Waterfalls of Blue Ridge: A Hiking Guide to the Cascades of the Blue Ridge Mountains - Softcover

Blouin, Nichole; Bordonaro, Steve; Bordonaro, Marilou Weir; Adams, Kevin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0897325516 ISBN 13: 9780897325516

Publisher: Menasha Ridge Press, 2003

Synopsis

Waterfalls are magical places – places of solitude, of serenity, of subtle power. Surrounding these swirling drops are lush oaks in the summer, resplendent colors in the fall, icy columns in the winter, and wildflowers in the spring. Waterfalls of the Blue Ridge shows you where to find these enchanting jewels. From the Smoky Mountains to the Shenandoah National Park, follow the authors as they guide you to nearly 100 of the best waterfalls on the Blue Ridge. Some are a stones throw from the road while others are more remote. Directions, distance, difficulty, and a brief history of the area accompany each description. So get out of your chair and into the woods. And don’t forget to take your camera; you’ll want to capture plenty of the elusive beauty found around the Waterfalls of the Blue Ridge.

About this title

About the Author

Born in Florida, Nicole Blouin graduated from Appalachian State Univeristy in North Carolina, where she fell in love with the mountains. She wrote her first book, Waterfalls of the Blue Ridge, in the early '90s, and since then has written four other guidebooks, which include mountain biking and road cycling. Presently, she lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and keeps busy with freelance writing, editing work, and managing a rock climbing gym.

A native of Athens, GA, Marilou Wier Bordonaro graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism. Years later, she finally had the opportunity to combine her love of the written word with her love of nature when she collaborated on Waterfalls of the Blue Ridge.

Originally from N.J., Steve Bordonaro leads white-water rafting trips when he has time off from his career in the pharmaceutical industry. Residents of Alpharetta, GA, Marilou and Steve continue to enjoy hiking with their two college-age daughters and discovering new waterfalls.

From the Back Cover

Waterfalls are magical places - places of solitude, of serenity, of subtle power. Surrounding these swirling drops you'll find lush summer oaks, resplendent autumn colors, shiny winter icicles, and abundant spring wildflowers. The thoroughly revised third edition of Waterfalls of the Blue Ridge shows you where to find these enchanting jewels. From the Smokies to Shenandoah National Park, follow the authors as they guide you to nearly 100 of the best waterfalls in the Blue Ridge. Some are a stone's throw from the road; others hide in the backcountry. Directions, hike distance and difficulty, and a brief history of the area accompanies each description. So get out of your chair and into the woods. And don't forget your camera; you'll want to capture the elusive beauty found at Waterfalls of the Blue Ridge.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Instead of several waterfalls on one trail, Linville Falls Recreation Area offers three trails to one waterfall with a total of six different views. Hosting about 50,000 visitors annually, Linville Falls is probably the most famous waterfall in the Blue Ridge. It was designated a Natural Heritage Area in 1989.
Linville Falls is a double cascade with a vanishing act between the two falls. The upper falls is wide and gentle, pouring over several shelves for a total of fifteen feet. Here, the river is lazy.

Suddenly, the river disappears into a narrow, quartzite channel. Out of sight, it dives sixty feet through a winding chamber before reappearing as the lower falls, a thunderous forty-five foot drop. The force of this powerful river has shaped a large basin with towering cliffs. The river flows out of the pool, leaves the recreation area, and enters the Linville Gorge Wilderness Area.

The headwaters of the Linville River are on Grandfather Mountain, and the river flows to the Catawba Valley through one of the most rugged gorges in the country. The sheer rock walls of Linville Mountain (west) and Jonas Ridge (east) confine the water for twelve miles while it descends two thousand feet. The difference in elevation between the rim and river is about fifteen hundred feet.

Edition details

• Publisher: Menasha Ridge Press
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0897325516
• ISBN 13: 9780897325516
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 196