A detailed, illustrated guidebook for novice and experienced hikers to hiking the scenic, primitive trail that runs along the western ridges of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Veteran hiker and nature writer Tim Homan guides fellow hikers and backpackers along the scenic, primitive Benton MacKaye Trail, currently a ninety-mile trail that extends from Springer Mountain in Georgia into southern Tennessee. The guidebook is divided into twelve trail sections, each including a map, an elevation profile, and easy-to-use information on length, difficulty, access, and scenic features. Homan describes the surrounding habitat, providing comments on the area's flora and fauna. Also included is an essay on the origins and history of the trail and the Benton MacKaye Trail Association, as well as a timetable for the development of the remainder of the proposed trail, information about the geology of the area, and a brief biography of founder Benton MacKaye. Named in honor of Benton MacKaye, who inspired the creation of the Appalachian Trail, the Benton MacKaye Trail is a trail in progress that will eventually cover more than 270 miles and extend through Tennessee into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina to rejoin the Appalachian Trail.

Hiking Guide to the Benton MacKaye Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

250 of the best waterfalls found in North Carolina with full descriptions, comprehensive directions, and four-color photographs.

First published in 1992, Cherokee National Forest Hiking Guide has been a vitalcompanion to thousands who have explored the 640,000-acre Cherokee National Forest. This second edition has been substantially expanded to cover all hiking trails in the forest as of 2003.Stretching across the Tennessee?North Carolina state line, the Cherokee NationalForest includes much of the western slopes of the southern Appalachian Mountains, north and south of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The area encompasses atremendous diversity of wildlife, vegetation, and scenic vistas of high mountain peaks and beautiful creeks, waterfalls, and valleys.Almost two hundred described and mapped trails and footpaths wind throughout this wildlife haven, inviting everyone who loves the outdoors-- hikers, backpackers, hunters, anglers, and horseback riders-- to explore its natural beauty. The Cherokee National Forest Hiking Guide provides maps and specific directions along with a wealth of general information on the forest's present and past wildlife, vegetation, and geology, as well as a history of the forest's human inhabitants-- including the political battles that have been waged to protect the forest.Featuring a new foreword by Senator Lamar Alexander, this book remains the definitiveguide to this expansive and alluring landscape sure to thrill outdoorsmen for manygenerations to come.

The Colorado Trail is the only guide available for thru-hikers, day hikers, mountain bikers, trail runners, and equestrians to the extraordinary Colorado Trail that stretches 468 miles from Denver to Durango. The completely revised 7th edition includes text and map revisions for several sections where reroutes of the trail have taken place, as well as 90 colour pictures, 28 segment maps, elevation profiles, integrated GPS waypoints, town maps and mountain bike detours of Wilderness Areas.The Colorado Trail (CT) is one of the premier scenic long trails in North America. It winds its way through endless fields of wildflowers to windy mountain passes, from wild mountain rivers and streams to winding trails through old growth forests. The CT crosses eight mountain ranges, seven National Forests, six Wilderness Areas and five river systems. Starting near Denver at 5,500 feet and ending near Durango at 7,000 feet, the CT gains and loses almost 76,000 feet in elevation over 468 miles. New to this edition are revisions of four of the 28-segment trail descriptions including sections 8, 11, 23 and 24.

This guide aims to promote the use of the BMT for the long distance backpacker, and itcan serve the section hiker too. I also hope to preserve the feeling of remoteness andmaintain the possibility that hikers still have something to discover. I've done my bestto balance providing the hiker the tools they need to hike the BMT without describingevery mile of that trail. My hope is you enjoy what the BMT is and what it has to offeras much as I have. I am sure you will find this guide exactly what you need, and findthat the BMT is more than you could hope for.

Imagine a 7-year-old boy asking his father if they can hike the entire Appalachian Trail, and then imagine that the father says yes.

The life of the visionary conservationist who created the Appalachian Trail is chronicled in this “first-rate biography of a unique American thinker” (Mark Harvey, Journal of American History). Born in 1879, Wilderness Society cofounder Benton MacKaye was a pioneer in linking the concepts of preservation and recreation. Spanning three-quarters of a century, his career had a major impact on emerging movements in conservation, environmentalism, and regional planning. MacKaye's seminal ideas on outdoor recreation, wilderness protection, land-use planning, community development, and transportation have inspired generations of activists, professionals, and adventurers seeking to strike a harmonious balance between human need and the natural environment. This pathbreaking biography provides the first complete portrait of this significant figure in American environmental, intellectual, and cultural history. Drawing on extensive research, Larry Anderson traces MacKaye's extensive career, examines his many published works, and describes the importance of MacKaye's relationships with such influential figures as Lewis Mumford, Aldo Leopold, and Walter Lippmann.

From beginners to thru-hikers, Discovering the Appalachian Trail has something for anyone that wants a connection with the nation’s longest marked footpath at approximately 2,181 miles. Starting at Springer Mountain in Georgia and finishing far to the north in Maine’s Mount Katahdin, the A.T. crosses 14 states, 6 national parks, and 8 national forests. Taking on the A.T. is a pilgrimage because of both its beauty and accessibility. Let Joshua Niven and Amber Adams guide you across the best trails that the Appalachian Trail has to offer. Complete with full-color photography, you’ll also have hikes suited to every ability, mile-by-mile directional cues, sidebars, and maps.