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TRIP PLANNING RESOURCES
(for California Exploring)

by Brad Hinkson

The other day I was thinking about a comment a fellow off-roader made to Harry on one of his trips. The comment essentially had to do with how to find different places to explore. At the time, I was in the process of trying to find a place to go to the upcoming weekend. Then I thought about the resources that I have accumulated the past two years, the friends who have used my resources and that maybe others might be interested in what I use to help find new places to explore. I am no expert on the subject of four-wheel driving, but I have collected a lot of material on where to go, of which I never get enough! Below are a few ideas that might help you find some new backcountry roads to enjoy.

Any kind and all kinds. I use the DeLorme Southern & Central California Atlas & Gazetteer because you can flip to almost any page and find someplace interesting to go. The newest edition has GPS Grids. Other good maps are the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Desert Access Guides, (DAG), of which there are 22. I like the DAGs because they cover a large area and have very useful information on the back.

Other good map companies are Earthwalk Press (they have a great Anza-Borrego map), Trails Unlimited, Tom Harrison, Wildflower Productions and Sidekick Off Road Maps. I know that there are a number of other map sources out there, such as the USGS topo maps, but I haven't used them, so I can't comment on them yet.

Of course the best source for trips (and tips) in Southern California is Harry's Backroad Trips and Tips. There truly is no better source. I usually find a trip in his book, then look it up on my various maps, make a few plans, and then it's out the door.

There are a few other books, though, that I do use. Tony Huegel has three books in his Byways series - California Desert Byways, Sierra Nevada Byways and California Coastal Byways. These books are strictly trips. There are some similar trips in both the Silver Coyote's book and Mr. Huegel's, but not many.

Another useful source is books on rock collecting. I have one book called The Rockhound's Guide to Californiia by Gail A. Butler. On a recent trip on the Bradshaw Trail, my buddy and I came across some great rock collecting Sites and some more dirt adventuring because of this book. And along the rock theme I also have a book called A Guide to Rock Art Sites: Southern California & Southern Nevada. This book caught my eye just after I had taken Harry's Indian Rock Art Adventure. The Friends of the Mojave Road (Dennis Casebier) have a number of books on the Mojave Desert and surrounding areas. Some of their titles include The Mojave Road, Gold Road to La Paz: The Bradshaw Trail and many others. There is a plethora of book sources out there to increase your knowledge and trip destinations. You should be able to get any of these books at (or through) a map store.

GOT A COMPUTER?

USE IT! The Internet is a wealth of information and ideas. In the Ecological 4-Wheeling Adventures Newsletter there is usually a plug for www.4X4NOW.com. This is an absolutely wonderful sight. They not only have trail reports (a number from this newsletter), but also "How To" tips, a list of suppliers and just a great amount of information about trips, Jamborees and the like. Just searching for any 4X4 info, you will come across lists of different companies dealing with every aspect of off-roading. You will even come across listings for many different 4X4 clubs. These clubs would not only be a fountain of information, but a lot of fun too.

If you are a current subscriber to Arizona Highways, you know that not only do they have some of the most beautiful photographs of their deserts and mountains, and wonderful articles about Arizona, but they also have a monthly backroads article. A lot of this now can be accessed on their web site www.arizonahighways.com/. In this site you will find past articles on many of their trips, beautiful photos and how to subscribe to the magazine, which I HIGHLY recommend.

A friend of mine has his own web site (who doesn't these days). In it you will see some photos he has taken on his many back country trips (photos of his two great mutts, Navajo and Jessica, too) and a list of his favorite links. Since his interest in the great outdoors (4X4 and hiking) is like ours, some of the links will interest you. There are links to maps sources, bookstores, suppliers, clubs, the forest service, you name it. You will find his site at www.inetworld.net/rsmith/index.htm

[A thourgh and interesting On-Line Guide for Death Valley is at  Death Valley - A Guide "Cora Vernon Lee's definitive guide to Death Valley first published in 1938 and created for the Works Progress Administration. This web adapted version includes the original map, 1996 tour updates and other supporting material. It celebrates the accomplishments of a talented, tough and gutsy writer who we know very little about."]

DeLorme has a useful CD-ROM called Street Atlas USA and it are discussed in the January 97 newsletter in "Vargo's Variety." [DeLorem has also released the topographic map based TOPO USA series since this article was written]  Wildflower Productions (Now National Geographic TOPO!) has it's TOPO! series on CD-ROM too. These CD-ROMs are great because they will let you draw your route and then it will give you an overview of how far you ascend and descend on your trip. They call this Altitude Profile. It also prints out very detailed maps of your trip. They have CD-ROMs for every state in the U.S.

WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS

TALK TO SOMEBODY! The next time you are on one of the Silver Coyote's great adventures, talk to the other drivers and ask them about some of their favorite trips, either guided or ones that they have discovered. If you know other people with 4WDs, talk with them about their experiences. Friends and colleagues can be a great source for trips. I've heard of some great backcountry roads from some of my cohorts at work. Talk to rockhounds about their favorite places to hunt for gems and minerals. There are about three or four rock hunters at my school and they have some great stories of places that they have been. From the Bradshaw Trail to some old mine roads above Death Valley, these rock collectors know them all.

Whenever you go to a new place ALWAYS go to the Visitor Center or the Ranger Station for information. There is no better source than the rangers or the volunteers that work there. These people will not only give you information on local roads, but give you valuable information on road conditions. I've spent a great deal of time talking with some of the volunteers at the Anza-Borrego Visitor Center. So much so that once the volunteer gave me a private tour of the back room where they keep all kinds of fascinating things like skeletons (animal), fossils, creepy crawlies, old photos and maps. It's a regular museum in that one room. That was simply because I spent some time pumping that person for local information.

I hope that this has been of some help to you. Collecting this material over the years has been nothing but fun. I've not only learned where to go (I've been told many-a-time where to go), but also the history behind the places and the geology of the region. I know there is probably a lot that I missed and if that is the case then please feel free to contact me at 909-678-3808 or e-mail at hink@vmicro.com with any suggestions, helpful hints, places to go and things to see or anything else you'd like to talk about.

RESOURCES...

OR WHERE TO GET IT! Following are places that you can get all of the goodies you need to help find that new place to go:

4X4BOOKS.com
24 hour order line - (308) 381-4410, Website: http://4X4BOOKS.com

Auto Club of So. California
Any local office and non-members can now purchase maps.

BLM Desert Access Guides,
National Forests and National Park maps can be obtained from most map stores, Ranger Stations and Visitor Centers.

Borden Press
2636 San Fernando Road, Los Angeles, CA 90065, 213/225-4267

California Map and Travel Center,
3312 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90405, Web site: www.mapper.com

DeLorme
P.O. Box 298-5505, Freeport, Maine 04032 800/227-1656, ext. 5505, Web site: www.delorme.com
[4X4BOOKS discounted pricing  for Atlas and Gazetteer Series]

Earthwalk Press
2239 Union St., Eureka, CA 95501, 800/828-6277

Friends of the Mojave Road
Goffs Schoolhouse, Essex, CA 92332, e-mail: dcasebier@juno.com