Nature Hikes in the White Mountains: An Appalachian Mountain Club Nature Walks Book

This book is perfect for people wanting to do beginner (and even a couple moderate) hikes in the White Mountains. It is very easy to use and detailed. All hiking books should use the format of this book. I highly recommend it. If you are looking for more agressive hikes or multi-day trips, get the AMC White Mountain Guide with maps.

Being an avid hiker and an avid reader of hiking guides (when it's too cold and white to hike), I purchased several hiking guides to help me plan my recent vacation to New England. This guide is by far the best of that lot. This guide describes 50 hikes in the White Mountains (45 in northern New Hampshire, 5 in extreme western Maine) divided into 8 regions by geography. Each hike contains detailed directions to the trailhead, a very good map that shows you almost everything along the trail except contour lines, and a description that usually lasts for several pages. The descriptions are divided into two sections: the first just gives directions for walking the trail along with the major highlights, while the second gives lots of information about the scenery (animate and inanimate) you are likely to see on the trail. In fact, this guide gives you more information on the forest and fauna than just about any guide I have ever read. Length of the hikes range from 0.5 miles to 5 miles with the average at 2 or 3 miles. Also, some of the trails can be combined to form longer hikes of up to 10 miles. This guide emphasizes hiking with kids, so one might think the appropriate audience is somewhat limited. However, as a single man with no kids, I can attest that this guide will be useful to anyone interested in White Mountain hiking. In fact, much of the information "intended for kids" I found to be just good information about the trail's natural setting (as described above). So don't think this guide is one of the specialized type; it can actually be used by a very broad audience. If there was one drawback to this guide, it would be the significant changes that have occurred on some of these trails since the book went to press. On my personal hiking journeys, I discovered: 1) the trail to Arethusa Falls (highest in NH) has been rerouted and 2) the Old Man profile in Franconia Notch has collapsed. So there will need to be an updated version published in a few years. However, the publication date is still fairly current, and trail changes are beyond the author's control. In summary, this is an excellent guide that anyone interested in White Mountain dayhiking should own. Very highly recommended.

This is a terrific book to use when you are going to hike in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It is rich with information presented in an easily accessible format. Useful introductory chapters tell you how to get the most out of the book, make suggestions for hiking with children, and discuss the natural history of the region, including line illustrations of plants and a few animals. A map shows the location of each of the 50 hikes, which are divided up between the Franconia Notch, Waterville Valley/Squam Lake, Kancamagus, Crawford Notch, Pinkham Notch, North Conway, Evans Notch and North Country regions. An easy-to-read chart lists all the hikes and their difficulty level, distance and whether or not there is a river, a waterfall, a lake or pond, a view, rock ledges, wooden bridge, blueberry bushes or special geological feature on that particular hike. A short introduction to each region details facilities available such as camping sites and visitor centers. Several pages are devoted to each hike, including length, elevation gain, time requirement and difficulty level, a description of the trail, highlights for kids, directions to get there, a map and a photograph. The book concludes with a bibliography and index.If you get one book to help you explore the White Mountains, it should be this one, particuarly if you are hiking with children.

Now in an updated and revised second edition, Robert Buchsbaum's Nature Hikes In The White Mountains continues to be the premier guide to New England's White Mountain waterfalls, mountain ponds, blueberry patches, and outdoor adventures for the hiker, backpacker, and nature enthusiast. Mixing trail descriptions with natural history, Buchsbaum provides a series of hiking opportunities including a map, distance, estimated hiking time, elevation change, and level of difficulty. Nature Hikes In The White Mountains offers natural sites and activities for children; sidebars on natural features along the trail; detailed driving instructions to reach each trail; and a quick reference chart for selecting the perfect hike. Whether for a day hike, a weekend excursion, or to plan an outdoor vacation, Nature Hikes In The White Mountains will prove a much appreciated, practical, and even inspirational guide!

Went to the White Mountains with another adult friend and picked this book because the walks looked about our speed. The directions are great, descriptions and nature discussions also very informative and entertaining. I particularly liked the "what the kids get out of it" feature for each walk. I particularly recommend the walk to Diana's Baths, a waterful near North Conway, NH.