National Geographic’s fifth edition of its “Guide to the National Parks of the United States” packs a lot of information into vibrant, photograph-filled pages, covering 58 national parks from Maine’s Acadia to Alaska’s Glacier Bay. The Blue Ridge Parkway garners special mention as the parkway with the most recreational use, connecting Skyline Drive to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Navigating the pages of the guidebook is easy thanks to color-coded tabs on page edges, which organize the parks into seven regional divisions. Following every individual park entry in the book is a single page filled with basic but indispensable information that park visitors need to know, including visitor center information, entrance fees, campground and accommodation listings and special advisories.
Parks are introduced with brief but interesting blurbs on their history and geography. Readers are then informed how to get to the park, the best times of year to visit and how to plan a smooth, successful trip. Detailed itineraries and possible side excursions round out each park entry description.
“National Geographic’s Guide to the National Parks of the United States” is available at Parkway visitor centers. For telephone orders: 828-299-3507. Direct mail orders to Eastern National, Riceville Rd., Asheville, N.C. 28805. For e mail orders: karens@easternnational.org.
—Jennifer Winslow
These books were first reviewed for the Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost, published by the National Park Service, FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway and Leisure Publishing.
