Moon West Coast RV Camping: The Complete Guide to More Than 2,300 RV Parks and Campgrounds in Washington, Oregon, and California (Moon Outdoors) Paperback – June 1, 2010

I've got a few different RV travel books for the Western USA, and while they all generally contain the same type of information, the structure of the book and content can make all the difference in the world. The veritable "phone book" that is the Good Sam campsite/RV park directory is a staple for finding a place if you know the name or location, but to compare/contrast different campsites a more dynamic book is necessary.In my case, I wanted a book that could highlight all the campsites by region, along with a consistent format for amenities, restrictions, and specs for each site (including some subjective features such as scenery). This book absolutely meets the requirement. The write up for each camp site is laid out just like the one before, so it is possible to quickly scan the sites in a region to filter out those that (for instance) do not accomodate RVs any larger than 30 feet.A word of advice though: Tom's notation for maximum length of RV in any given site are not necessarily accurate--more of a recommendation as it turns out. I've found a few camp sites (run by US Forest Service or BLM) that will allow a significantly larger RV than what this book shows. I believe the book takes into account ease of access, turn arounds, road quality and convenience, which (in fairness) will limit the size of RV some folks will want to comfortably park in a campsite. So my recommendation is that if you find your perfect camp site/RV park in the book, call them or look them up online to see if your big rig will fit. Since this book has the phone and website listed for the location(if applicable), the homework's done for you!Overall, still the best book I've seen on the topic for folks who are looking to screen down the thousands of campsites out there for the one that's just right.

So much useful information and many, many tips...even the mosquito quotient given the specific time of camping! I'm even considering taking up fishing because of the description of fish available in the various lakes and streams that is included. It's pretty obvious the author likes to fish. I've lived in California all my life and had NO idea most of these camping opportunities existed. It's been my bedside reading for several days now and when I retire to full-timing in my RV with my dog I'm sure it'll be downright indispensable!

I like the format, which is easier to use than, for example, Woodall's. Campgrounds are listed by regions, which is a lot easier to use than an alphabetical listing. I would probably have given the book 4 stars, except that my book is missing pages 529 -576 - all of Chapter 12 and parts of Chapters 11 and 13! Since I am taking a trip through Oregon next week, I am pretty unhappy that my book is missing all of southeastern Oregon. I will contact the publisher and update my review if they make this error right.Updated to add: I contacted the publisher and was sent a replacement copy. I just got back from a trip to Oregon and Washington and found the book to be easy to use and very helpful. We found a couple of great campgrounds!

I am disappointed -- reads like a "regular" camping guide retrofit for RV audience, but falls short in being useful for RV folks. RV information is buried within each description, in a paragraph. No useful icons to give 'at a glance' info about hook-ups, maximum length, etc. No information on whether sites are level. As this book heavily focuses on national and state parks, many sites are suitable only for dry camping with very small RVs -- no more than 16' - even our little 18' Lazy Daze would be too big. I am using this guide to supplement information I gain with online campground searches where I can filter for the amenities I need, as the descriptions of landscape, driving directions and reservation details are helpful in this book. Not sure whether newer editions are better organized.

What Tom Stienstra says about the campgrounds is very helpful and more personal than other guides, and though I don't agree with everything he writes, I appreciate having his opinion. And I especially appreciate the maps with locations on them. For me, it's easier to look at a map then to try to guess under which town the campground is listed in the guide.

Very helpful for finding camping spots on the west coast.

If you order this book, be sure to check that your copy contains all the pages. Mine is missing pages 1063-1098 (the last part of the Santa Barbara section and the first part of the Los Angeles section). Other than that, it has a nice easy-to-read format. We use Good Sam guide book a lot and this guide is a good accompaniment. It has fishing info not found in Good Sam and its descriptions include additional info not found in Good Sam.

This is a great book for anyone and everyone who likes to camp whether it be RV parks, tent camping, bicycle camping, or primitive sites. The rating system, amenities, directions, cost, etc. are very well done.