5 comments about 50 Hikes in the Mountains of North Carolina: Walks and Hikes from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Great Smokies, Second Edition.

1. Found this book in B&B in Blowing Rock. It was a great help in planning our hikes. We had limited time, and it helped us find the best entry point, and to know, for example, that hiking to the top of Grandfather Mtn. was beyond our time and experience limits. That saved us $20 and no telling how much grief!

   Good maps, good descriptions. Definitely will buy if plans to move to NC from Houston pan out.




2. There are over a thousand good hiking trails in North Carolina (Allen de Hart's "North Carolina Hiking Trails" describes 968 of them), yet this book only covers fifty. And much of the material simply quotes from trailside signs or visitor information pamphlets that you'll see anyway when you hike the trails. On the positive side, the book contains reproductions of topo maps for each hike listed, so casual day hikers can save themselves the trouble of buying topos. Unless you need the topo maps, Randy Johnson's "Hiking North Carolina" is a much better bet.



3. This is a very good guide to the hikes that it covers. All 50 hikes are rated and include a range of difficulties from easy to strenuous. Many are in some of the most beautiful parts of the North Carolina mountains. And topographic maps help show the routes well and clarify what one shoule expect. A chief drawback (only hinted at in the low-key extended part of the title after the colon), is that it is less than a comprehensive guide to North Carolina mountain trails. It covers nothing west of the central part of Great Smoky Mountains National Park or west of the Cashiers area to the south thereof. North Carolina extends more than a hundred miles west of those areas, and there are plenty more mountains that way. So if that western extremity of the state is where you're wanting to explore, this is not the guide for that. But for mountains to the east thereof, this book should serve you well. One irony is that, although omitting that vast area of westernmost North Carolina, it does have a
   "Foothills" section that includes at least three hikes properly described as in the Piedmont, hardly foothills at all. Those are at Reed Gold Mine and Duke Power State Park (as the book still calls it). They can be pleasant and rewarding hikes, but if you go there expecting mountain or foothill vistas, you could be disappointed. By the way, Duke Power State Park has since been renamed Lake Norman State Park. You'll need to know that if you look for signs directing you there (like from Interstate 77).



4. This is a very good guide to the hikes that it covers. All 50 hikes are rated and include a range of difficulties from easy to strenuous. Many are in some of the most beautiful parts of the North Carolina mountains. And topographic maps help show the routes well and clarify what one shoule expect. A chief drawback (only hinted at in the low-key extended part of the title after the colon), is that it is less than a comprehensive guide to North Carolina mountain trails. It covers nothing west of the central part of Great Smoky Mountains National Park or west of the Cashiers area to the south thereof. North Carolina extends more than a hundred miles west of those areas, and there are plenty more mountains that way. So if that western extremity of the state is where you're wanting to explore, this is not the guide for that. But for mountains to the east thereof, this book should serve you well. One irony is that, although omitting that vast area of westernmost North Carolina, it does have a "Foothills" section that includes at least three hikes properly described as in the Piedmont, hardly foothills at all. Those are at Reed Gold Mine and Duke Power State Park (as the book still calls it). They can be pleasant and rewarding hikes, but if you go there expecting mountain or foothill vistas, you could be disappointed. By the way, Duke Power State Park has since been renamed Lake Norman State Park. You'll need to know that if you look for signs directing you there (like from Interstate 77).



5. This book was fantastic- a great review of key trails and hiking areas throughout the beautiful mountains of North Carolina. A must buy for hikers.

5 comments about Walking the Blue Ridge: A Guide to the Trails of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Third Edition.

