Get Some Fun PCH Gifts Here
California Backroads
Some of the best California Backroads are included in Backroads of the California Coast, with 24 highly recommended driving tours off the Pacific Coast Highway.
Backroads of the California Coast
This guide to California backroads drives, Backroads of the California Coast, is one of the most beautifully-written and best-photographed driving guides we’ve seen. It recommends 24 driving tours along the California coast, from the Redwood National Park on the border with Oregon down to a drive through the Torrey Pines State Reserve, north of La Jolla.
There are scenic coast drives included, alongside some which take you inland, and for anyone wanting to make the most of driving the Pacific Coast Highway, we really do recommend this 256-page book.
If you have time to explore, this will introduce some of the most scenic areas of the coast, and provide a good, practical guide as well as being a handsome souvenir to enjoy afterwards.
"...one of the most beautifully-written and best-photographed driving guides we’ve seen."
Beautifully-Written Backroads Guide
Each drive has anything from about 3-5 pages of text, and in addition there are boxes and spreads with short entertaining essays on different topics, such as the Avenue of the Giants, Carmel’s architecture, the Presidio of San Francisco, the sea lions of Point Lobos, and so on.
As an example of what we mean when we say the text is well-written, take this from the spread on the Redwood National Park: “Flourishing in drizzle and damp, these silent forests resemble a primordial world in which one expects to see pterodactyls flying by.”
Or this from the description of a drive that takes in the Samoa Dunes Recreation Area: “Fluttering like pieces of torn white paper, flocks of egrets can often be seen flying above a grove of cypress trees they call home.” This is no churned-out guidebook, but a book that someone has worked hard to make both evocative and practical.
California Backroads: The Author
Karen Misuraca, from Sonoma, is the award-winning travel writer who wrote the fine text for this book. She has written many other travel guides, including The California Coast and Backroads of California Wine Country.
California Backroads: The Photographer
Almost all of the beautiful photographs - and they really are impressive - were taken by Gary Crabbe. Check out his website to see for yourself just how good a photographer he is. It didn’t surprise us to discover that he’s worked for the National Geographic Society, the New York Times, and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History amongst others.
Minor Faults
No book is perfect, and this would have been better with a little more practical information included. If you’re describing any drive you should definitely tell the reader how long the drive is, and give a rough estimate of how much time it is likely to take to do it. You do need to know whether to allow two hours or two days!
The driving directions are minimal, although probably just enough so that you don’t get lost. You will still need a good road map, to use alongside them.
Buying this California Backroads Guide
Backroads of the California Coast is published by the Voyageur Press. It is available worldwide on Amazon, where we suggest you use the 'Look Inside' feature so you can see for yourself just how beautiful and useful it is.
Other books pages
The Michelin Green Guide to California covers the whole state and is good on maps, the sights, major cities and towns, less good on hotels and restaurants.
Pacific Coast Highway Travel's book review of Insider's Guide to San Francisco guidebook by Jill Loeffler, publisher of the San Francisco Tourism Tips website.
Greetings from California is a beautiful coffee-table book which describes the legends, landmarks and lore of California, including the Pacific Coast Highway.
Vintage Hollywood in Los Angeles is an extract from the Lonely Planets book Culture Trails.
The Pacific Coast Highway in California book shows in historic photos the building of the Pacific Coast Highway from its earliest beginnings in 1911.
The Santa Barbara Guidebook from Moon Handbooks also covers California’s Central Coast with Ventura, San Luis Obispo, wine country, and Hearst Castle.
West Coast Road Eats is a road food guide covering the Pacific Coast from California through Oregon to Washington, giving the best road trip food stops.
Pacific Coast Highway Travel reviews the Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip Guide book covering the drive from Vancouver to San Diego.
The Los Angeles travel guide book from Lonely Planet also covers San Diego and Southern California, including Palm Springs, Santa Barbara, and Disneyland.
One of the best guides to West Coast RV Parks, covering campgrounds in California, Oregon, and Washington, is West Coast RV Camping from Moon Guides.
The Green Guide to the USA West from Michelin covers California, the Pacific North West, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, New Mexico, and even Kansas and Alaska.
Lonely Planet's Coastal California guidebook is the ideal travel guide for driving or cycling the Pacific Coast Highway from the Oregon border to Mexico.
The Napa and Sonoma Guidebook to California Wine Country is from the Moon Handbooks’ travel guide series with reviews of wineries,vineyards, and wine tastings.
Lighthouses of the Pacific Coast, published by Voyageur Press, is a guide in words and pictures to historic lighthouses along the Pacific Coast Highway.
California Living and Eating by Eleanor Maidment is a handsome coffee table book celebrating the food and lifestyle of the Golden State with 80 tasty recipes.
Pacific Coast Highway Travel reviews the Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip guide from Moon covering California, Oregon and Washington
To John Steinbeck Monterey's Cannery Row was a place of sardine canneries, bums and honky tonks, but today the Monterey Aquarium attracts visitors.
Plant lovers can visit hundreds of gardens along or near the Pacific Coast Highway,ranging from lush gardens in the Pacific North-West to southern California.
Pacific Coast Highway Travel's California Camping book review rates the 20th anniversary edition of Moon's complete guide to over 1400 tent and RV campgrounds.
Books About the Pacific Coast Highway in California, Oregon and Washington including travel guidebooks, route guides, restaurant guides, and many more.
Soul of Los Angeles from French publishers Jonglez is a travel guide to 30 Exceptional Experiences in California's largest city.
The Frommer's Guide to Oregon has good information on hotels, restaurants and what to see in Portland, and along the Pacific Coast Highway.
Northwest Wine Country is a food and wine lover's guide to vineyards, fine dining, accommodation, restaurants in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, British Columbia.
Pacific Coast Highway guides include our own printed book and ebook guides to the best hotels along the PCH, available in paperback, PDF and Kindle formats.
Review of the Pacific Coast Highway Road Trips book from Lonely Planet, which includes a California Driving Guide, by the Pacific Coast Highway Travel website.
-
Sep 26, 23 04:18 AM
The Iconic Big Sur Waterfall Everyone Needs to See At Least Once
Read More
-
Sep 24, 23 05:26 AM
Pacific Coast Highway Travel picks the best restaurants in Santa Cruz, choosing the finest gourmet eating places, with both local and international cuisine.
Read More
-
Sep 24, 23 04:17 AM
Pacific Coast Highway Travel visits the Big Basin Redwoods State Park, which is the oldest state park in California.
Read More