Favorite Guidebook Series for Western U.S. & Canada: Be sure to consider titles to Western U.S. and Canadian destinations from the guidebook series we review on our Guidebook Series page. (You'll also find some helpful comments on the major guidebook series below.)
Click on series name below to read the review on the Guidebook Series page. Use link to series' Web site in our review for full list of titles currently available:
Karen Brown's Guides: A wonderful, long-established group of guidebooks to unique lodging choices throughout Europe, the U.S., Western Canada, and Mexico. Michelin Green Guides: The sightseeing guide series by which others are judged. Many titles to European destinations, plus several to eastern and western U.S. and Canada. Zagat Survey series: Predominantly a U.S. series, this democratically determined group of restaurant guides (and some other types of guides) is uniquely designed and highly regarded. Born to Shop series: This long-standing shopping guide series includes a guidebook to San Francisco. Open Road series: A good quality, lesser-known series. Great to use with major guidebooks to compare and contrast your selections. Knopf Mapguides: Small pocket guides with ingeniously designed fold-out maps. Includes sites, restaurants, and more. Roadside Geology series: Delightful highway science for the common man--throughout the U.S., plus one Canadian title to British Columbia.
And how about the major guidebook series? Our Web site does not focus on the major guidebook series, but we certainly do make use of these often excellent resources. Some brief comments should be useful: For this region of the world we begin with a Fodor's guide whenever possible (www.fodors.com/shop) or a Moon Handbook (www.moon.com/booklist). The Moon Handbooks have the most comprehensive selection of guidebooks for Western Canada. For the budget traveler, Let's Go has several choices for the U.S. (www.letsgo.com). See additional comments on major guidebook series and on selecting from the guidebooks we review on our Choosing Guidebooks page.
Reviews of Favorite Guidebooks:
Alpine Sierra Trailblazer: Where to Hike, Ski, Bike, Fish, Drive from Tahoe to Yosemite, by Jerry and Janine Sprout, 240 pages, Diamond Valley Company, 5th edition, 2007
This is the granddaddy of the respected Trailblazer travel book series, which also includes the Golden Gate Trailblazer (San Francisco and Marin County) and five books on the Hawaiian islands (Kauai Trailblazer, Maui Trailblazer, Oahu Trailblazer, Hawaii the Big Island Trailblazer, and No Worries Hawaii: A Vacation Planning Guide). The Lake Tahoe basin to the north and Yosemite to the south frame the alpine, eastern Sierra Nevada area in between: aptly named Alpine County, California. This is a mountain area second to none as the wonderful black-and-white photography makes clear, and, as with every Trailblazer guide, there are outdoor activities galore. The “Best Of” section helps you zero in on great places to go for wildflowers, fall colors, family strolls, falls and cascades, lakes with a view, and much more. Each walk or hike (they come in all sizes, even as short as a small fraction of a mile) is carefully described, not to mention the excellent directions and maps for getting to the trailhead or starting point. Round-trip hiking distances and elevation gained are provided. Appropriate topographical maps are also recommended. For those who would rather just putter on, there are some wonderfully organized driving tours of this most picturesque part of the northern Sierra Nevada range. Practical information is plentiful, from phone numbers to things to do with the kids, as well as recommended Do’s and Don’ts—all based on decades of careful exploration. Highly recommended. The Alpine Sierra Trailblazer will enhance your mountain experience big time.Back to Top
Golden Gate Trailblazer: Where to Hike, Walk, Bike in San Francisco and Marin, by Jerry and Janine Sprout, 288 pages, Diamond Valley Company, 2nd edition, 2004
As with every guidebook in the Trailblazer travel book series (Alpine Sierra Trailblazer, Kauai Trailblazer, Maui Trailblazer, Oahu Trailblazer, Hawaii the Big Island Trailblazer, and No Worries Hawaii: A Vacation Planning Guide), the Golden Gate Trailblazer is fun to read, beautiful to look at (the remarkable black-and-white photography provides a wonderful sense of place), and ever so useful. A large number of hikes, walks, jogs, and bike rides are thoughtfully organized not only by location but by the characteristics that set them apart from each other. The “Best Of” section lists choices for a wide variety of preferences: wildflowers, forested creeks, shorebird watching, coastal bluffs, bay side strolls, gardens, city life, and family rides, to name a few. Each selection is further detailed with carefully crafted directions both for getting to the starting point and for heading down the road or trail. The Sprouts know the neighborhood like the back of their hand and have walked and hiked this area for many years. Their deep knowledge of their subject enhances the activities they described—you’ll learn a lot of history along the way, that’s for sure. Practical details are in abundance, from things to do with the kids to cleverly presented advice and opinion based on years of experience. You're unlikely to just bump into many of the activities they've included—the Golden Gate Trailblazer will help you find and enjoy an array of experiences most tourists will forever miss. Even long-time locals will find lots of exciting new ideas they had no idea were in their own backyard. A great resource. Pick up one and enjoy. Back to Top