1. The Blue Ridge Parkway, almost 450 miles long, connects Shennandoah National Park in Virginia with Great Smoky Mountains National Park astride the North Carolina - Tennessee border. In between it traverses some of the most beautiful mountain areas in North Carolina and Virginia. Although it provides splendid views from the road itself and from its many roadside overlooks, it is much more than a scenic drive. It is a ribbon of land administered by the National Park Service, at several places broadening into wider mini-parks. All of those parks as well as various other spots along the parkway's route have hiking trails that give visitors a closer look at the many natural wonders there. This book, as a comprehensive guide to those trails, is the one most indispensable guide to getting beyond your car and the overlooks in this remarkable National Park Service land. All of its official trails are rated in this book as to difficulty, from very easy to quite strenuous. Thus there are ample hikes for whatever level of wilderness adventure you're up for. Each hike is described in details, with points of interest described in the order you'll encounter them, with mileages to each from the trailhead. Some hikes described herein also get beyond the parkway's own lands, into National Forest lands that border the parkway in many places, as well as occasional adjacent commercial attractions such as Grandfather Mountain. Any visit to the Blue Ridge Parkway should be quite rewarding, and this book is one of the best resources for making it even more so, showing that you'll never be very far from places to park and take a walk for a more intimate view. And you definitely should sample at least some of the shorter and easier walks, if not the longer or more challenging ones, depending on what you're up to. This parkway is a natural treasure well-worth exploring, and this book may well be the quickest way to learn that there is so much more there than meets a casual eye.



2. for a day trip, a weekend trip, or a long vacation. We have hiked and camped in several of the places mentioned. I have lived in NC all of my life and did not realize there was such enriching trails and escapades off the parkway. I wish I had known about this book while attending WCU! Take it with you, it is very worthwhile.



3. The Blue Ridge Parkway, almost 450 miles long, connects Shennandoah National Park in Virginia with Great Smoky Mountains National Park astride the North Carolina - Tennessee border. In between it traverses some of the most beautiful mountain areas in North Carolina and Virginia. Although it provides splendid views from the road itself and from its many roadside overlooks, it is much more than a scenic drive. It is a ribbon of land administered by the National Park Service, at several places broadening into wider mini-parks. All of those parks as well as various other spots along the parkway's route have hiking trails that give visitors a closer look at the many natural wonders there. This book, as a comprehensive guide to those trails, is the one most indispensable guide to getting beyond your car and the overlooks in this remarkable National Park Service land. All of its official trails are rated in this book as to difficulty, from very easy to quite strenuous. Thus there are ample hikes for whatever level of wilderness adventure you're up for. Each hike is described in details, with points of interest described in the order you'll encounter them, with mileages to each from the trailhead. Some hikes described herein also get beyond the parkway's own lands, into National Forest lands that border the parkway in many places, as well as occasional adjacent commercial attractions such as Grandfather Mountain. Any visit to the Blue Ridge Parkway should be quite rewarding, and this book is one of the best resources for making it even more so, showing that you'll never be very far from places to park and take a walk for a more intimate view. And you definitely should sample at least some of the shorter and easier walks, if not the longer or more challenging ones, depending on what you're up to. This parkway is a natural treasure well-worth exploring, and this book may well be the quickest way to learn that there is so much more there than meets a casual eye.



4. Designed as a "drive awhile - stop awhile" recreational road, the Blue Ridge Parkway is the most visited unit in the National Park Service. It has 17 million visitors a year as compared to 10 million a year for the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. But the Parkway is more than a beautiful drive; it is also a good base from which to hike. Adkins describes all the ways that we can get out of the car as we explore the Parkway. From a leg-stretcher to a view of Glassmine Falls Trail to the eighteen miles of the Shut-In Trail, Adkins gives a contextual introduction to the hike as well as step-by-step directions. He rates each hike from an easy leg-stretcher to strenuous.

   My only objection to the rating is that the author considers too many hikes as strenuous. For example, Adkins labels the Snooks Nose Trail, eight miles round trip and described as "not well-maintained and hard to locate" as strenuous. The two-and-a-half mile round trip hike up to Mt. Pisgah, on a clear, well-marked trail, is also rated as "strenuous". Hikers will have to decide what strenuous means to them. Ratings aside, the book is necessary to anyone looking for a variety of hikes in the area. The appendices are also a wealth of information. He lists every feature on the Parkway along with its mileage, all the inns and campgrounds as well as a roadside bloom calendar




