California Desert Byways: 68 of California's Best Backcountry Drives Spiral-bound – Special Edition, December 21, 2006

Loved all the information in this book. unfortunately i was unable to hit the trails before moving but it has great info for hitting any trail and getting started,

Overall I like the book. My version is spiral bound and easy to use. Many of these trails and roads also intersect so you may combine them which makes for more interesting and extended driving. The author rates the trails difficulty and gives a fair accounting of expected conditions. But as we ALL know those conditions are ALWAYS subject to change.While I am not your hell bent for leather off-roader, my main goal is traveling roads & trails that are, for the most part, easy on driver, passengers and equipment. This book has several such trails. My occasional excursions onto primitive trails are exciting but not done very often, unless planned well in advance. This book had more than a few of those types as well.So if you're like me you'll find this book useful for the above mentioned parameters. However, after doing a few trails from this book I strongly advise to be sure to carry more than just this book for mapping needs, as published distances and coordinates may have changed due to trails themselves changing. In other words, some of the book's trails may be out of date and quite different from what was published.Have also read online, but not yet experienced, some parts of this books roads and trails may be closed. Cannot very that info but if you find that to be the case all the more adventurous, eh?Happy Trails to you~!

I read once that 80% of 4WD car/truck/SUV owners never take their vehicle off-road. Of the 20% who do, 5% are hard core rock crawlers or off-roaders. Tony's books are not for them. The remaining 15% are folks who generally use their vehicle to get to backcountry campsites or to do some off-road sightseeing. My wife and I fit the 15% category, using Tony's book to plan relaxing and scenic off-road weekends. We've stayed in hotels in the eastern Sierra Nevada region and explored several Tours on day trips. There are easy tours and tours requiring a little off-road experience you grow into, but the descriptions make it easy to distinguish between the two.After having traveled several of the roads described in Tony Huegel's California Desert Byways book, I can confidently say it is designed for both the casual 15%'ers and for the 80% who have never put their tires on dirt. Common sense, a well-maintained vehicle, and good tires will deliver a great trip. Any additional off-road knowledge required, including suggestions to make your off-road travel as worry free as possible, is described in the front section of the book prior to the Tour listings.If you own a 4WD car/truck/SUV and consider yourself a novice or part-time off-roader, buy the book. If you want to explore some of the grand isolated nature of the California desert, a place with hypnotic appeal, buy the book. If you want to exercise your 4WD car/truck/SUV as it was intended to be used, buy the book. If you do I make you this promise: a little dirt on your treads will put a smile on your face.

This is a great book for anyone who wishes to venture into the deserts of California. I also use a Nat/Geo map for their detail. Go on an adventure!Update for this one...I've had this book for quite a while now and have expanded my knowledge of off road travel. I have a large library now and will say this is still a good book for someone looking to use their 4x4 truck or suv who has little knowledge of getting out there.

Went to adventure with this handy book

This book has some trails that aren't mentioned in other trail books for southern California, but in my opinion, it lacks the depth that the others have. There are some GPS coordinates mentioned and very basic maps with little (but enough) detail to get you more or less to the trails though. Each trail has about a little less than a page of text and a page of map dedicated for it on average. A nice added touch is a quick reference index at the end to help you easily find the top 5 trails for x,y,z experiences.

Very nice Backcountry guide book for this area, loads of very helpful information nice maps GPS coordinates etc. This is a must have, for people driving in the backcountry for these areas

A great read with lots of history and insight regarding so many trails and byways that most people never see or hear of!

Some interesting byways but because of the bad maps for each (only layouts) trail only 3 Stars. There are no really details in the maps and the scale is often incorrect. Backcountry Adventures (Peter Massey) is much better.Einige gute Wege sind dabei, aber aufgrund der schlechten Karten für jeden Trail vergebe ich nur 3 Sterne. Die Karten sind leider nur Skizzen ohne besondere Details, zudem stimmt oft der Maßstab bzw. die Entfernungen nicht. Die Bücher der Reihe Backcountry Adventures (Peter Massey) sind wesentlich besser.