No comments about Tennessee Hiking Guide.

1 comments about Camping Tennessee (Regional Camping Series).

1. This book is helpful for us because we prefer public campgrounds, but if you're looking for a comprehensive campground book in Tennessee, this isn't it. With our preferences and the way the book is organized, it is easy for us to find a good campground. I do wish that season information were included.

1 comments about Tennessee Trails: Hikes Along the Appalachian Trail, Trail of the Lonesome Pine, Cherokee National Forest Trail and Many Others.

1. I found this book to be quite interesting and informative. It discusses not only the trails themselves but their history. The physical descriptions of the trails are excellent, however I would have liked to see more detailed maps. It is a wonderful book to use as a reference.

No comments about Off the Beaten Track: A Guide to Mountain Biking in East Tennessee.

2 comments about Highland Trails: A Guide to Scenic Trails in Northeast Tennessee, Western North Carolina, and Southwest Virginia.

1. This is an excellent book for Tennessee waterfall enthusiasts. Mr. Plumb must have done a lot of in-depth research as his detailed directions to the trailheads and waterfalls are quite accurate, and his descriptions of the waterfalls themselves are vividly fitting. Amy and I have been to over 100 waterfalls in Tennessee and this book pointed out several waterfalls that we had never heard of. This book is a great tool to have while exploring the splendors of Tennessee!



2. This book was very helpful in giving me hiking directions to various waterfalls listed in the book. He also has pictures and ratings of most of the falls in his guide.
   I must have seen about 19 different waterfalls when I visited Tennessee last June and it was one of the best vacations I ever had!

No comments about Tennessee Impressions.

1 comments about Bicycling Middle Tennessee: A Guide to Scenic Bicycle Rides in Nashville's Countryside.

1. As Middle Tennessee transplant and new cyclist I was reluctant to get out of my neighborhood till reading this book. The format was clear and I could venture out without risking getting totally lost or on some super dangerous roadway. The commentary that accompanies each route lends interest to the rides and the numerous hints and guides for more information in the back were extremely helpful. This book is worth reading even for an experienced cycling native Nashvillian.

No comments about Fun with the Family Tennessee, 4th: Hundreds of Ideas for Day Trips with the Kids (Fun with the Family Series).

No comments about Tennessee's Civil War Battlefields: A Guide to Their History and Preservation.

5 comments about Hiking Trails of the Great Smoky Mountains : A Comprehensive Guide.

1. This book has everything you could possibly want to know about hiking and backpacking the smokies. the only downfall is that there's almost too much information.



2. Plenty of information on pretty much all the trails in the park (including some that aren't officially maintained, and some informal routes to trailless peaks). Not as useful as the "standard" guidebook (which is just called "Hiking Trails of the Smokies"), partly because it's too bulky to take along on the trail and doesn't have elevation profiles. Lots of good historical material though: good for reading at home before and after your hike.



3. Yes a very complete guide, but a little over the top. reads like "the Hobbit" in places. More of mediocre prose than a hiking guide. With so many Smokies guides out there guess you have to be different. Quite short on facts on off trail routes...this is a shortcoming.



4. I've owned my copy about a year. At first, I was a bit overwhelmed with the comprehensiveness. After using it to plan and go on two 3-night hikes in the GSMNP, I have come to greatly appreciate this book and especially its layout. Mr. Wise needs to be commended on the organization of the material. His trail descriptions are arranged by sections or watersheds, which corresponds to entries points to the Park. This allows the hiker to more easily plan since all the connecting trails descriptions are grouped together. I own three hiking trail books on the Smokies, and I keep coming back to this one.



5. At 446 6" by 9" pages, this guide is one of the largest hiking guides you will find on the market. Unfortunately, much of this ink and paper has not been put to particularly good use, in my opinion.
   
   First let me start with some basic facts about this guide. This guide describes in categorical and systematic fashion every hiking trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The author even includes some routes that are not official trails (more on this later). If there is a trail in the park to suit your ability and desire, you will find it here. The author divides the park into 13 distinct sections, mostly by watershed. The author does not describe hikes per se, only trails. Since most of the trails in the Smokies do not form loops, you will be on your own to choose a route to hike. Each trail includes a list of major points of interest and the mileage to each one from the trailhead, a set of driving directions to the trailhead, and a detailed description of the trail. The descriptions are a bit dry, but they are informative and actually work rather well given the format of this guide. Each section has a map, but maps for individual trails are not provided. Also, there are some nice old pictures in this guide. While they sometimes give a false indication as to what you might see on the trail because they are so old, someone with an historical bent might find them interesting.
   
   While describing every trail in a hiking mecca such as Great Smoky Mountain National Park would seem to make a good hiking guide, such is not the case in my opinion for the following reasons. First, the author describes some trails that are not actually trails. For example, the author describes the Porters Creek Trail as terminating at the Appalachian Trail (AT) when, in fact, the official trail ends at a campsite 2 miles below the AT. If you try to hike this last 2 miles, you will find that the trail quickly disappears past the campsite, so you end up bushwhacking through dense forest over very steep terrain, assuming you don't give up and turn around or, even worse, get lost. The author doesn't indicate that this last 2 miles is not maintained, so a hiker using this guide expecting to hike to the AT would be in for a very unpleasant and perhaps dangerous hiking experience. I know of a few other cases where this problem arises, but for a review, I think one example makes the point.
   
   Second, the author does not indicate how trails could be combined to form a loop. Moreover, no summary table is provided to help you choose a trail to hike. Thus, you will have to read large quantities of this guide to find a trail suitable for your hiking abilities and desires. This fact makes the guide hard to use. Third, the guide does not include trail maps. A map is provided for each section, and these maps may serve to get you oriented with the section, but they are too general to be of much use once you get on the trail.
   
   In summary, this guide has enough problems that I can't go too high with the rating. If you are looking for a guide that systematically and categorically describes every trail in the Smokies, this guide may be for you. If you are planning a vacation or just looking for a guide to give you some nice day hikes, you will definitely want to look elsewhere. Overall, given the large quantity of good Smoky Mountain hiking guides available on the market (the Falcon Guide by Kevin Adams is my personal favorite), I can't really recommend this guide to a wide audience.