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good, but falls apart to easily, September 29, 2005

By	GirleyGurl (Inland California) - See all my reviews

Very good book with easy to read maps and detailed information about the backcountry driving roads. The binding is terrible and the book starts to fall apart during the first use and deteriorates. After two returns, we resorted to buying a 3-ring binder, hole punched all the pages and use the book this way.