5. My wife and I have just come home from a 3 week trip along the entire parkway. We started the trip with Hiking the Blue Ridge Parkway, but ended up buying Walking the Blue Ridge at one of the visitor centers. While Hiking was ok, we found Walking the Blue Ridge to be the better of the two. It was very easy to use, easy to find information, and full of wonderful tidbits. The way the mileage data was set up in a vertical way made it very easy to use while we were hiking the trails, simple to always know where we were. In the Hiking book we had to wade through a lot paragraphs just to match up the descriptions with where we actually were on the trail. Also, it was obvious that the author of Walking the Blue Ridge had actually walked every one of the trails he was writing about. It was also nice knowing that it gave descriptions of every one of the trails along the parkway, even if it was just a short pathway; the other book neglected some that we found to be truly delightful. In addition, its smaller weight and size made it much easier to carry while on the hikes.
   All in all, we were happy to have found Walking the Blue Ridge and will be using it often.

3 comments about Selected Climbs in North Carolina.

1. This book was an excellent guide to many of the lesser known (and a good resource for the better-known) climbs in North Carolina. The breathtaking photography features the actual climbs and many of the local celebs of the North Carolina climbing community. Mr. Lambert provides interesting, yet informative text that does not get bogged down in climbing lingo. It is clean and precise, but does not fall into the trap of many guide books - boring. It is obvious that he has spent considerable time hanging from the climbs featured. The only complaint is that there is not yet a similar book for South Carolina mountains.



2. North Carolina is a great climbing destination with a rich tradition of routes - both bold multipitch trad ascents, as well as technical and pumpy sport routes. Yon Lambert does cover most (if not all) the major climbing areas, but falls short of making it easy for the climber to locate the right climbs. The problem is that unlike most rock climbing guidebooks, this one does not specify the individual climbs into "Sport", "Trad" and "Mixed" categories. It leaves the climb to the guesswork of the reader/climber. I'm a sport climber and don't possess any trad gear. This book makes it difficult for people like me to confidently start climbs where we may run into sections that need trad protection - dangerous when we aren't carrying any. However lack of other complete guidebooks for NC means that I do end up using this one a lot.



3. This is an excellent climbing guide. It includes details for many important routes, and other climbs that are not described are still included on the topos. Lots of good history for the areas as well.

No comments about Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina Trails Illustrated Map # 780.

No comments about Rand Mcnally Asheville, North Carolina (Rand McNally Streets Of...).

1 comments about Best Hikes With Dogs: North Carolina.

1. This is a great book for hiking with your dog on trails in the western and eastern parts of North Carolina. This book is a part of a series by Mountaineer books and gives great details about elevation, water, trail difficulty, etc. I would recommend this book to anyone who walks their dog on trials and and in the outdoors. Plus all dogs love the trails anyway. Great pictures of dogs on the trails too!

5 comments about Exploring the Appalachian Trail: Georgia North Carolina Tennessee.

1. If you're planning to hike a small day or two-day section of the Appalachian trail in or around NC, this is the book for you. I wanted to hike a small section of the trail, but I only had two days and had to finish at a very specific point. I used the book to help me plan the hike and it was amazingly easy; none of the obstacles I expected caused problems. The hike went off without a hitch, thanks to the brilliantly organized hiking guide. Aside from the planning aspect, the topographical maps were priceless along the trail. I considered doing the hike without a planning book, but I'm thankful that I used such a quality source.



2. I used this book to plan my first trip to the AT with a group of Boy Scouts. It was extremely useful in selecting my route. Especially useful was the trail summary in the beginning of each chapter. Also equally useful was the hike itinerary, giving distances between significant points. I found, however, the linear trail profile to be slightly misleading on a few sections of the trail. (More useful was the profile found in The Appalachian Trail Official Map from the Appalachian Trail conference.) This day hike book was perfect for my 5 day trip because each hike begins where the other left off. This was vital in my planning and I would highly recommend it for anyone needing a detailed description of the trail. Oh, and don't forget your hand lens. :)



3. I'm probably spoiled by the AMC guides for New England, but I found this book to be somewhat uninvting and lacking in some key areas. The maps weren't all that great they clearly aren't for a guy from the north east who's trying to find his way through the red dirt maze that is North Georgia. Directions to the trailheads could be markedly improved, as some (particularly the ones I used) use forest service roads that park rangers (let alone easily purchased maps) don't know well.

