New Hiking Books for the Southern Appalachians

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Below are four recently published hiking related books that might be of interest to you. Three of the books trail guides for various locations within the Southern Appalachian region, while the fourth provides tips for ultralight backpacking and camping.

Backpacking North Carolina: The Definitive Guide to 43 Can't-Miss Trips from Mountains to Sea

Author Joe Miller provides the first-ever stand-alone guidebook - for beginners and experts - to backpacking in North Carolina. The book covers 43 of the best trips the state has to offer, including the Blue Ridge Mountains, along the Appalachian Trail, on the NC side of the Smokies, as well as trails in the Piedmont and Coastal areas.

Each trip description offers key maps, elevation profiles and navigation information, including water sources and camping spots, as well as trip highlights and special considerations such as camping permit requirements. Miller offers tips for enriching the experience, such as filling dark nights with stargazing and other activities, and gives advice for backpacking with children.

Several "best-of" lists are also included, featuring trips with exceptional nature study opportunities, water recreation, fishing, bird watching, waterfalls, and easy excursions for beginners.


Ultralight Backpackin' Tips: 153 Amazing & Inexpensive Tips for Extremely Lightweight Camping

Down-to-earth, short, and to-the-point, this book presents everything hikers and backpackers need to be safe, comfortable, and well fed while carrying a very small and lightweight pack.

Author Mike Clelland is famous in the ultralight backpacking community for his no-nonsense approach to gear lists. He has decades of experience in taking beginners out on the trail through his work with Backpacking Light's Wilderness Trekking School, and as an instructor with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). Clellend is also an illustrator who does humorous and instructional cartoons for books and magazines with a focus on camping, skiing, and climbing.


Waterfall Hikes of North Georgia

Waterfall Hikes of North Georgia includes 60 hikes to more than 200 waterfalls in the mountains of north Georgia. With each hike, ranging from an easy stroll to 12+ miles, Jim Parham provides directions to the trailhead, a general route desciption, mile-by-mile hiking directions, GPS coordinates, map and elevation profile, as well as photographs of the waterfall(s) to be seen. Waterfalls range from popular destinations like Raven Cliffs Falls or Anna Ruby Falls, to major rapids like Bull Sluice and the remote cascades at Three Forks. Parham also provides natural and historical background for the trails that wend through the north Georgia area.


Best Easy Day Hikes Shenandoah National Park

This is the updated and revised 4th edition, featuring twenty-eight of the best short hikes in Shenandoah National Park. From half-hour strolls to full-day adventures - all along Skyline Drive - this pocket-sized handbook includes photos, maps, GPS coordinates and detailed directions for each hike.






Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

3 comments

Brice said...

Nice, thanks for the recommendations. About to move to the Boone area and will be picking at least one of these up. Thanks!

The Smoky Mountain Hiker said...

Brice - Boone is a great little town. If you love the outdoors, you picked a great spot for a base camp!

Jeff

smoky scout said...

Joe Miller's book is excellent for his information and I love his writing style. His blog is a daily stop for me (as is yours, Jeff) at www.getgoingnc.com.

A shameless plug: Danny and I literally ran into Joe on the Palmer Creek Trail during his Mt. Sterling trip (we were doing a backpack for the Mountains-To-Sea Trail). That's me on page 110 and opposite the introduction at page 1.