"Hiking Trails of the Great Smoky Mountains" is an essential guide to one of America's most
breathtaking and rugged national parks. The second edition of this compellingly readable
and useful book is completely updated, giving outdoor enthusiasts the most current
information they need to explore this world-renowned wilderness.
Included here are facts on more than 125 official trails recognized by the Park Service.
Each one has its own setting, purpose, style, and theme, and author Kenneth Wise
describes them in rich and vivid detail. For every route, he includes a set of driving directions
to the trailhead, major points of interest, a schedule of distances to each one, a
comprehensive outline of the trail's course, specifics about where it begins and ends, references
to the U.S. Geological Survey's quadrangle maps, and, when available, historical
anecdotes relating to the trail. His colorful descriptions of the area's awe-inspiring beauty
are sure to captivate even armchair travelers.
Organized by sections that roughly correspond to the seventeen major watersheds
in the Smokies, Wise starts in Tennessee and moves south into North Carolina, with
two major trails--the Lakeshore and the Appalachian--that traverse several watersheds
treated independently. Further enhancing the utility of this volume is the inclusion of the
Great Smoky Mountains' official trail map as well as an informative introduction filled
with details about the geology, climate, vegetation, wildlife, human history, and environmental
concerns of the region.
A seasoned outdoorsman with more than thirty years of experience in the area and
codirector of the Great Smoky Mountains Regional Project at the University of Tennessee,
Knoxville, Wise brings an exceptional depth of knowledge to this guide. Both experienced
hikers and novices will find this newly revised edition an invaluable resource for trekking in
the splendor of the Smokies.

Widely regarded as the crown jewel of the Great Smoky Mountains, Mount Le Conte harbors the greatest concentration of notable geological features in all of the Smokies. This unique book tells the history of the mountain, offering visitors a greater appreciation of its scenic splendor.
Kenneth Wise and Ron Petersen combine their intimate knowledge of Le Conte with a wealth of scientific and historical information. Following introductory coverage of the mountain's geologic history and human exploration, they follow the six main trails up the mountain--Alum Cave, Bullhead, Rainbow Falls, Trillium Gap, Brushy Mountain, and Boulevard--and reveal each one to be not merely a path but a rich source of historical and personal testimony. A final chapter covers the distinguishing features of the summit itself.
Along each route, the authors explain how the trail was developed and provide historic background for well-known landmarks, from Inspiration Point to Huggins Hell. They offer informative descriptions of the plants and wildlife indigenous to Mount Le Conte as well as observations on the effects of environmental changes on the landscape.
The book is illustrated with dozens of photographs, many of historic interest. Also included is a fold-out vista map of ten panoramas visible along the way, indicating the notable features that can be seen from each vantage point.
The Authors: Kenneth Wise is an administrator at the University of Tennessee library and the author of Hiking Trails of the Great Smoky Mountains: A Comprehensive Guide. Ron Petersen is a distinguished professor in the Department of Botany at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
Ron Petersen and Kenneth Wise combine their intimate knowledge of Mount LeConte with a wealth of scientific and historical information. Following the six main trails up the mountain--Alum Cave, Bullhead, Rainbow Falls, Trillium Gap, Brushy Mountain, and Boulevard--they tell how each was developed and provide historic notes and descriptions for well-known landmarks, from Inspiration Point to Huggins Hell. They also point out a host of interesting features about plants and wildlife and offer observations on effects of environmental changes on the landscape.
The text is enhanced by dozens of photographs, many of historic interest. Also included with the book is a fold-out vista map containing drawings of eight panoramas visible from the summit, indicating the geologic features that can be seen from each vantage point.
Whether you're viewing LeConte from the Lodge or hiking its slopes, this book will enhance your enjoyment of this crown jewel of the Smokies.
A Natural History of Mount LeConte is unlike any other book available on this magnificent mountain. It shows that history and natural history are two sides of the same coin and will make visiting or hiking the peak a more rewarding experience.

Located astride the Tennessee-North Carolina border, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park contains more than one hundred trails that trace eight hundred miles of rugged terrain. This fact is certain to bewilder any newcomer who might be eager to explore the Park's backcountry but is unsure where to start. This book, intended as a beginner's guide to hiking the Smokies, offers lively, informative descriptions of twenty-two trails that can be completed in a day or less.
For anyone who has yet to discover the beauty of the Smokies, the highest North American mountains east of the Mississippi, the trails described here offer a splendid introduction. Scenic overlooks at Mount Le Conte, Clingmans Dome, Gregory Bald, and other peaks are included along these pathways, as are some of the well-known waterfalls of the Park, such as Laurel Falls, Rainbow Falls, and Ramsay Cascades. In addition to vital data about the length of the trail, its elevation gain, and "how to get there," each trail description is packed with interesting facts and Smoky Mountain lore. Detailed maps are also included. In their introduction, the authors provide a brief overview of the park's history as well as useful tips for novice hikers.
The Authors: Kenneth Wise, an administrator at the University of Tennessee Library, Knoxville, has hiked in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for more than twenty years. He is the author of "Hiking Trails of the Great Smoky Mountains: A Comprehensive Guide."
James Andrews, a partner in the firm of Andrews, Hudson & Wall, P.C., has hiked the Park trails for more than a decade. He is the coauthor, with Wise, of "The Best Overnight Hikes in the Great Smoky Mountains."

This reader is an essential companion to Terra Incognita: An Annotated Biography of the Great Smoky Mountains, 1544-1934 and represents a significant contribution to scholarship on the Smokies and the region at large. Anne Bridges, Ken Wise, and Russell Clement have selected some of the best pieces from a rich repository of literature written about the Smokies prior to the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 1934. Based on years of research, the diaries, memoirs, literature, and journalism collected here shed light on various historical and cultural aspects of the Great Smokies, from Smoky Mountain folkways and religion, to the Civil War era and the Cherokee Indians. All together, the writings pay tribute to the diverse inhabitants of the Great Smoky Mountains. Each section gathers writings under a single topic heading and progresses chronologically. The readings can thus be taken to document the slow progression of change up until the eve of the large-scale disruptions that would be wrought by the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 1934. This reader represents a significant contribution to scholarship on the Smokies and the region at large.