National Geographic Traveler: California, 5th Edition

Description

This beautifully illustrated guidebook takes you on a tour of California's different geographical areas, each with its own character and exciting excursions, from the Golden State's main attractions to hidden gems in off-the-beaten path destinations. California is a vast territory that is unquestionably the most diversified in all of the United States. With so much to see and do, National Geographic Traveler: California is an essential tool for every visitor, providing itinerary ideas for every type of tourist-from beach-lovers to city-dwellers to road trippers. Offering ideas, advice, and suggestions from true Golden State connoisseurs, this book is filled with expert information that takes the guesswork out of planning your California vacation. Much of California's fascination lies in its informal, cosmopolitan lifestyle, but there is so much more to see and do beyond the busy city highways. With a variety of landscapes and attractions to choose from, you'll want to visit it all, including: - California's beaches. There are so many, you can visit a different sandy shore every day for a month and still not see half of them. - Museums, theme parks, and historical attractions, including an insider's guide to iconic destinations like Disneyland. - The Colorado Desert, carved with sand dunes, and the Mojave Desert, punctuated by yucca treas. - Luxury and sophistication in Palm Springs. - Solitude and natural beauty in Death Valley. - The states largest and oldest national parks: Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia National Park. - The tallest trees on the planet and seldom-visited volcanic landscapes. - And so much more! Discover legendary walking and driving tours, history, and modern culture, as well as excursions to exceptional places and suggestions from National Geographic photographers and travel experts in this one-stop resource to on of America's most iconic states. It is packed with all the information you need to plan your next grand adventure.

GREG CRITSER was born in Steubenville, Ohio, and raised in Whittier, California. He received his B.A. in history at Occidental College in Los Angeles and his M.A. from UCLA. Critser has worked as a senior editor at four magazines: California Business, California (formerly New West), Buzz (where he edited an award-winning stable of young Los Angeles writers), and Worth, where he was responsible for the magazine's first National Magazine Award nomination in public interest journalism. His own work has appeared in Harper's, the Washington Post Magazine, the Wall Street Journal , the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Monthly, the New Yorker, and Worth. Critser's acclaimed study of obesity, Fat Land: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World, was published in 2003. GILLES MINGASSON grew up in Grenoble, France, and moved to Paris to pursue photojournalism. After arriving in the United States on an assignment, he traveled through Latin America before making Los Angeles his home base. In 2005, his work on Latinos in the United States won him an American Photography Award. His photography can be seen in the National Geographic Traveler guidebooks on Panama, the Dominican Republic, and France. Mingasson's website is www.mingasson.com. California-based JOE YOGERST wrote the updates and sidebars for this edition. He is the co-author of Traveler's Companion Peru and has contributed to a number of National Geographic books including the best-selling 50 States, 5,000 Ideas; Enduring Treasures: National Parks of the World; and Sacred Places of a Lifetime.