Hiking North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains

Hiking North Carolina s Blue Ridge Mountains (formerly titled Hiking North Carolina's Blue Ridge Heritage), lists 72 day hikes, ranging in length from 1 to 13 miles. Each one includes everything you need to know to get out on the trail: clear maps and detailed directions, trailhead GPS coordinates, mileage and elevation gain, trail highlights, fees and hiking regulations, and even books and movies related to each hike location. It also includes three auto tours with shorter walks.

Throughout the book, Bernstein discusses the unique history of specific trails and hiking areas, from moonshining and the origins of NASCAR in Stone Mountain s Wilkes County to Moses H. Cone s Flat Top Manor on the Blue Ridge Parkway. HIkers can follow the path of the Overmountain Men during the Revolutionary War, visit the fragile environment of Bat Cave Preserve in Hickory Nut Gorge, and walk beneath the monumental and controversial Linn Cove Viaduct. All the hikes lie within the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, designated by Congress in 2003.