
"An inside look at the heritage behind the trails that even long-time residents and experienced hikers may not know."
Penn Dameron, Executive Director
Blue Ridge National Heritage Area
In North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains, the landscape is more than a scenic backdrop, it literally shapes the culture.
Danny Bernstein's newest guidebook, Hiking North Carolina's Blue Ridge Heritage, lists 66 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, mileage and elevation gain, trail highlights, fees and hiking regulations, and even books and movies related to each hike location. The new guide 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. She tells hikers how they 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. The new book has been endorsed by the BRNHA as a supporting partner of the organization.
Danielle "Danny" Bernstein, author of Hiking the Carolina Mountains, is an Appalachian Trail end-to-ender and recently completed the more than 800 miles of trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. She leads hikes and writes about the outdoors from her home in Asheville, NC.
Hiking North Carolina's Blue Ridge Heritage is available beginning April 1 wherever good books are sold, and may also be ordered directly from the publisher at 828-488-6601 or online at www.milestonepress.com.
Publication Date: April 1, 2009
Length: 384 pages
Price: $19.95
ISBN13: 978-1-889596-21-1
