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Me and two buddies are going in a 5 week trip to california this may and we plan to camp. We want to get some sort of a camping guide and we want to know weather Woodall's is any good. We're gonna sleep in a tent but we've heard Woodall's is mainly for RVers. Does anyone know weather the campgrounds listed in Woodall's allow tent camping as well?
Thanks for any help in advance,
-Raf
Do you belong to AAA?
If so, hit your local office up for some free maps, tourbooks, and campbooks. They're all free for members, and you are entitled to as many as your trip will require.
The best part is that they update their materials every year, so you get pretty accurate and dependable information.
A note to all roadtrippers, AAA is one of the best values going. 24-hour roadside assistance ANYWHERE and access to a very comprehensive and knowledgable travel agency.
Good luck and safe driving.
Everyone.
ab
I have found Woodall's to be pretty accurate. They also publish a smaller guide exclusively for tent camping. A good bookstore will usually have numerous guides to choose from. You might enjoy an evening at a Barnes & Noble checking them out.
We have used Woodall's extensively for several years, but a fellow roadtripper, (Nancy Kieffer) wrote a review of "The Unofficial Guide to the Best RV & Tent Campgrounds in the U.S.A." and we think it may very well be the best thing since sliced toast: http://www.roadtripamerica.com/read/frommers.htm
General comments about the other guide books is also available at http://www.roadtripamerica.com/read/campguides.htm
As much as poster AB likes the AAA tour books, we find them to be a bit sterile and unimaginative. Frommers is the rising star in this guide book category.
Beyond any doubt, AAA books are the most frequently updated and accurate road-trip resources.
I mean, seriously, how much excitement do you need from the books themselves? I'd rather be in my tent, in my bag, with those sterile AAA books, than sleeping in my car near a place that USED TO BE a campground with my highly-frilled guidebooks.
Another thing I've noticed about Frommers and the like is that the authors/contributors have pre-existing opinions about lots of the places they review. They offer perhaps TOO much information (such as what's worth seeing and what's not worth seeing)
Good luck and safe driving, regardless of the resources you use.
ab
AB,
It a real stretch of the imagination to expect AAA to be objective when all listings in the tour books require payment to be included. To that end, I prefer guide books where the editorial point of view is established by the guide.
Mark
With all due respect to the editor (who I enjoy arguing with from time to time!)...
AAA remains the most reliable source of guidebook type info, regardless of whether they charge facilities a fee for inclusion. What matters most to a roadtripper is the endgame...the actual guidebook produced. It doesn't matter how it was conceived.
ab
AB,
If the intent of the writer/creator/editor/photographer/etc was not a material part of the end product (in this case a guide book) then it wouldn't matter whether the source of the information was RoadTrip America or Rand McNally or Reader's Digest. But, in fact, the presentation of the information is of more importance that a simple recitation of the facts. In my view, most roadtrippers prefer to leverage other people's personal knowledge about a place, person or situation. That personal viewpoint is one I find lacking in AAA's published guide books. The desire for "insider-info" is also the reason that Trip Tik was ceated.
The original question asked about camping guides. The best camping guides are the ones that will give up to date info on locations, amenities, availability, and price. I do see your point if, for example, I was looking for hiking guides, or general travel guides. I would definitely be in a bookstore and not at AAA. But there is no listing of campsites that is more concisely
informational than AAA campbooks.
I suggest AAA Tourbooks because they provide info on motel options should camping become unfeasible, as well as general information about specific localities, large and small alike.
ab
Thanks a lot for all the input. I think what we'll do is pick up the Woodall's and some stuff from the Canadian equivalent of the AAA, the CAA.
We've put together a site for the trip: http://academic.algonquincollege.com/students/kapl0002/
We hope to put up a lot of stuff when we get back.
-Raf
Raf,
I took a quick look around the site -- nice navigation and structure. When you get to Albuquerque -- there is a great route worked out by Mark Lacy that you might consider at http://www.houstonculture.org/travel/fouralb.html
Have fun!
Mark