Hiking Great Smoky Mountains National Park: A Guide to the Park's Greatest Hiking Adventures (Regional Hiking Series)

The book contains tons of good details which helped my wife and I decide which trails to hike in the park. The trails are cross-referenced several ways, so it's easy to find which trails fit what you're looking for. We used a trail app, but definitely feel this book was worthwhile too!

I know some of the previous comments say that there is no elevation gain written for the hikes, which is true, but I found this book to be very helpful so far. We have done one trip to the Smokey Mountains and are planning a second next year. I’ve been looking up information on different on line sites, but this book is really helping understand the ins & outs of the park better. I really enjoy some of the extra information given about the park & the different areas. I’m very happy I bought this book. It’s going to make our trip an even better experience.

Lots of good information with accurate trail illustrations. The most honest rating system for trails. Trails rated overall 2-3 or 3-4 in other guides are noted "strenuous" in this guide due to difficult sections and this guide is more accurate. Guide is very detailed in points of interest and cautions. No elevation data makes it necessary to combine with another guide such as the one published by Top Trails for an accurate appreciation of the hikes.

I bought the Kindle version of this after checking out the actual book at the library. The book has elevation profiles of the trails the Kindle version does not. The book has a chart for the trails that show level of difficulty that the Kindle version does not. The author listed at the bottom of that chart his favorite hikes and that too is missing. The book also has a nice Hikers checklist for planning based on day trips or overnights that is missing in Appendix C. Looks like book was scanned and anything complex was left out. Maps are also fuzzy. Not the brilliant book you would expect in digital format.The book itself is a great guide it has put me on some new trails that I might not have hiked. The author does well to explain the trails and let you know the ones that are not worth your time. The 4 stars I give to the book not the Kindle version the material left out is very important especially elevation profiles.

Bought this for my brother in law. He loved the guide, said it’s very thorough and it’s one he doesn’t have! Highly recommend if you are an avid hiker in the Smokies!

The quality of this map is exceptional. It is waterproof without feeling like a laminated map. I refolded against the grain multiple ways during our 5-day backpacking trip and it still looks new. It is accurate. Things I'd like - show leader lines for the paths to the shelters. It's not clear which trail you enter some of these from. I'd also like to have one that breaks the park up into smaller sections. It can be pretty hard guessing where and how much elevation change you are about to encounter. Finally, it would be good to add dates that roads open/close. That caused us some unexpected "fun".Otherwise, this is a great map.

Was really excited to get this book based on recommendations from others since we moved to the area and are enjoying hiking every weekend.I must say this book is not the best though. The pictures are nice but many of the authors trail grading systems are not accurate in my opinion.I feel most trails are a notch above what he lists them at as far as difficulty. This past weekend we did Laurel Falls and continued on to Cove Mountain Trail as the author suggested was a moderate hike with some easy stretches. Once you get past Laurel Falls there is a little easy stretch but after that is is pretty much uphill for 2.5 miles.I would give this trail a difficult rating. Another example is Spruce Flat Falls. He has it is moderate, I understand the trail itself to get to the waterfalls is only a mile, but it is every bit of a difficult/strenuous hike.Even the information board at the Tremont Institute puts it at moderate +. I understand ratings are subjective based on one's physical ability but we have taken many trails suggested by the author only to feel misled in his representation of them. We will be buying a new book for our hikes.I am looking forward to his waterfall book though and hoping that will be a better fit for us.

We rely on this book to plan our backpacking trips to teh Smoky Mountains and I can say this book is definitely the best of this genre for the area. Lots of good tips and the trail ratings (Easy, Moderate, Strenuous) are accurate. It is becoming a little dated with respect to the actual trail conditions and utilization of the trails, but not enough to be called inaccurate. If you are taking a trip to the Smokys and plan to leave your car, this book is a must have, If I could rate 4.5 stars, I would. Not quite 5 stars because it is a little dated and it doesn't have every trail listed (but it does have all the popular ones and the AT).

La organización del libro y la forma de describir los recorridos ayudan realmente a decidir los que más interesan. Muy interesante la tabla del final donde los recorridos están agrupados por temas.

Very well organized with lots of insight in to the quality of the trails.