Hiking in the
|
About the Authors Mt Sterling Gap road closed due to bridge repair
– Nov 11-28, 2011 Wildflower Hikes in the Smokies |
"Day
Hiker’s Guide to all the Trails in the Smoky Mountains" By Elizabeth
L. Etnier Graphics
by Michael Etnier Want to hike all the trails
in the Smoky Mountains? The Smoky Mountains
National Park contains 522,000 acres of forested land that traverses the Blue
Ridge mountains between Tennessee and North Carolina and may be accessed from
either state. There are approximately 800 miles of trails in the Great Smoky
Mountains (GRSM) that are officially maintained by the Park Service and may
be used for horseback riding or hiking. I have hiked all 800 miles
of trails in the Smokies, and have written the
Day
Hiker’s Guide to all the Trails in the Smoky Mountains to assist others who aspire to hike
all the trails in the GRSM. Currently,
there are 151 maintained trails in the Smokies and I have laid them out in 75
easy to follow day hikes ranging from just a few miles to over 20 miles in
length. I provide you with an approach to hiking all of these trails that
minimizes duplication of miles hiked while ensuring that no trail segments,
or spurs, are left behind. Indeed, if you follow my approach, you can hike
all the maintained trails in the Smokies in a total of only 1060 miles!
Although intended for the experienced hiker, this guide is helpful for the
hiker who wants to go to a particular section of
the Smokies and plan out a shorter hike that suits his level of endurance. This guide
has color-coded maps showing the hikes for each area and tables that list the
trail sequence and total mileages for each hike. Included are a list of available
car or boat shuttle services for the more remote hikes, a handy checklist of
all trails, and over 30 color photographs of the Smoky Mountains,
wildflowers, and historic structures in the Park. To download a working Excel
file that will total your miles hiked as you complete and input them, click
on this link. Map and
example of corresponding table for Cataloochee Area
Paperback,
Third Edition, 6 x 9, Spiral-bound, 136 pages ISBN
978-0-65-36764-4, $19.95 plus S&H |