   The copy and descriptions are good once I got to the trailhead, and organized linearly along the trail. I really enjoyed the plots of trail elevation over distance.




4. I checked this book out of my local library and found it to be the most informative book on the AT. The sections of the AT that I have personally hiked were very well covered in this book.It is very difficult to find accurate maps with tons of land marks and information the terrain. As well as a well thought out itinerary so you may better gauge your time and enjoy the trail, rather than worrying about where you are going to find water and shelter. So now I'm on amazon.com to buy this book to use on my next visit to the AT.



5. PLEASE NOTE: THERE are NOT 170 hikes in the book. The whole series must contain that many.
   
   I own 3 books in this series. The Southern Appalachian, the Virginias, and the Mid-Atlantic States guide. I have found these books to be a great aid in planning hikes, especially 2-3 day backpacking trips. Since most of these hikes are either one-way or round trip (as opposed to circuit hikes) you either need to have two cars or plan on seeing the same sites twice. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but other books have better circuit hikes.
   
   This series IS very informative, not only with regards to the actually hike, but also the history both natural and otherwise of the area you are hiking in.
   
   I have not used this edition as much as I have the other 2 guides that I own in this series, but it did come in handy during a spur of the moment trip to NC/TENN. The maps could be a little better, as they are topographical maps with a green line for the trail.. They are adequate, but I've seen better.
   
   All 45 hikes come with a description, a map, an elevation profile, and an itinerary, as well as various other information.
   
   When planning for a hike I do tend to use this book in conjunction with other books, but I usually take this book (or copies of the pages) on the actual hike itself. The fact that the pages are so small allows for easier handling and storage of the laminated pages during the trip.
   
   So if you enjoy hiking and are near the AT while in the 'Southern Appalchians', you may want to take a look at this book. It is well worth the money.

2 comments about Trekking The Southern Appalachians: The Carolinas, Tennessee, Georgia (Backpacker Magazine).

1. For backpackers wanting to do tough trails with 12-18 mile days. Clear information, excellent photos, nice little maps too.
   
   This is so much better than your typical Falcoln 3 mile loop hike book with scattered, inaccurate information. I used this book for the Art Loeb Trail and it was extremely helpful. I hope to do more of the trips in the book too.



2. If you are interested in the premier long trails of the SE US, then I recommend this book. This book is a great planning aid. The trail descriptions have just enough detail for planning but not specific "every turn" descriptions. I have hiked several of the featured hikes in this book. I have found that the maps and overviews are accurate.
   There are some good photos in the book too.

5 comments about The Best Hikes of Pisgah National Forest.

1. The national forest's trails and wonders are revealed by authors who've hiked the trails most of their lives. 100 of the most scenic, strenuous hikes are described in a guide which requires strong walking skills and access to North Carolina wilderness region.



2. Cutting a long, diagonal swath through the mountains of western North Carolina, Pisgah National Forest offers some of the finest mountain hiking in the eastern United States. Covering the entire national forest, this guide will help you find a great trail to hike regardless of what your definition of great is.
   
   This guide describes 112 national forest trails ranging from a flat, easy 0.5 mile loop to a rugged 12-mile hike one-way through Linville Gorge. The guide is organized around the major hiking areas in the national forest including Black Balsam Knob, Max Patch, Mt. Mitchell, Davidson River Valley, Linville Gorge, and Avery Creek. Each area features an excellent, detailed map copied from a USGS Topo map, driving directions (including landmarks) to the trailheads, and a detailed description of the trail. Additionally, the authors of this guide give GPS coordinates to designate trailheads, major intersections, and points of interest. With the increased popularity and availability of GPS navigation systems on the trail, the GPS coordinates add a nice touch that most guides still do not offer. This feature places this guide on the cutting edge of all hiking guides.
   
