Hiking Georgia, 3rd: A Guide to Georgia's Greatest Hiking Adventures (State Hiking Series) (Paperback)

by Donald Pfitzer (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Includes easy one-hour strolls along quiet nature trails, a trek along 80 miles of the Appalachian Trail, and medium-distance trails that suit many hikers.

From the Back Cover

For more than twenty-five years, FalconGuide® has set the standard for outdoor recreation guidebooks. Written by top outdoors experts and enthusiasts, each guide invites you to experience the endless adventure and rugged beauty of the great outdoors.
Hiking Georgia provides firsthand descriptions and detailed maps for more than 100 trails throughout the state. Veteran hiker and wildlife biologist Donald W. Pfitzer recommends his favorite routes—from easy strolls along quiet nature trails, to family-friendly hikes within minutes of downtown Atlanta, to extended backpacking treks along the Appalachian Trail.

Featuring:

Guaranteed binding-if this binding fails, the publisher will replace the book for free
GPS-compatible trail maps and mile-by-mile directional cues
Information on area history, local wildlife, and flora and fauna
Difficulty ratings, approximate hiking times, best hiking seasons, and more

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Falcon; 3rd edition (September 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762736429
• ISBN-13: 978-0762736423
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #197,241 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Comprehensive Guide to Georgia's State and Federal Hiking Trails, January 4, 2007

By	David Prager "redhawk" (Winterville, GA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In a state with such varied geography as Georgia, plenty of good hiking can be found. This guide will go a long way toward helping you find the best hiking Georgia has to offer.

From Chickamauga Battlefield near Chattanooga to Cumberland Island Seashore in the southeast, this guide describes 83 hiking destinations in Georgia. The distribution is fairly even throughout the state, though the north Georgia mountains carry a slightly higher weight, mainly due to Chattahoochee National Forest. Hikes range in difficulty from a 0.5 mile boardwalk stroll through Okefenokee Swamp to a rugged 13.7 mile hike on the Coosa Backcountry trail. People of all abilities will find suitable hikes in this book.

Each hike features a thorough and well-written overview, directions to the trailhead, a bare-bones but adequate trail map, and a written description of the trail. The trail descriptions vary quite a bit in quality with some descriptions lacking details to really make the hike come alive. Overall, however, the descriptions are informative and rather good. In addition to the 83 hiking destinations, the author describes 6 longer trails (such as the Appalachian Trail) in a short section near the end of the book. While the descriptions found in this book are not sufficient if you are planning an extended backpack trip, they do provide a good introduction to the longer trails and suggest some nice day-hiking loops.

Perhaps the greatest drawback with this guide is it's over reliance on trails located on state and federal lands. Indeed, every hike in this book except one describes a national forest, national park, national seashore, state park, or state wildlife area. While any comprehensive guide would rely heavily on these areas, this author seems to ignore the fact that many fine hiking experiences await on trails that do not fall into any of these categories. For example, here in Athens we have the Georgia Botanical Garden, Oconee Forest Park (operated by University of Georgia), and Sandy Creek Nature Center (operated by Athens-Clarke County). A more obvious omission is Stone Mountain Park, which features a fine 6.2 mile trail around the mountain, one of the best trails in the state, in my opinion. While lists and brief descriptions of state and federal trails can be found on the web, guides like this can serve to highlight some lesser-known hiking destinations that are not as easily found. This guide doesn't take that opportunity.

In summary, while the lack of variety in lands is enough to dock this guide a star, this is still the most comprehensive guide to hiking the entire state available on the market right now. Thus, if you are interested in hiking in the Peach State, this guide should probably find a place on your bookshelf.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It's only so-so for day hikers, July 11, 2007

By	Dr. Norman R. Roobol (GA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Almost nobody buys a book for hikes of 1-2 miles; this book has too many short hikes. Surprisingly, many nice day hikes, in North GA especially, are not even listed. This book is helpful to a degree, but it could have been done better by omitting so many short hikes and adding good 5-12 mile hikes.