Road Food, by Jane and Michael Stern, 592 pages, Broadway Publishing, 6th edition, 2005
We first discovered the Sterns and their passion for unearthing fun, funky, fabulous places to eat along the highways of America many years ago. Our first copy of their book has long since disappeared (and been replaced by newer editions), but we still remember it well. If our memory serves us well, the title used to be Road Food, Good Food. Of course, the "Good Food" part wasn't really necessary, because the Sterns wouldn't include anything if it weren't good--not necessarily gourmet but definitely good. Each edition includes lots of new selections along with updates of old favorites that still make the grade. It seems as if the Sterns are almost always on the road--and loving every minute of it. And the results are mouthwateringly wonderful. In our opinion, no car should be without a copy of Road Food (and always get the update when it's published). You'll never be sorry--from Basque to barbeque, burgers to pot pie, it's all good stuff and just what the hungry traveler ordered. The other day, for example, we heard the Sterns on NPR describing their experiences with some southern eateries that feature only regionally traditional pork selections. It sure didn't sound as if someone with a heart condition should join in, but boy it got our saliva flowing. We were hungry! Their excitement for what they do year in and year out is infectious. They also, by the way, write a Road Food column in Gourmet magazine (which is great, of course, but trust us--lots of their choices are better placed under the heading "down home cookin'.") And check out roadfood.com while your at it; it has lots to offer as well. A final note: This book covers all of America--which is why you'll also find it listed on our Eastern U.S.and Canada page. Back to Top
The Hiker's Hip Pocket Guide to Sonoma County, by Bob Lorentzen, 256 pages, Bored Feet Publications, 3rd edition, 2006 The Hiker's Hip Pocket Guide to the Mendocino Coast, by Bob Lorentzen, 240 pages, Bored Feet Publications, 3rd edition, 1999 The Hip Pocket Guide to the Humboldt Coast, by Bob Lorentzen, 224 pages, Bored Feet Publications, 2nd edition, 1996
In the late 1980s, when we were writing Going Places: A Guide to Travel Guides, Bob Lorentzen was kind enough to send a review copy of his first and very new hiking guide to the Mendocino coast (the Humboldt Coast guide was just about off the press, while the Sonoma County guide had not yet been written). Having spent the majority of our lives in California and loving hiking and the great outdoors, we were thrilled to find someone who cared so deeply about turning others on to the magnificence of the Northern California coast. We had some very nice things to say about his book (and coming books) in Going Places and we continue to admire his thoroughness and dedication to keeping visitors informed about the many hiking opportunities in his neck of the woods. These are everything you could hope for in a hiking guide--well organized, long on the details you need, easy to use, with helpful illustrations and maps throughout. The guidebooks are long and skinny and they will indeed fit into your hip pocket, if that's where you want to keep them. Updates are necessarily years apart, so some specifics may have changed when it's your turn to use them. Take the time to verify time-senstive facts of importance to you. Each new edition is larger than the last, with many more miles of new trails. If you like the Northern California coast or just happen to be heading that way and want some help with what to do, these are the guidebooks for you--our recommendation is to pick up all three so they're on the seat beside you when the need for a walk strikes.You never know which county you'll be in when the desire to get out and walk arrives, so it's the safest bet to have all three counties covered. Note too that suggested hikes run the gamut from short to long. There is something here for everyone: walkers, backpackers, mountain bikers, picnickers, the disabled, equestrians, tidepoolers, and nature lovers of every sort. Enjoy! Back to Top
Great Day Hikes in and Around Napa Valley, by Ken Stanton, 144 pages, Bored Feet Publications, 3rd edition, 2007
As we prepare this copy, the new third edition is due out any time. We haven't seen it yet, so our comments are actually about the 2nd edition, done in 1997. Not to worry--history says that each edition only gets better. The trail notes are well done, easy to use and they'll get you where you want to go. There are also often excellent sections about the history of the particular park or area you are entering, which provide a helpful context to your journey. Maps are provided, sometimes even topographical map reproductions, so you'll have to work hard to get lost. It's a fun book, which will provide you lots of hiking pleasure. The third edition, by the way, is scheduled to be available around November 1st of 2007--and don't be surprised if its a little bigger than the 2nd edition, since several important areas where likely to be opened to public use during the ten years between the two editions. Back to Top
