Hiking the Blue Ridge Parkway is designed to be an indispensable resource for anyone who uses the Parkway -- America's most heavily visited unit of the National Park system -- as a portal to the Southern Appalachian experience. Hikers and motorists alike can continually refer to the book's mile-by-mile mileage log to overlooks and waysides, entrances and exits, interpretive sites, museums, visitor centers, craft shops, and all the easy "leg-stretcher" trails that are such an accessible part of a Parkway trip. But this is more than just a guide to Parkway facilities and paths. By including the best trails in the national forests, state parks, and private preserves that line the 469-mile scenic road, Hiking the Blue Ridge Parkway is a single-volume solution for the serious explorer, whether on foot or in a car. To aid the reader in experiencing the Parkway's best trails, this books contains more than 70 detailed topographic route maps, dozens of descriptive photographs, and in-depth trail descriptions with difficulty ratings and detailed directions. Author Randy Johnson has helped design Parkway trails and, as a noted Southern Appalachian author, has explored the unique richness of Appalachian culture. This book meshes the best of the Parkway's outdoor experiences with a keen sense of the cultural heritage that makes the Parkway a national treasure -- a motor trail to the heart of the United States' least homogenized region.