   Perhaps the strongest point of this guide is its versatility. In addition to the GPS feature mentioned above, this guide describes both individual trails and possible routes for loop hikes. These day loop hikes are given in addition to descriptions of the longer backpack trails in the forest, namely the Mountains-to-Sea Trail and the Art Loeb Trail. Hikes located near the Blue Ridge Parkway are listed separately along with a list of hikes suitable for children and a list of easier trails suitable for the elderly. All of these features and the pocket-small size of the book add up to a guide that can be used by everyone no matter what kind of hike you desire in the Pisgah National Forest.
   
   In summary, I have a bookshelf full of hiking guides, and this guide is perhaps the best guide I have ever encountered. If you are planning a hiking trip to western North Carolina, this is the guide you want in your pocket or in your backpack.



3. I think that the other reviews on this book are a little over inflated. Pros on this guide: good trail descriptions and the GPS coordinates are a definite plus (although not all the hikes in book include GPS coordinates).
   Cons: 1)- Numbering the hikes and giving them a quality rating would be nice (1 to 5 stars). 2)- Putting a key map with their hike number at the front of the book would greatly speed up the process of figuring out where the trails are. I am not from NC and it took me quite a bit of time to figure out where on my trails illustrated map the hikes in this book were located.



4. The Best Hikes of Pisgah National Forest by C. Franklin Goldsmith, III, Shannon E. G. Hamrick, and H. James Hamrick, Jr. is only slightly above average as far as trail related hiking books go. I do appreciate how the book is organized, especially at the end of the book when the hikes are organized as Loop Trails, Hikes for Children and the Elderly (easy), Half-Day (or less) Hikes, Full Day Hikes, and Trails Accessible from the Blue Ridge Parkway. This feature is, in my opinion the single most helpful element of this book. I do appreciate the GPS coordinates when they're provided.
   
   What this book is lacking are good maps. The maps provided are small, and if you need reading glasses may cause you problems. As another reviewer pointed out, finding the exact location of some of the hikes may be problematic if you're unfamiliar with the area. The authors do provide the USGS map quadrant name, but it would take much to provide decent maps in the book. I'd be willing to pay a premium to get a package.
   
   Despite these negatives, I still have found The Best Hikes of Pisgah National Forest to be above average.



5. A hiker in the Pisgah Forest for over 40 years, I was delighted to find many new destinations and great campsites in this guide that I had never known about. This is a unique resource that makes the marvels of Pisgah - one of the secret gems of the eastern US - accessible to many folks for the first time. The maps, however, are something else again. I'm a professional cartographer, and I can confidently say I've NEVER encountered worse trail maps. To be able to use this guidebook at all I took all the authors' maps and recreated them in a more intelligible form. It's a shame to see a very good guidebook spoiled by a complete lack of appreciation of good mapmaking practice.

5 comments about North Carolina Atlas & Gazetteer (North Carolina Atlas and Gazetteer).

1. Great source when one plans on visiting the area or has a desire to know more about the area.



2. I LOVE using these Atlas maps. They are very highly detailed and you can see all the roads...even the smaller ones. Very helpful when you go out of town!



3. Great book, as is the norm, for all of Delorme's gazetteer, especially for finding the small side roads.



4. As with any atlas this is worth the money, better than a state map. Where there is so many places to explore into the back country of NC, this is just the ticket.



5. Before we travel to a new state I always buy a DeLorme map. We like to travel the backroads to visit "real" country. DeLorme has always worked for us in the past.
   
   However this North Carolina map failed to reveal that what the map identified as a "Major Connector" unexpectedly became an unimproved unmaintained deserted road over a mountain and through a forest.
   
   If we had had car trouble or an incident on this awful stretch of road, I wouldn't be here to write this review.
   
   On other Delorme state maps they always revealed the dangerous roads, but not in this one.
   
   Location: Route 197 between Murchison and Rockview NC
   
   I can't recommend their North Carolina map.