GSMNP - October 1, 2002 -- Great Smoky Mountains Natural History Association is proud to announce the publication of its newest book, Exploring the Smokies: Things to See and Do in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This full color, 5" x 10" guidebook is designed to nestle into the glove box or door pocket of your vehicle and be close at hand anytime you feel the lure of the Smoky Mountains.
Traveling the hills and hollows with Exploring the Smokies is like being accompanied by the park's most knowledgeable ranger. The book is information rich and comprehensive (124 pages), filled with over 100 color photos, maps, charts, and a substantial, user-friendly text. It features in-depth information on all of the popular destinations in the Smokies, including Cades Cove, Clingmans Dome, Newfound Gap, and Sugarlands, and includes many sites you may have never heard of: Twentymile, Balsam Mountain, Greenbrier, Big Creek, and Cataloochee.
The second section of the guide, titled "Opportunities," covers the tremendous range of activities available to park visitors: hiking, fishing, horseback riding, camping, bicycling, and photography, plus many activity themes: waterfalls, historic buildings, wildllife, grassy balds, visitor centers, learning, and safety. Author Rose Houk goes beyond simply providing the basic tour guide nuts and bolts. She brings the book to life by offering anecdotes from her own experiences as well as those from such insiders as park rangers, former residents, and knowledgeable locals. This skillful blend of facts and experience makes the book as much a pleasure to read in the armchair as beside a splashy mountain stream.
The final section is titled "Suggested Trips" and details carefully chosen 1/2-day and all day excursions in the national park. Most of these trips combine scenic auto tours with occasional stops and short walks.
Some nice quality touches to Exploring the Smokies are a big, sturdy, foldout map and the old-fashioned kind of binding (Smythe sewing) that lets you open the pages wide without them falling out.
Author Houk has written a number of other articles and books on the Smokies, including Great Smoky Mountains National Park: A Natural History Guide, Great Smoky Mountains: The Range of Life, and Food & Recipes of the Smokies. She is a Tennessee native and a graduate of UT-Knoxville. She has written over two dozen books on national parks and other significant natural and cultural sites.
Exploring the Smokies is published by Great Smoky Mountains Natural History Association, a nonprofit organization which supports the educational, scientific, and historical efforts of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Proceeds from the sale of Exploring the Smokies will benefit the park.
