Customer Reviews

60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Nashville (60 Hikes - Menasha Ridge)

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4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is fabulous! I get in such a habit of going to the same park all the time for hiking...it's beautiful, but I like to have a change of pace and scenery. Molloy's collection of easily accessible hikes from the city has taken the "same-ol-same-ol" out of my weekend hikes, and has helped me to see new and different (but of course still beautiful) areas around Middle Tennessee. From enjoying views of the Cumberland River I've never seen, to exploring different section of the Natchez Trace, Molloy gives very accurate trail descriptions and length of hikes, making for an enjoyable day outside alone or with a group.

There are quite a few typos in this book, some of which are quite frustrating - it's hard to find a hike when the street names in the directions are incorrect. Additionally, the information given on the hikes is insufficent for us retentive types. Elevation gains aren't given (you have to guess what "moderate" means), maps don't include segment lengths, and sometimes the maps aren't very detailed.

That said, it's the only hiking book centered on Nashville, and it includes a good selection. Do be aware that many of the hikes are short, and whether they're worth the drive from Nashville is a toss-up - but that's the nature of the hikes within 60 miles of town.

This is a definite must have for anyone looking to get out of town for hikes. Although Nashville has some world class greenways and hikes like Radnor Lake and Percy Warner, I'm always looking for something new without having to plan for a grand adventure to South Cumberland or the Smokies. My biggest beef is a poor table of contents. It is not organized in any sort of way to quickly reference the hikes. It would nice to have a mention in the table of contents as to how many miles away, how long is the hike, and difficulty level. Otherwise you need to really flip through to find that info and mark it yourself. Also, a handful of hikes are well over 60 miles and pushing 2 hours of drive time each way like land between the lakes and nathan bedford forest park. Otherwise its helped push me to explore all new places like Percy Priest lake, Montgomery Bell, and hikes around Natchez Trace with much more planned. A good compliment to your Smokies and South Cumberland hike books

This is my go-to guidebook for the Nashville area. It's helped me discover a plethora of good hikes in Middle Tennessee. I've done about half of the hikes listed and I have yet to be displeased with one. Certainly every hike listed isn't destined to be a favorite, but there are some real gems here and none that are truly dogs (with the possible exception of the frequently flooded, poorly laid out, and eternally littered Twin Forks Trail, barely redeemed by a couple nice river rock formations).

Molloy's text adds enjoyment to my hiking. He gives historical, ecological, and local information for the hikes in addition to trail features and directions. The text is well-written and directions are easy to follow, though not quite as clear as the typical Falcon guide presentation of a list of mileages and features. GPS trailhead coordinates are invaluable.

My biggest complaint with this guide (and other guides in the "60 Hikes" series) is that the hikes are listed alphabetically within each region. A more intelligent organization would be to place all the hikes in the same park in a single group, for example, listing all the Long Hunter State Park hikes together. Having distance and difficulty on the "Hike List" at the front of the book would also be helpful. As other reviewers note, it lacks elevation change data... but hey, this is the hilly country of Middle Tennessee, so expect elevation change and pay attention to the difficulty ratings.

One could quibble with the definition of 60 miles; some of the outlying hikes really push it (especially the 90 minute to 2 hour travel time to Land Between the Lakes or Rock Island State Park; if those make it, why not stretch the limits to include the wonderful hiking at South Cumberland?). I hope to complete all the hikes in the guide at some point, and that's not as easy a goal as it sounds!

Some reviewers note that there are numerous typos and errors in the text (including some inexplicable errors on the map). Most of these have been corrected in the Third Edition, published in 2010, and trail information has been updated where appropriate.

Trails removed from the Second Edition:
-Cane Connector Trail (a good hike, but marred by road noise and the ready comparison to other, better Warner Parks hikes)
-Ashland City Bicentennial Greenway
-Rotary Park Loop
-Lost Spring Trail
-Lowland Trail

Trails added in the Third Edition:
-Metro Center Levee Greenway
-Bells Bend Loop
-Hidden Lake Double Loop
-Jones Mill Trail
-Peeler Park Greenway

As a series, Menasha Ridge's "60 Hikes" guides are indispensable for locals and visitors alike, and the Nashville installment does not disappoint.

This is a great book, and a useful guide for the area trails. My only (small) beef is that there could've been closer to a hundred hikes in the book but then he'd have to come up with a different name, and also, some of the maps/trail descriptions are light on the details. It's a small quibble, nothing to discourage you from buying it. In the next edition, it'd be nice if elevation changes were included, and of course, more pictures. Still, a great resource for the price.

Good hiking book for people living in the Nashville area. I've gone on about 5 of the hikes and so far the books been pretty accurate.

I never received the book I ordered. Would love to review it, if I had it!