Trailblazer Travel Books a series of five recreational guides for the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...

plus one each for

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...

, and

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

. They are published by California-based Diamond Valley Company and written by Janine and Jerry Sprout. In 2012, they published "No Worries Paris: A Photographic Walking Guide." Janine Sprout is of French heritage and has photographed the city over a period of decades. It should not be confused with the UK travel book publisher

Trailblazer A trailblazer is a person who is paving the way in their particular field for future generations. Trailblazer may refer to: Sports * Derby Trailblazers, a British semi-professional basketball team * North Carolina Trailblazers, a US women's rec ...

. The guides are aimed at the independent, adventurous travelers. The Sprouts have spent years developing the content and publish revised or new editions yearly. Aside from being well-organized resources for travelers, Trailblazers seek to support the economy based around cultural sites and recreational resources, thereby helping to preserve them. The books are comprehensive when it comes to outdoor muscle-powered sports—hiking, biking, skiing, kayaking, snorkeling, and surfing. They also include historic town strolls, gardens, museums, popular tourist attractions, and archeological sites. Trailblazers also include standard guidebook fare, such as accommodations and restaurants, though they tend to limit this section to the top places. More than 200 photos and maps illustrate the text. They also publish, ''No Worries Hawaii'', a vacation planning guide for Kauai, Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island, which, among other things, includes a "self-test" that allows readers unfamiliar with the Islands to select the locale that works best for them. Also in the series is "No Worries Paris: A Photographic Walking Guide." Alabama Hills Road

Future Editions

In 2013, they published "Lifeguide: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be," the company's first venture into the self-help genre. The most recent publication(2021) is "Range of Light Trailblazer: An Adventure Travel Guide from the High Sierra East to Death Valley."

Authors

The Sprouts have traveled the American West together for more than thirty years. Janine, of French descent, is a photographer and a graphic designer whose work has included

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...

licensed products. She studied at

UC Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a public land-grant research university near Davis, California. Named a Public Ivy, it is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The institut ...

, California College of Arts and Crafts, Universita de Bella Arte (

Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part o ...

), and Oregon School of Arts & Crafts. She also headed the Nevada State Museum's public information department. Jerry is a

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...

graduate (football scholarship) who worked as a newspaper reporter in

San Rafael, California San Rafael ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "Raphael (archangel), St. Raphael", ) is a city and the county seat of Marin County, California, Marin County, California, United States. The city is located in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), ...

. He is a former licensed psychologist who evaluated youth programs for several California counties, and later was an administrator at the largest private program for high-risk male juvenile offenders. His novel, ''American Boys Camp'', was purchased by

Universal Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

. Jerry Sprout is a native of Portland, Oregon; Janine was born in San Francisco. Jerry and Janine Sprout

External links

Official Trailblazer Travel Books website

Official Trailblazer Travel Book blog site for Paris

References

{{reflist Travel guide books