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There is probably no better means than an overnight hike to get a taste of the half-million acres of mountains, streams, and valleys that make up the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina. The large number of maintained trails offer mountain or streamside hikes of varying length and difficulty. Overnight camping allows the visitor to reach the more remote regions of the Park and increases the chances for observing wildlife in its natural environment.This guide describes ten of the best overnight hikes in the Park, including Big Creek, Cades Cove, and Twentymile. Each trail description is lively and informative, providing not only practical information and sightseeing tips but a host of fascinating facts and lore about the Smokies, the highest mountains east of the Mississippi River. Accompanying each trail description is vital data about hiking distance, points of interest, total uphill hiking, a recommended campsite, and directions to the point of departure. Detailed maps are included -- as are illustrations and a concise introduction in which the authors describe the history and wildlife of the Smokies and offer a number of helpful suggestions about hiking preparation that will maximize the visitor's enjoyment of the Park.
About the author
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.
