Customer Reviews

Hiking South Carolina

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

 

 

This guidebook has long been sorely needed. Great maps, great directions, full information. I have used it for several hikes and found it to be on the money. This is in contrast to the hiking guide I previously used, which was confusing and lacked adequate maps.

I have especially enjoyed learning about great hiking opportunities in the South Carolina Low Country, in addition to the tried and true mountain trails.

I've never though of South Carolina as being much of a state for hiking, but this book has changed my mind. South Carolina is full of trails! Several dozen of the best trails are described in detail. Flora, fauna, interesting features, the usual outdoor stuff, but eloquently depicted. Could use more photos, but you'll probably be taking plenty of your own at some of the gorgeous places listed here. As it is, the book small enough to fit easily into a rucksack. There are good, accurate maps. If a trail is especially difficult there is a graph to help you gauge your efforts - you can see how much is uphill, how much downhill, how much is level, etc. Helps a lot with the pacing. The back of the book has a list of ALL the trails in the state. There is a telephone number listed for each one so you can call for more information. Also has basic how-to information for beginning hikers. If you want to get out and see more of South Carolina, this is the way to do it! Highly recommended.

Falcon Guides' "Hiking South Carolina," by John Clark and John Dantzler, has it all: great maps, articulate and informative narratives, over 50 interesting photos, and a plethora of details that provide readers with everything they need to know to enjoy South Carolina's natural heritage. It even has an introduction by Judge Alex Sanders, President of the College of Charleston, whose unorthodox insight is humorous and informative.

As is the case with all Falcon Guides, the maps are superb. There are detailed maps of each of the book's 62 featured hikes, each with a locator map inset, plus an overview map of the Mountain Bridge Natural Area network of trails and a numbered, locator overview page that pinpoints on a single state map the location of each of the featured hikes.

The prose is well-written and informative, with descriptions of history, flora, and fauna, in addition to helpful directions to guide hikers and enable them to avoid problems with confusing trail indicators. The authors hiked all described trails over the past two years to insure the accuracy and timeliness of all information. "Hiking South Carolina" even has descriptions of recently completed segments of the new mountains-to-sea Palmetto Trail, plus an overview of this exciting project.

If you like details, this book is definitely for you. For each hike, it has superb directions to trailheads and information on distances, trail conditions, fees, rest rooms and other facilities, nearby lodging and amenities, and where to obtain additional information. The appendix contains a directory of over 300 trails, plus a comprehensive bibliography, phone numbers, web sites, hiker's checklist, and more.

As Chair of the South Carolina Sierra Club, this reviewer recommends "Hiking South Carolina" enthusiastically and without reservation.

Solid in every respect, this guide described 62 hiking destinations throughout the state of South Carolina. Each hike contains detailed directions to the trailhead, a fairly detailed description of the trail, and a map with more details than you would expect from a Falcon guide. Almost half of these hikes are in the mountains, with the remainder split evenly between the midlands and the coastal plains.

Probably the greatest strength of this guide is the diversity of its hikes. Distances range from multi-day backpack treks along the Foothills Trail in upstate South Carolina to a short 1 mile walk through the swamps along the Edisto River. Nearly every type of destination is covered including waterfalls, wetlands, bird sanctuaries, rivers, overlooks, and just nice, plain forest hikes. If 62 hikes are not enough, this book also features an appendix listing every trail catalogued by the South Carolina State Trail Coordinator. Thus, no matter where you are in the state or what kind of hike you prefer, you will find something (and probably lots of things) of interest in this guide.

It's hard to find a weakness with this guide. The closest thing I could find would be the fact that the author uses SR to mean Secondary Route instead of the standard State Route; he uses SC for South Carolina State Route. In addition to just being awkward, the author on at least one occasion (Turkey Creek Trail) forgets this designation himself. So make sure you have a good map like a DeLorme Atlas and Gazeteer before you start out toward one of these trailheads.

In summary, this guide has no major flaws, and it is the best guide to South Carolina hiking that I am aware of on the market. So if you are interested in hiking the Palmetto State, this guide should find its way into your library.

It is so good to have a guidebook that contains more than just hikes under five or six miles. The maps are very helpful and the trail details are well written. I look forward to making liberal use of this book when gas prices go down.