Customer Reviews

Hiking, Cycling, and Canoeing in Maryland: A Family Guide

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

 

 

I first purchased this book a few years ago and have used it so often that I may have to invest in a new copy. As a lifelong outdoor enthusiast and Marylander, I was surprised at how many little known gems Mr. MacKay packed into this one book. The trip descriptions are accurate and complete; directions are easy to understand; and the natural history info is authoritative, sharply observed, and truly fascinating. It's the best Maryland guidebook of its kind. Thank you Mr. MacKay. I've recommended it to so many new paddlers, cyclists, hikers, and out-of-towners that I should probably get a commission...

From the standpoint of a cyclist who doesn't live near Baltimore, this book is no help at all. It offers a description of 16 bike rides, most of them near Baltimore or Anne Arundel county, and a few rides in Pennsylvania and Virginia. This may be helpful for anyone near the city, but I feel calling it a guide for Maryland is misleading.....However, their descriptions do go into great detail about directions, what kind of traffic you can expect, and the wildlife you may encounter. There are about 10 pages for each trail described.

If you're looking for good biking near the city then I highly recommend this book.....

At last a perfect guide for hiking and biking in Maryland! I don't have children but found this book to be a great resource for the short hikes and bike trips I enjoy with my husband. We went to the Cranesville swamp and had a difficult time finding information. This guide had the trails, directions, and plenty of interesting info on the natural history and ecology of the sites. I have used it for two of the other sites and have dogged-eared several more. I find it to be the perfect companion.

We have little kids, so we really wanted this book for the hiking and cycling part. It has good information with directions, and it has a short summary at the beginning of each trail explaining the type of material (dirt, asphalt, etc.) and level (easy, difficult, hilly, flat). That was really helpful, but what could also be added would be a grid for each section so that you could quickly scan which trails are easiest, hardest, etc. We also thought it would be helpful to add what the cost of each place is with the date the info was acquired. Overall it is a good book and has a lot of information in it. We do like it and have used it several times.

Maryland is a diverse state, locally referred to as Little America, for having every geographical terrain in the United States outside Deserts. Now in a newly updated second edition "Hiking, Cycling, & Canoeing in Maryland: A Family Guide" by Bryan MacKay is a thoroughly 'user friendly' guide to taking advantage of this vast and beautiful array of nature available in a small area. Covering over twenty hikes, sixteen cycling paths, and nearly twenty rivers worth considering to canoe, "Hiking, Cycling, & Canoeing in Maryland" is a must for any outdoors lover who is either living in or planning to visit the state.

You'd do better looking up trails on-line. This book is of little practical use.