These trails range from national forests and the Appalachian Trail to Piedmont forests, military and state parks, plus wildlife refuges and national seashores at the Outer Banks. Hikes to NC’s most visited locations include alternate starting points and strategies to escape crowds. Choices include challenging backpack trips, handicapped accessible adventures, waterfall hikes and urban greenway escapes. Easy family walks include close-to-home sections of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Trail info includes difficulty ratings, elevation gains, descriptions and full-color photos. The trail finder organizes the options and entries provide trailhead directions with GPS coordinates and GPS compatible maps for hundreds of hikes. Safety and trail etiquette are also covered. The guide is written by veteran travel author Randy Johnson, based in Banner Elk.

384 pages; softcover, $17.07.