Northern California Camping, The Complete Guide

700 pages, Avalon Travel Publishing 2007



Avid outdoorsman and experienced travel writer Tom Stienstra knows the best places for camping in Northern California, from quaint spots in Mendocino and Wine Country to the colossal campgrounds of Yosemite and Mammoth. Moon Northern California Camping guides seasoned campers and first timers to the best campsites, hiking trails, and fishing spots throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, Tahoe, Monterey, San Joaquin Valley and more. In this guidebook, Stienstra includes unique lists of "Bests" like "Best Scenic Destinations," "Best Family Desintations," and "Best Boat-in Campgrounds." Complete with easy-to-use regional maps, descriptive keynotes for every geographical region, and facility and fee information, Moon Northern California Camping provides campers with first-rate expert advice and all the necessary tools to head outdoors.

The best time to go is now!
As you might figure, this is not a hobby for me, as it is for some part-time writers who publish books. Between my job as outdoors columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle and putting together guidebooks, this is my full-time job - and has been for 25 years. I spend 150 days a year in the field, traveling an average of 30,000 to 40,000 miles per year; it works because I often fly to cut time, and don't commute to a job or watch TV to cut wasted time. That has given me year's-worth of extra time in the outdoors. In the process, I see first-hand how seriously people take their fun, what they need to know to make their trip work, as well as their underlying fears that they might get stuck for the night without a spot. Sound familiar?
My advice to solve that is to never go anywhere without this book sitting on your front seat!
The outdoors is good for the soul, especially when shared with the people you care most for. There's no better time than right now to enjoy the outdoors. See you out there!

--Tom Stienstra