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Rating: 
Summary: A Focused and Specialized Guide to Big South Fork
Review: The bookshelf above my desk is filled with hiking guides, one for nearly every hiking destination in the eastern US. This guide is unlike any other on that shelf. First, let me give some basic information about this book. Destinations described in this book are grouped into three geographic areas: Big South Fork NRRA, Pickett State Park (located in Tennessee just west of BSF), and southern Daniel Boone National Forest, located in southern Kentucky. These three adjacent areas contain more arches than just about any area in the east, so there is plenty of material for a book of this sort. Also, the book contains 29 photos of BSF arches and landforms, so even though they are not color photos, you can take a tour of BSF arches without leaving your living room by reading this book. The book describes 25 hikes, each one leading to at least one arch. Most of the hikes are extremely short (0.5 mile or less), though a couple are longer. There are five hand-drawn maps in an appendix that cover areas of high arch concentration, but most hikes do not have maps accompanying them. Further, trail descriptions focus on the arch rather than the hike (see next paragraph). This fact combined with the lack of maps caused me to get lost a couple of times when I was hiking to these arches, but I always found myself easily since the hike was short and I am an experienced hiker. Now back to my introductory thought, namely why this hiking guide is unique. Most hiking guides emphasize trail descriptions, with descriptions of scenery along the trail included as part of a trail description. This book is organized around arches with a secondary treatment given to the trails. Indeed, this book is only 100 pages long, and the first 22 are devoted to an introduction to arch formation and BSF geography, geology, and history. You won't find this much detailed information on landforms in most hiking guides, but it doesn't leave much room for trail descriptions as you would find in most hiking guides. In sum, if you are looking for a good, general hiking guide to the BSF, this book is not for you. With the focus geared so heavily to arches, this book is simply not designed to serve that purpose. However, if you are looking for a book that specializes in BSF arches to supplement your collection of BSF hiking guides (or your personal knowledge of the area), this book would make an excellent addition to your library.
Rating:
Summary: A Focused and Specialized Guide to Big South Fork
Review: The bookshelf above my desk is filled with hiking guides, one for nearly every hiking destination in the eastern US. This guide is unlike any other on that shelf. First, let me give some basic information about this book. Destinations described in this book are grouped into three geographic areas: Big South Fork NRRA, Pickett State Park (located in Tennessee just west of BSF), and southern Daniel Boone National Forest, located in southern Kentucky. These three adjacent areas contain more arches than just about any area in the east, so there is plenty of material for a book of this sort. Also, the book contains 29 photos of BSF arches and landforms, so even though they are not color photos, you can take a tour of BSF arches without leaving your living room by reading this book. The book describes 25 hikes, each one leading to at least one arch. Most of the hikes are extremely short (0.5 mile or less), though a couple are longer. There are five hand-drawn maps in an appendix that cover areas of high arch concentration, but most hikes do not have maps accompanying them. Further, trail descriptions focus on the arch rather than the hike (see next paragraph). This fact combined with the lack of maps caused me to get lost a couple of times when I was hiking to these arches, but I always found myself easily since the hike was short and I am an experienced hiker. Now back to my introductory thought, namely why this hiking guide is unique. Most hiking guides emphasize trail descriptions, with descriptions of scenery along the trail included as part of a trail description. This book is organized around arches with a secondary treatment given to the trails. Indeed, this book is only 100 pages long, and the first 22 are devoted to an introduction to arch formation and BSF geography, geology, and history. You won't find this much detailed information on landforms in most hiking guides, but it doesn't leave much room for trail descriptions as you would find in most hiking guides. In sum, if you are looking for a good, general hiking guide to the BSF, this book is not for you. With the focus geared so heavily to arches, this book is simply not designed to serve that purpose. However, if you are looking for a book that specializes in BSF arches to supplement your collection of BSF hiking guides (or your personal knowledge of the area), this book would make an excellent addition to your library.
Rating: 
Summary: The Natural Arches of the Big South Fork
Review: This guidebook to the natural arches of the Big South Fork area is the only guidebook to these fascinating geologic features of the area. I have used it extensively, and it is a great addition to the growing list of books on the Big South Fork area. The author has taken care to give accurate and detailed instructions about how to get to AND appreciate these wonderful geologic features in the Big South Fork Country. The book not only gives accurate and detailed information about how to get to these fascinating rock features, but it also gives a survey of the human history of the rugged Big South Fork country of Tennessee and Kentucky. The author, Arthur McDade, also fully stresses hiking and backcountry safety, and refers the reader to additional reference books about the area, including trail guides and topographical maps. This book is a must for all folks who are interested in the Big South Fork country. Get it in addition to the other trail guides to the area, to round out your library. I recommend it wholeheartedly, as I have hiked and backpacked all over the country, and this book is one of the best I have seen about geologic features and history.
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