Customer Reviews

Paddling Eastern North Carolina

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I know guidebooks. Retired in 1994, I now spend much time traveling with my canoes, mountain bike, and backpack. I have explored much of the western states, Alaska, and of course, living in North Carolina, the eastern states. Many of these expeditions were done solo with only a guidebook as a companion. My bookshelves are full of guidebooks. And I have found them to be a mixed blessing. Though valuable as a source of places to go, depending solely on the information contained in the guidebook can lead to some unexpected surprises, which is never a good thing in unknown territory.

It is therefore a pleasure to have a guidebook published that is accurate, descriptive, and contains virtually all the information needed to choose, plan, and implement a successful river trip, whether whitewater or flatwater. And did I say accurate?

I had the pleasure of accompanying Mr. Ferguson on many of his explorations for this book. It took me awhile to adjust to stopping on the river while he noted each unusual feature, alternate put-in, height of the banks, and seemingly every house into his ever-present tape recorder. God knows how many batteries he went through in his GPS. And the shuttles were always fun as we held up traffic while finding and double-checking each road name and number. But the end result is a guidebook that can be depended on to be correct in the mileage and the maps, which, by the way, are by far the best maps I have ever seen in any guidebook. I also have to say that Paul Ferguson is a delightful person to be with on any trip, even when unexpectedly stuck overnight in the middle of a swamp.

This book contains many unusual details that are not found in other guidebooks. One example is instead of giving each section of river a single rating for scenery, Ferguson breaks the section into two-mile segments and then gives a percentage of what is found in that section (i.e. A80%, B20%) which gives a much better picture of what will be encountered. Another example is that noteworthy features along the way are given with the mileage where thay will be seen.

With 469 pages of well thought out and sometimes painfully gained information, I think this book is an incredible value at only $19.95!

Finally, a book on paddling eastern N.C. rivers written by someone who actually paddled every single mile of them and who is a great writer with a keen sense of detailed observation and reporting skills! This book is far and away so much better than the previous old standard "Paddler's Guide" By Benner & McCloud.

As a "marathon" paddler who frequently paddles 30-40 mile trips in a single day, accurate mileage estimates for trips are extremely important to me. This is because if my mileage estimate are off by as little as low single digits, my take-out time could easily be after dark, not before it. I'm happy to report that Paul Ferguson absolutely nails his mileage estimates for various trips. For example, on the 30-plus mile section between the Roanoke Rapids put-in and the Highway 258 Bridge boating access area on the Roanoke River, his mileage estimate was within 1/10th of a mile of mine; very impressive indeed. This was one of two primary faults with the "Paddler's Guide": a lot of times, author Benner wasn't even close at times, sometimes being off as much as 15%-20%. This is corrected in this new book, thankfully.

The other major problem with Benner's "Paddler's Guide" was the he missed major, as in MAJOR points of concerns for canoeists, such as old washed-out dams, reasonably major Class II or so rapids and rock gardens, hard portages, etc. I never did figure out how he missed so many things if he ran those rivers, which he claimed he did.

Thankfully, Paul Ferguson, who actually did run all the rivers and major creeks listed in this book, noticed everything that's important to a paddler, and wrote it down. That's the main purpose of a guidebook such as this: to provide useful information about real-world conditions that you'll encounter out on the river, so you can make informed decisions before ever setting a canoe or kayak on them. He does so admirably.

BTW, I do not know the author in any shape, form, or fashion, nor am I associated with this book in any way. I'm just thankful someone has finally written a truly accurate guide to paddling eastern NC rivers!

I have been reading this book for the last two days and am impressed with the detail of the trips, location of put ins, highways, mileage and other details that the author has added. I have paddled one third to one half of the rivers he describes and know the information to be accurate. A truely up to date book for anyone who likes to paddle these rivers.

This is an excellent publication for both the beginning and seasoned paddler. Detailed information on all the rivers in eastern and central NC will assist the hobbyist in choosing a journey be it long or short. Safety tips are included as well.

The information and the way its presented are time saving, interesting and very hepful for anyone interested in pretty accurate info on paddling in eastern NC. It would even be a good book for the non paddler that just wanted some interesting reading on waterways in NC.

No doubt about it - You can't afford NOT to have this book!
The descriptions are great, the tips are sometimes life-saving, and the thought and planning that went into this book is spectacular!

This book is essential if you enjoy paddling the rivers and creeks of Eastern North Carolina. It not only gives you all the access points, but the distance between them as well. It is very handy when exploring a new paddle trail or trying to locate an access.

I love this book! I have not had time to paddle any trails yet, except one that I had already done before buying the book, but it will be an excellent resource I'm sure. Highly recommended for eastern NC paddlers!

This guide throughly reviews almost every possible paddling destination in the Eastern 2/3rds of North Carolina. The entries provide great details on the runs including drops and difficulties to be aware of before attempting the trip. Descriptions of put-in and take-out locations are well done. Each run includes minimum paddling levels where they apply. A well done guide book.

I had just started paddling when I stumbled upon this book. I had noticed descriptions on web pages of Section 12 of the Lumber River or Section 2 of the Black River and wondered who determined how the sections were named and measured. Now I know the answer. This book describes the most of the waters of NC in a way that makes the novice paddler crave to get out on the water and see what has been so well written. Now as I have gotten to know some of the paddlers of NC, we have a very easy way of describing where we are meeting, Section so and so of the river, page whatever of the Ferguson book. If you don't have this book and want to paddle, you need it now.
As I travel to other states and wonder where to paddle, I feel sorry for those states because Paul Ferguson hasn't written a book for them.