Trails of the Triangle: Over 400 Trails in the Raleigh/Durham/chapel Hill Area [Paperback]

Allen de Hart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2007

The Triangle, which encompasses the area around Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is consistently rated one of the best places in the nation to live and work. The new edition of this hiking guide reflects the changes that have occurred in the fifth-fastest-growing metropolitan region in the country during the decade since the book was first published.
The book offers close to 250 different trails within a 60-mile radius of the Triangle. The hikes can be found on federal, state, city/county, and even private property. Trails range in distance from a few yards, such as the 92-yards Honeysuckle Lane Trail in Fuquay-Varina to the 26-mile Falls Lake Trail. There are residential trails such as Shelly Lake Trail, which is so popular that it has a speed limit of 10 miles per hour and a centerline to separate traffic. There are trails in remote forests, such as the Summit Loop Trail, where you may not see another person. You can find trails for equestrians, in-line skaters, cyclists, and even the physically impaired.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Allen de Hart has hiked more than 8,500 different trails and over 30,000 miles in 46 states and 18 foreign countries. He is the author of numerous trail books, among them North Carolina Hiking Trails, which has sold over 100,000 copies. He lives in
Louisburg, North Carolina.

Product Details

• Paperback: 299 pages
• Publisher: John F Blair Pub; 2 edition (September 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0895873494
• ISBN-13: 978-0895873491
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #719,907 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #48 in Books > Travel > United States > States > North Carolina

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent guide for the Triangle hiker/walker, October 11, 2009

By 

Paul Denisowski (Raleigh NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Trails of the Triangle: Over 400 Trails in the Raleigh/Durham/chapel Hill Area (Paperback)

I do a good deal of hiking around the Triangle area and am always on the lookout for new hiking ideas . This book definitely fits the bill : lots of fun and interesting hikes with clear descriptions, decent maps, distances (!), etc.

The hikes are somewhat on the shorter side (~1 to 5 miles, with the average being maybe about 2 miles), and the difficulty levels are reasonably accurate if you're only a casual hiker or hiking with small children. Many of the individual hikes are actually continguous, so it's not hard to make a longer hike out of 2-4 shorter hikes (and the book makes this clear as well).

The maps and descriptions are often far better even than the "official" trail maps : the book describes some of the less obvious sections/connections of the Raleigh greenway system in far more detail than the official maps. That alone is worth the price of the book. :)

For the size and price, it's filled with great information and is a very useful resource. Highly recommended.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great guide to Triangle trails, April 24, 2009

By 

Jonah Bishop (Durham, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Trails of the Triangle: Over 400 Trails in the Raleigh/Durham/chapel Hill Area (Paperback)

I picked up this trail guide recently to find new places to hike. Even though I've lived in the Triangle area for years, this book listed many places I had never even heard of! The author chose to organize the trails in an interesting way: Trails on US Government Properties (Chapter 1), Trails in NC State Parks, Forests, Historic Sites, and Natural Areas (Chapter 2), Trails in County Parks and Recreation Areas (Chapter 3), Trails in Municipal Parks and Recreation Areas (Chapter 4), Trails on Private and University or College Properties (Chapter 5), and Trails in the Triangle's Neighboring Counties (Chapter 6). This organization scheme makes finding a new trail quick and easy.

The introduction to the book provides some good, general hiking tips. From security, to how to dress, to the traffic conditions you can expect in the Triangle area. Even though I live in the area, I still found several useful nuggets of information in this section.

Each trail listing is accompanied by a description of the trail itself (sometimes providing a little history of the trail area), as well as instructions on how to reach the trailhead. Maps are provided for each trail, and trail distances and difficulties are also given. I'm looking forward to checking out more of the places listed in this book that I had never heard of.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical evaluations of the difficulties and unique features of each trail, March 3, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Trails of the Triangle: Over 400 Trails in the Raleigh/Durham/chapel Hill Area (Paperback)

Now in an updated and expanded second edition, Trails of the Triangle: Over 400 Trails in the Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill Area is an excellent guide to trails within a 50-mile radius of the Triangle area in North Carolina. Written by veteran hiker Allen de Hart, Trails of the Triangle includes trails meant especially for equestrians, in-line skaters, cyclists, and the physically impaired, as well as many other gorgeously beautiful or serenely remote hiking spots. Black-and-white maps and photographs, as well as practical evaluations of the difficulties and unique features of each trail enhance this excellent guide for anyone interested in experiencing the natural wonder of the Triangle area.