Product Description
The Triangle, which encompasses the area around Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is consistently rated one of the best places in the nation to live and work. The new edition of this hiking guide reflects… More >>
Trails of the Triangle: Over 400 Trails in the Raleigh/Durham/chapel Hill Area
I do a good deal of hiking around the Triangle area and am always on the lookout for new hiking ideas . This book definitely fits the bill : lots of fun and interesting hikes with clear descriptions, decent maps, distances (!), etc.
The hikes are somewhat on the shorter side (~1 to 5 miles, with the average being maybe about 2 miles), and the difficulty levels are reasonably accurate if you’re only a casual hiker or hiking with small children. Many of the individual hikes are actually continguous, so it’s not hard to make a longer hike out of 2-4 shorter hikes (and the book makes this clear as well).
The maps and descriptions are often far better even than the “official” trail maps : the book describes some of the less obvious sections/connections of the Raleigh greenway system in far more detail than the official maps. That alone is worth the price of the book.
For the size and price, it’s filled with great information and is a very useful resource. Highly recommended.
Rating: 5 / 5
I picked up this trail guide recently to find new places to hike. Even though I’ve lived in the Triangle area for years, this book listed many places I had never even heard of! The author chose to organize the trails in an interesting way: Trails on US Government Properties (Chapter 1), Trails in NC State Parks, Forests, Historic Sites, and Natural Areas (Chapter 2), Trails in County Parks and Recreation Areas (Chapter 3), Trails in Municipal Parks and Recreation Areas (Chapter 4), Trails on Private and University or College Properties (Chapter 5), and Trails in the Triangle’s Neighboring Counties (Chapter 6). This organization scheme makes finding a new trail quick and easy.
The introduction to the book provides some good, general hiking tips. From security, to how to dress, to the traffic conditions you can expect in the Triangle area. Even though I live in the area, I still found several useful nuggets of information in this section.
Each trail listing is accompanied by a description of the trail itself (sometimes providing a little history of the trail area), as well as instructions on how to reach the trailhead. Maps are provided for each trail, and trail distances and difficulties are also given. I’m looking forward to checking out more of the places listed in this book that I had never heard of.
Rating: 5 / 5
Now in an updated and expanded second edition, Trails of the Triangle: Over 400 Trails in the Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill Area is an excellent guide to trails within a 50-mile radius of the Triangle area in North Carolina. Written by veteran hiker Allen de Hart, Trails of the Triangle includes trails meant especially for equestrians, in-line skaters, cyclists, and the physically impaired, as well as many other gorgeously beautiful or serenely remote hiking spots. Black-and-white maps and photographs, as well as practical evaluations of the difficulties and unique features of each trail enhance this excellent guide for anyone interested in experiencing the natural wonder of the Triangle area.
Rating: 5 / 5