50 Hikes in Louisiana: Walks, Hikes, and Backpacks in the Bayou State, First Edition

"50 Hikes in Louisiana: Walks, Hikes, and Backpacks in the Bayou State" is a wonderful help book in getting one started in the pleasant hobby of hiking. What I know comes from reading reviews written by people who live in California and New York and who hike regularly. They make hiking sound so worthwhile that I decided to hike, too!My area, North Louisiana has five hiking trails listed in the book. Coincidentally, I took the first one a year ago when I took my Pretend Children to visit Walter B. Jacobs Memorial Nature Park with its Intrepretive Building and a conservationist on hand to explain and demonstrate and show.The trail is divided into parts, designating length and time to hike. The longest is 2.2 miles and subdivided into shorter segments. We took the half mile hike because we had a three-year-old with us, who did most of the hiking on her own feet then part clutched to my side and on my two feet. What was missing and what I now know because of this book and the accoutrements to take.1. Wear comfortable shoes like tennis, walking, or running shoes.2. Take a water resistant rain jacket in your pack.3. Wear two pairs of socks (described in detail and reasons why)4. A pack which contains first-aid kit, flashlight, knife, compass, toilet paper, waterproof matches, a plastic bag for trash, and food and water.5. Insect repellent. Wear long pants because of ticks, spiders, fire ants.6. A walking stick to knock down spider webs when necessary7. A poison ivy remedy8. Sun blockSince none of the trails in North Louisiana are difficult, this set of supplies is quite complete. I plan to take the Pretend Children again this summer to Walter Jacobs and try the one-mile trail and go to Cypress Park for its Nature Trail.The book is organized beautifully. The first chart lists the hikes, location, distance, time length, features, if the hike is good for kids and brief notes of what to look for. Next is a state map with locations numbered and marked. The introduction provides the information in my above list. Then comes the local map with ordnance points and black and white photos. Each of the 50 hikes is detailed thusly.Happy hiking. And don't feed the bears or snakes or any other animal. They become too curious and demanding then.Dedicated to Fritz and Bob

I've spent the weekend reading Janina Baxley's 50 Hikes in Louisiana.Whether you'd like to try to complete all #50 or just a couple in your area, this is the book to have.For nearly 25 years, my career was as a tour director. Studying the history and culture of Louisiana was my education. Had I known about this book, it would have been in my library, back then. However, it's never too late to learn or to explore and so this book is certainly now a most important tool in my quest to complete all #50 Hikes within the year. I am going to try...The book begins with an Introduction section which includes advice and suggestions for further reading such as Field Guides. Hikes are listed along with pertinent addresses should you desire further help along the way.This is the ultimate trail guide for Louisiana. Trails are categorized by Region and are presented in #5 Sections: North, Central, Southwest, South-Central, and Southeast Louisiana.Throughout the book, Ms. Baxley has provided directions to each trail with illustrated maps. She has also provided the actual mileage of each hike and approximated how much time to allow for each. She also includes possible trail conditions one may encounter and insightful commentary on the natural history associated with each of the #50 trails.As was Ms. Baxley, I am a member of the Louisiana Hiking Club. In he Acknowledgement section of her book, Ms. Baxley thanks some of the LHC members who helped her. Since becoming a member of the LHC, I have had the happy opportunity to hike with some of those she mentions. They have been helpful to me, as well. If you are considering becoming a member of any hiking club, don't hesitate to do so. There will surely be established and experienced members who will be happy to help you, as well.See you on the trail.Deborah Dansante-White"Don't get up, gentlemen. I'm only passing through." ~ Bob Dylan

Because the market for Louisiana hiking guides is so thin, I decided to purchase this one in preparation for my recent hiking trip to the Pelican State. While this guide was excellent 14 years ago, I ran into some problems with it today.As the title suggests, this guide describes 50 hikes in Louisiana. The hikes are reasonably well-distributed throughout the state, and distances range from short 1 mile strolls to 20+ mile multi-day backpacks at Lake Chicot and on the Wild Azalea Trail. The guide includes 10 hikes in Kisatchie National Forest, 9 state park hikes, several hikes at smaller locally or privately managed parks, and 10 national wildlife refuge hikes. The local parks and national wildlife refuges are often underused by hikers, so featuring them so heavily here is a nice touch. Overall, the hike selection in this guide is excellent. Each hike contains an excellent map usually copied from a USGS topo map and a somewhat lengthy trail description that highlights in exquisite detail the unique natural features likely to be seen on the hike.Everything about this guide is excellent except for two things. First, I have found some of the factual information in this guide to be inaccurate. For example, Baxley lists the hike at Fountainbleau State Park as 6.7 miles in length, but when I hiked the same route I measured a distance (via GPS) of only 5.1 miles. I really expect better accuracy from a published trail guide. Also, this guide is really showing its age. There is no GPS information, few pictures, and probably some outdated trail information: in southern Louisiana trails have to be rebuilt after every major hurricane. I docked this guide 1 star for each of these issues.In summary, this is a once-great hiking guide that desperately needs an update. Given the paucity of Louisiana hiking guides on the market, I can see why you would buy this guide, but make sure to check park and national forest websites for updates before you head for the trailhead.