Bicycling Americas National Parks:
California: The Best Road and Trail
Rides from Joshua Tree to Redwoods
National Park by David Story
A Unique, Concise, Thorough, Endlessly Readable Guidebook.
A complete adventure guide to Californias astonishing array of national
parks features 92 road and mountain bike rides through the states most
spectacular natural areas. From the snowcapped peaks of the Sierras to
the towering coastal redwoods of Muir Woods, Californias national parks
are renowned for their splendor. Touring these national treasures by bike
has become a favorite way to leave luggage-laden cars and busy roads
behind and enjoy the hidden byways of these parks more fully. As Edward
Abbey wrote, A man on a bicycle will see more, feel more, enjoy more in
one mile than the motorized tourist can in a hundred miles. Bike along the
rugged coastline to the graceful beaches of Point Reyes, spin through the
wild dunes of Death Valley, or pedal past the rock formations and climbers
of Joshua Tree. Rides range in length from a 2-mile warm-up in Manzanar
Historic Site to a breathtaking Yosemite tour of nearly 100 miles. Each ride
description includes a detailed map, tour directions, information about the
trail or road surface, sights along the way, and the length and difficulty of
the ride. In addition, a trip-planning appendix for each park tells you where
to stay or camp, do your laundry, eat, buy supplies, and repair or rent a

bike. * The first and only guide to bicycling Californias national parks and
wilderness areas
* Bicycling is becoming an evermore popular option as some national
parks are closing roads to cars
* Nearly 100 rides are described and mapped in detail
* Part of the new national series: Bicycling Americas National Parks
* Includes professional color photographs of the parks
Personal Review: Bicycling Americas National Parks: California:
The Best Road and Trail Rides from Joshua Tree to Redwoods
National Park by David Story
I just returned from a mountain biking vacation to Joshua Tree National
Park, Mojave National Preserve, and Santa Monica Mountains National
Recreational Area and this guidebook proved indespensible. It contains
almost all information necessary to plan your trip and somehow manages
to be both concise, thorough and readable. Story introduces each chapter
with a brief description of the geography and history of the park. Then
Story lists several rides within the park, each accompanied by detailed
descriptions (including technical and aerobic difficulty, best time of year to
ride, overall length of trail, etc.) and maps. Though some road bike routes
are included, most trails are for mountain bikes. Each trail I rode was
accurately described. Each chapter also contains boxes describing the
fauna (animals) and flora (plants) you'll likely encounter within each park.
This book isn't just a cycling guide, it contains virtually all the information
you'll need to plan your trip. Story concludes each chapter with information
about local lodging, camping, bike shops, grocery stores, and restaurants
(his recommendations are first rate). He also provides helpful contacts
(park visitors centers, etc.) which should be able to provide any other
information you might need. Story has also eliminated the extraneous
elements so many other cycling guidebooks seem to contain (elevation
maps might be visually enticing, but let's face it, they aren't
necessary).What is really remarkable about this book is Story's terse,
engaging writing. The abundance of information this book contains is
presented in readable, often witty language. He doesn't just describe, he
gives the reader a feel for each park and the surrounding communities
(when applicable). Unlike most guidebooks I've read (which usually
contain flat, predictable humor), Story's humor actually works; it isn't
"laugh-out-loud" funny, but wry, witty humor that always relates to and
never detracts from the subject matter.The only improvement I would
suggest for future editions is to provide a general map of each National
Park. The trail maps only feature a small segment of the park where the
trail is located. It is sometimes impossible to decipher where each trail is
located within the entire park itself. This is particularly difficult for visitors
not familiar with the area (like me). It was sometimes impossible to tell
from the maps where the most convenient place to stay (closest lodging to

the trails) is. The next edition should provide a map showing where each
trail is located relative to the entire park. Before visiting a park, you should
obtain a complete map from the National Park Service (Story does tell
where to obtain these).Story has set high standards with this guidebook,
the first in the "Bicycling America's National Parks" series. It's the kind of
book you'll enjoy reading even if you don't plan to hit the trails anytime
soon. Story's writing is so engaging that finishing the 300-pages is
effortless (300 pages may sound long, but it really isn't). This book is a
must read for any cyclists interested in visiting the National Parks of
California. I can't wait to read the subsequent guidebooks for other states.
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