State Parks of North Carolina

North Carolina (of which I am a native, so please forgive the bias) likes to advertise itself as the "Variety Vacationland" and after reading the "State Parks of North Carolina" it's not hard to see why. Eastern North Carolina features hundreds of miles of beaches, lighthouses, coastal villages, swamps, Civil War forts, and the two largest landlocked sounds in the United States. The central section of the state (the Piedmont) features rolling, forested hills ocassionally broken by isolated, jagged peaks (usually called "knobs" locally) with excellent rock climbing and superb views, and swift rivers and large, manmade lakes. And in western North Carolina there are the Appalachian mountains, featuring the highest peaks east of the Mississippi river. This outstanding book, written by two biology professors from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, covers all 41 of North Carolina's state parks. These two men traveled to each of the state parks and thoroughly explored them (they traveled over 9,000 miles in researching this book). Although naturally concerned with the plant and animal life in the parks, the book is still designed with the camper, hiker, or even casual visitor in mind. The authors divide the parks into three geographic sections - coastal plain, Piedmont, and mountains, and they also include seperate sections on the state's nature preserves and recreation areas (all located on the shores of its' largest manmade lakes). The chapters on each park feature a map with roads, hiking trails, campgrounds, etc., contact information for the park, the park's main attractions, a section on the history of the park, a section on the plant and animal life to be found in the park, a section on hiking and (if relevant) climbing trails, a section on campgrounds or other facilities (and park activities, if any), and a section on nearby historic and/or natural attractions. There aren't many photographs, but I suppose that's to encourage the reader to see the parks for themselves. If you're interested in visiting North Carolina, or you're a native Tar Heel who's looking to explore your state, then this book is a great place to start! I've used it on a number of trips, and it has proven its' value time and again.