The California Coast: A Traveler's Companion

Now in a completely revised second edition, The California Coast: A Traveler's Companion by John J. Osborn, Jr., offers travelers a one-of-a-kind fact-filled guide to the 1,100 mile California coastline. From romantic lodgings, to nature preserves, museums, and beaches, The California Coast offers up-to-date information about places to go and things to know. The California Coast is an excellent and enthusiastically recommended resource for planning a satisfying and fun-filled regional vacation.

I spent about an hour looking at various books on California beaches, with an eye to one that would tell me where to go and where not. This one had the right balance of useful information, easy to follow codes (like a symbol for surfing), and accuaracy (at least based on my own opinions). One of the authors used to do this for a living for the California Coastal Commission, and it's clear that they've done their homework - they know California's beaches.