Benchmark California Road & Recreation Atlas, Fifth Edition (Benchmark Road & Recreation Atlas) (Paperback)

~ Benchmark Maps (Author), Benchmark Maps (Author), Stuart Allan (Author)
Key Phrases: seasonal use, selected campgrounds, commercial trips, State Beach, San Diego, Chamber of Commerce (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

This oversized guide places its "recreation maps" of the state on left-hand pages facing diverse listings (with phone numbers)...An index to recreation resources is a state tour in itself. Then come the "Landscape Maps(tm)", so three-dimensional you feel every bump in the road as well as every foothill, mountain and fault; plus more listings and a complete and seemingly infallible index -- San Francisco Chronicle, January 3, 2000

"Landscape Maps™", so three-dimensional you feel every bump in the road...more listings and a complete and seemingly infallible index. -- The San Francisco Chronicle, December 14, 1997

Landscape Maps featuring improved landform detail, the addition of hundreds of back roads...useful to anyone who drives the state. -- Bob Masullo, Sacramento Bee, March 31, 2002

The Landscape Maps™ are what set this publication apart. Legibility is excellent and the maps have a clean appearance. -- Kathy Rankin, Western Association of Map Librarians. March, 1998

This oversized guide places its "recreation maps" of the state on left-hand pages facing diverse listings (with phone numbers)...An index to recreation resources is a state tour in itself. Then come the "Landscape Maps(tm)", so three-dimensional you feel every bump in the road as well as every foothill, mountain and fault; plus more listings and a complete and seemingly infallible index -- San Francisco Chronicle, January 3, 2000<br /><br />"Landscape Maps™", so three-dimensional you feel every bump in the road...more listings and a complete and seemingly infallible index. -- The San Francisco Chronicle, December 14, 1997<br /><br />Landscape Maps featuring improved landform detail, the addition of hundreds of back roads...useful to anyone who drives the state. -- Bob Masullo, Sacramento Bee, March 31, 2002<br /><br />The Landscape Maps™ are what set this publication apart. Legibility is excellent and the maps have a clean appearance. --Kathy Rankin, Western Association of Map Librarians. March, 1998

Product Description

California is a land of startling contrasts. Explore the geographical diversity and natural beauty and get to know the best of California with this marvelous atlas. The new fifth edition has freeway exit numbers and the Landscape Maps(tm) are clearer, brighter and easier to read. The comprehensive Recreation Guide and accompanying maps are the perfect resource to plan the ultimate California adventure

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Benchmark Maps; 5th edition (2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0929591801
• ISBN-13: 978-0929591803
• Product Dimensions: 15.4 x 10.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #135,635 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

78 of 78 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars There's nothing like'em, March 23, 2004

By	Louis Jaffe (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The Benchmark state road atlases are in a class by themselves. No one else combines excellent road legibility with vivid shaded-relief imagery of the land forms.

The main competitor is DeLorme's series of state atlases. Here's how they compare: Benchmark is better for primary and secondary roads, better for labeling landmarks, far better on land forms. Benchmark also has a dedicated set of pages showing what government agencies own what lands. DeLorme is larger scale, with occasionally better detail on local features.

Neither is a definitive guide to back-country roads, although Benchmark does more to classify which roads are actually driveable vs. which are mere tracks.

Benchmark covers only the Western states, DeLorme all 50 states. For any state covered by both, I would want to have both atlases in the car, but if I had to chose just one it would be Benchmark.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars extremely useful, August 18, 2003

By	rags (CA, USA) - See all my reviews

I tour CA on my motorcycle a lot - and find this book invaluable. I picked up a copy in Costco sometime ago. The best part is the second portion of the book, which contains every single goat trial in CA. As motorcyclists know, the more wiggles on a road equates to more giggles and this book is mighty useful when it comes to deciding which road less travelled to take next.

I highly recommend this book!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A tremendous atlas, April 19, 2002

By A Customer

This series of atlases is fantastic. The relief shading adds a tremendous amount of information and without cluttering or distracting from the road detail. Absolutely great for camping in remote areas, for example. With a GPS you can practically pinpoint your location on every page.

Printing and binding are excellent. My old edition went through hell and came out battered but alive.