Touring California and Nevada Hot Springs, 2nd (Touring Guides) [Paperback]

Matt C. Bischoff (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

For more than twenty-five years, FalconGuide® has set the standard for outdoor recreation guidebooks. Written by top outdoors experts and enthusiasts, each guide invites you to experience the endless adventure and rugged beauty of the great outdoors.
Whether you're seeking a soak in naturally heated mineral water or out for a sightseeing adventure, Touring California and Nevada Hot Springs guides you to more than 100 of the best sites for soaking in the beauty of the region. Historian and veteran outdoors author Matt Bischoff reveals his favorite "hot spots," from primitive pools in the backcountry to handcrafted bathhouses surrounded by civilization.
Look inside to find:

Firsthand descriptions of more than 100 locations
GPS-compatible shaded-relief maps and detailed directions
Historical background information on the springs and their surroundings
Tips on safety, access, and availability of services
Best time of year, restrictions, water temperature, camping info, and much more

About the Author

Matt Bischoff received his bachelor's degree in History and Geology at the University of California, Davis, and his master's degree in History and Historical Archaeology at the University of Nevada, Reno. He has worked for several private consulting firms in San Diego and in Tucson, Arizona. He currently works for California State Parks and lives in the foothills outside Sacramento, California, with his wife and son.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Falcon; 2nd edition (January 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762736410
• ISBN-13: 978-0762736416
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #83,178 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Helpful But Inadequate, February 28, 2009

By 

H. S. Walters (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Touring California and Nevada Hot Springs, 2nd (Touring Guides) (Paperback)

We've used the guide extensively, with generally good results, so my hesitation between giving two or three stars eventually resolved in a more generous direction. Clearly, an admirable amount of work went into the guide; however, there are several frustrating deficiencies. First, it's maddeningly disorganized, with chapters arranged in a completely geographically-challenged manner. For example, no one would ever refer to Big Sur as the "Point Sur" region, and certainly Mono Hot Springs - incomprehensibly included in this section - is nowhere near either Big Sur or Point Sur. Saline Valley is similarly omitted from the Death Valley section and incomprehensibly placed elsewhere. The book is rife with problems of this sort. Second, descriptions of the springs, while generally adequate, vary erratically in detail and are more often than not prosaic. Finally, as other reviewers have pointed out, the book omits a great number of wonderful springs, at least in California. So it's a helpful guide - I'm grateful to have it - but is certainly not comprehensive.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You'll Never Get Lost!, October 7, 2007

By 

Martin A Hogan "Marty From SF" (San Francisco, CA. (Hercules)) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Touring California and Nevada Hot Springs, 2nd (Touring Guides) (Paperback)

Length:: 0:52 Mins

Matt. C. Bischoff has clearly and concisely listed all the great hidden and publicly known hot springs in Nevada and California. It's a great regional hotsprings guide.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good but could be better, April 4, 2007

By 

Daniel T. Calvert "threepinner" (Bend, OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Touring California and Nevada Hot Springs, 2nd (Touring Guides) (Paperback)

I found this book to be generally pretty useful. My only real issue is that there are quite a few hot spring gems that I'm aware of in CA and NV that aren't featured in this book. I did a recent tour of the Black Rock Desert area in Nevada and I passed several spectacular hot springs that weren't listed in the book. I have also backpacked in to some hot springs in the southern CA area that weren't described.

If you're looking at doing a hot spring tour in NV and CA it might be worth looking into getting some other guide books (in addition to this one) or doing more research online or elsewhere. Once again this book did do a great job of describing in great detail how to get to some very out of the way places, but there are other springs that are well worth exploring that aren't mentioned.