Day and Overnight Hikes in the Smokies [Paperback]

Johnny Molloy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1995

Attracting more than 9 million people a year, The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the richest expanses of undeveloped land in the southeast. Day and Overnight Hikes steers visitors away from the well-trodden avenues, and takes them on a detailed journey to infrequently visited sites, from highland meadows and open vistas to pristine mountain streams and pioneer farms. Each trail description offers commentary on what to expect along the way and rates each hike for scenery, trail condition, difficulty, accessibility for children and solitude. Easily carried in your pocket, this book provides directions to more than 30 of the best day and overnight hikes in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The exceptional beauty and peace of mind found on these hikes just can't be experienced from a climate-controlled automobile.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

One of the richest expanses of undeveloped land in the Southeast, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park attracts more than 9 million visitors a year. Even so, most people experience only a few of the most popular trails in the area. Day and Overnight Hikes in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park takes hikers off the beaten track to the more secluded rambles, from highland meadows and open vistas to pristine mountain streams and pioneer farms. Each trail description offers precise commentary on what to expect along the way and rates each hike for: scenery, trail condition, difficulty, accessibility for children, and solitude. Designed to fit easily into a back pocket, the revised and updated second edition of Day and Overnight Hikes includes 10 new hikes that lead to even more sites of exceptional beauty and solitude. The peace of mind found on these hikes just can't be experienced from a climate-controlled automobile, so let Day and Overnight Hikes help you discover the best the Smokies have to offer. (4 1/2 X 9, 128 pages, maps)

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Menasha Ridge Press; 1st edition (November 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0897321936
• ISBN-13: 978-0897321938
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 4.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,321,977 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Smokies Handbook, January 14, 2003

By 

Bill Ferrell (Knoxville, Tn.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Day and Overnight Hikes in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 2nd (Paperback)

Johnny Molloy's "Day and Overnight Hikes in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park" is a superb handbook for anyone wanting to hike in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In each trail description, he provides a map and rates all of the most popular hikes, including day and overnight loops, in distance, hiking time, difficulty, scenery, suitability for children, trail conditions, and solitude, as well as giving a brief summary of the outstanding features, such as waterfalls, mountains streams, rock formations, etc. He tells me everything I need to know to help me decide on a trail to hike. His book easily fits into my back pocket, so I always carry it and refer to it quite often during the hike. It's the best Smokies guidebook I've seen.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The only hiking guidebook, May 20, 2002

By 

choiceweb0pen0 (Lafayette, LA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Day and Overnight Hikes in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 2nd (Paperback)

I bought two hiking guidebooks for my recent trip to the Smokies. Molloy's book and Albrights' Hiking Great Smoky Mountains. I tried to use both of them, but time and time again I returned to Molloy. His guide is concise and you can quickly find what you're looking for without reading ten to twenty pages. His rating system, distance, and time charts are extremely valuable. His time estimates are a bit on the faster than average side, but you should allow extra time anytime you go hiking. Keep in mind too that most of the trails in the park involve going up and down hills as trails take you up to crests and ridges. Mainy of these trails would be hard to find on your own, with an overwhelming amount to choose from. I did trails in Tennessee including Injun Creek, Mount Cammerer, Sutton Ridge Overlook, and Walker Sisters Place. I would recommend doing a three or four hour hike before jumping to the six hour hikes. I think the only bad think about this book is after doing most of the hikes, you wish he would mention more.
As for the other reviews, Molloy spends a little time on suggesting you take rain gear, plenty of water/ water treatment tablets/filters. You don't need too much gear to just go hiking, but you should be prepared for nearly anything. I would say this book is geared to someone that has been hiking, backpacking before, but there is no reason a beginner couldn't benefit from using Molloy's guidebook. You can always ask a park ranger where to find various wildlife, but spend any amount of time on the trail, especially quietly, you're bound to run into some of the diverse wildlife found in the Great Smoky Mountains.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Accurate, brief, and precise, May 28, 2002

By 

"aborej" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Day and Overnight Hikes in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 2nd (Paperback)

This book, particularly the useful rating system, helped us to make the most of our visit to GSMNP. Thanks to the precision of the directions we city folks didn't have to backtrack once during four days and over 30 miles of dayhiking the trails. Although I like the small size and the brevity, it would be useful if the book included elevation charts and more map detail. However, serious hikers should use a detailed topographical trail map to complement any guidebook.