If you love waterfalls, here are some of the best hikes in the
Southern Appalachians. And if you love plants--or simply would like
to learn more about them--you will be in hiking heaven: naturalist
Tim Spira's guidebook links waterfalls and wildflowers in a
spectacularly beautiful region famous for both. Leading you to
gorgeous waterfalls in Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, South
Carolina, and Georgia, the book includes many hikes in the Great
Smoky Mountains National Park and along the Blue Ridge Parkway. As
he surveys one of America's most biologically diverse regions,
Spira introduces hikers to the "natural communities" approach for
identifying and understanding plants within the context of the
habitats they occupy--equipping hikers to see and interpret
landscapes in a new way.
Each of the 30 hikes includes:
* a detailed map and GPS coordinates
* a lively trail description highlighting the plants you are most
likely to see, as well as birds and other animals along the way
* an associated plant species list
Also featured:
* beautiful color photographs of 30 destination waterfalls, 125
plants, and more
* detailed descriptions of 125 key plant species
* 22 drawings to help identify plant structures
* a glossary of botanical terms