Hiking North Carolina [Paperback]

Randy Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1996 | Series: State Hiking Series

From the Great Smokies and the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Piedmont and the Outer Banks, this guide features more than 200 hikes in all regions of the state.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

From the Great Smokies and the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Piedmont and the Outer Banks, this guide features more than 200 hikes in all regions of the state--including the Appalachian Trail, Grandfather Mountain, Linville Gorge and Shining Rock wilderness areas, Roan Mountain, the greenways of Charlotte, Durham, and Raliegh, and the coastal areas of Nags Head, Cape Lookout, and Cape Hatteras. Whether you're interested in a challenging backpacking adventure deep in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains or an easy day hike along a greenway or an ocean beach, Hiking North Carolina is an indispensable part of your next outing.

Product Details

• Paperback: 344 pages
• Publisher: Falcon; 1st edition (April 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560442115
• ISBN-13: 978-1560442110
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,408,285 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #83 in Books > Travel > United States > States > North Carolina

More About the Author

My goal is to write guide books that engage readers as much as the articles I publish in national magazines and newspapers (some have won awards from the Society of American Travel Writers and North American Travel Journalists Association).

Check out a winter 2011 article and video about Mount Mitchell:
http://www.wncmagazine.com/feature/outdoors/life_at_the_top

"Hiking North Carolina," is the bestselling statewide trail guide and the newest printing includes many updates. "Hiking the Blue Ridge Parkway" and "Best Easy Day Hikes Blue Ridge Parkway" are bestsellers, both just revised and expanded in 2010. And the new "Best Easy Day Hikes Great Smoky Mountains National Park" is one of only four books in the popular "Best Easy" series to be bundled with a National Geographic/Trails Illustrated map (of the Great Smokies, at a great price!).

I'm a writer and photojournalist, but part of what makes my books different is that I'm a trail professional, too. Trail managing agencies have adopted trail suggestions recommended in my books. I founded the trail program at Grandfather Mountain, designed and built new trails, and orchestrated backcountry research that helped the mountain become the world's only privately-owned Biosphere Reserve (and now a state park). During the completion of the Blue Ridge Parkway at Grandfather, I helped create the trail network that's in place today.

The professional trail builder/manager part of my life isn't past. I was just named the task force leader for the Mountains-to-Sea Trail along Grandfather Mountain's Tanawha Trail to Blowing Rock, NC. I'll be teaching trail building workshops for the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail in 2011 (www.ncmst.org/).

Writing books that help people find outdoor adventure gives me the same satisfaction I get designing and building new trails, or just advising hikers I used to meet in the Grandfather backcountry. That's why my books' trail descriptions explore an entire area, recommend a range of hikes, and include history, ecology, climate, and culture.

My passion for sharing the outdoors is why I'm especially honored when someone buys one of my guides, perhaps at a signing, and asks me to sign it for someone they love and want to encourage to get out on the trail, to get fit--and enjoy nature with the gift-giver!

As a longtime photojournalist, I know photos impart a true sense of place, and most of my books include a lot. My pictures have appeared in Backpacker and Outside. I've photographed European ski areas for "SKI Magazine," had full-page photo spreads in "USA Today." And I'm a bona-fide map fanatic. My books have plentiful, accurate maps.

Along the way I've been a founding editor of "The Mountain Times" in Boone, mountain columnist for "The Charlotte Observer," and until 2009, the longtime editor-in-chief of United Airlines' "Hemispheres," the United States' most award-winning inflight magazine (named "World's Best inflight" in 2006).

Today, I'm expanding my list of books. Expect an upcoming revision of "Southern Snow: The Winter Guide to Dixie" (it's been called a "cult classic"). Please troll around on Amazon for the latest. And check out my Web site--www.randyjohnsonbooks.com--to read many published articles, view my trail videos, and a schedule of presentations.

I hope you'll consider my guides. Here's wishing you the kind of hiking experiences that inspire me to write them!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good all-round hiking guide, August 9, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hiking North Carolina (Paperback)

The author brings the trails to life with vivid descriptions, plenty of useful facts, and many high quality (for a paperback) black & white photographs. Each trail description is accompanied by a sketch map that clearly shows the trail and is especially helpful for finding the trailhead. You'll need to buy your own topo maps, however, for all but the shortest hikes. Good references help you locate the best maps for each hike.

I really like this guide, but there's room for improvement in the next edition. The Appalachian Trail and Great Smoky Mountains aren't covered nearly as thoroughly as the other hiking opportunities. And the order in which the trails are listed is a bit haphazard. Overall, though, it's a winner.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Casual hiker's bible, August 24, 2002

By 

Anthony Hill "Frograil" (Oakboro, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hiking North Carolina (Paperback)

If you want a detailed, rock-by-rock guide to the AP, this book is not for you. However, if you're a casual hiker like my wife and I, this book allows you to carefully evaluate (before it's too late!!) the various hiking opportunities throughout the state. We use it 3-4 times a year, and it has saved us grief, time, and frustration, by getting us to places that are suitable for us.

I've got a big railfan guide on the net, and I know how time-consuming a book like this must be to put together -- hundreds and hundreds of hours of on the ground research. This book is a terrific bargain -- worth every penny and then lots more.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as its Hiking VA counterpart.., August 23, 2005

By 

Barnes and Noble Junkie (Barnes And Noble, Midlothian, Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hiking North Carolina (Paperback)

having been very impressed with AFALCONGUIDE's 'Hiking Virginia' I picked this up as I left for North Carolina for an spur of the moment hiking trip.

The intro to the book is quite good, as it is almost an introduction to hiking. Sections include" clothing, footwear, leave no trace. hiking with kids and appalachian trail, as well as several others. This is something that the Hiking Virginia book lacked.

What I didn't like about this book was the way that the hikes were presented. The detailed maps contained in the Hiking VA book were gone, as was the elevation profile. The information wasn't as neatly presented as the VA counterpart, and I still can't figure out how the hikes were organized.

Did this book help me? Yes, but it was no where near as informative as its VA counterpart.

One hike that I would recommend is the Mount Mitchell hike. And if you decide to do it, make sure that you 1) Hike the Big Tom trail (it's a killer .5 miles..and the trail leading from Big Tom to Mount Craig to Mount Mitchell is great) and 2) stop by the restaurant on the road leading up to Mount Mitchell and get a helping of the cobler (with vanilla ice cream of course)..

Other worthwhile hikes are the Craggy Gardens and the Linville Falls hike, but beware, parts of the Blue Ridge Parkway have been washed away, and the detour is h#ll..

Happy Hiking!!!!!!!!!!