Join former forest manager Champ Zumbrun as he traverses hidden trails to tell the remarkable story of Green Ridge State Forest. Green Ridge State Forest is a haven of calm and natural beauty among the Appalachians of western Maryland. This land was once the frontier of the nation, and trailblazers such as Thomas Cresap and George Washington were among the first Europeans to discover its wonders: the swift Potomac, the flowering dogwood and pine in the mountain reaches and the nighttime calls of the bobcat and the barred owl. The vision and stewardship of people like forester Fred W. Besley preserved the forest for future generations of hikers, explorers and families. Join former forest manager Champ Zumbrun as he traverses hidden trails to tell the remarkable story of Green Ridge State Forest.

We travel to grow our Adventure Guides show you how. Experience the places you visit more directly, freshly, intensely than you would otherwise sometimes best done on foot, in a canoe, or through cultural adventures like art courses, cooking classes, learning the language, meeting the people, joining in the festivals and celebrations. This can make your trip life-changing, unforgettable. All of the detailed information you need is here about the hotels, restaurants, shopping, sightseeing. But we also lead you to new discoveries, turning corners you haven't turned before, helping you to interact with the world in new ways. That's what makes our Travel Adventure Guides unique. The author is fascinated with these islands and her passion comes across in the text, which is lively, revealing and a pleasure to read. Detailed town and regional maps make planning day-trips or city tours easy. Adventures covered range from town sightseeing tours and nature watching to sea kayaking and mountain climbing excursions. Travelers looking for a more relaxed vacation may want to sign up for dance lessons and take part in the local Carnaval or join a local cycling club and tackle some of the most scenic areas - these cultural adventures will introduce you to the people and afford you a truly unique travel experience. This guide focuses on Curaçao primarily and is based on material found in our larger book, Aruba, Bonaire & Curacao Pocket Adventures.

An indispensable guide to a regional treasure—now thoroughly updated and expanded. A comprehensive guide to one of America's unique national parks, The C&O Canal Companion takes readers on a mile-by-mile, lock-by-lock tour of the 184-mile Potomac River waterway and towpath that stretches from Washington, D.C., to Cumberland, Maryland, and the Allegheny Mountains. Making extensive use of records at the National Archives and the C&O Canal Park Headquarters, Mike High demonstrates how events and places along the canal relate to the history of the nation, from Civil War battles and river crossings to the frontier forts guarding the route to the West. Using attractive photographs and drawings, he introduces park visitors to the hidden history along the canal and provides practical advice on cycling, paddling, and hiking—all the information needed to fully enjoy the park's varied delights. Thoroughly overhauled and expanded, the second edition of this popular, fact-packed book features updated maps and photographs, as well as the latest information on lodgings and other facilities for hikers, bikers, and campers on weekend excursions or extended outdoor vacations. It also delves deeper into the history of the upland region, relaying new narratives about Native American settlements, the European explorers and traders who were among the first settlers, and the lives of slaves and free blacks who lived along or escaped slavery via the canal. Visitors to the C&O Canal who are interested in exploring natural wonders while tracing the routes of pioneers and engineers—not to mention the path of George Washington, who explored the Potomac route to the West as a young man and later laid out the first canals to make the river navigable—will find this guide indispensable.

Maryland offers an abundance of natural and cultural riches, so make this guidebook your compass to it all. Limitless exploration and entertainment opportunities await travelers and residents alike, and this thoroughly revised edition of Explorer’s Guide Maryland is the perfect companion for every excursion. The best restaurants, places to stay, and activities for every budget and interest are laid out in an easy-to-navigate guide as useful on the bookshelf as it is in the glove compartment. Descriptions and listings cover the whole state, including the quiet Eastern Shore; picturesque, historic Annapolis; the heart of downtown Baltimore; the many historical sites dotting the southern region; and the scenic northwestern mountains.

A comprehensive guide to effective hardwood forest management Extending 235,000 square miles from New York to Georgia and fromVirginia to Missouri, the Central Hardwoods Region harbors the mostextensive concentration of deciduous hardwoods in the world. Asharvests in the Pacific Northwest decline and timber prices rise,the maturing stands of mixed species in this central U.S. regionare a rich and valuable resource that is increasingly vulnerable toexploitation. This timely book examines all of the key ecological,social, and economic management considerations essential to utilizeand sustain these vital woodlands effectively. First, it develops the background necessary to understand whatmakes the hardwood eco-system function, with a thorough examinationof the physiography, geology, soils, and climate of the region anda historical overview of its evolution and development frompre-European settlement to the present. Then, species by species,the book details the silvical characteristics of 34 important treespecies. Next, it offers expert recommendations for effectiveforest treatment and management, from specific concerns such astimber production, pollution, and financial planning to broaderissues, including the role of the natural resource manager and thebiological potential of the entire region. Generously supplemented with graphs and photos, Ecology andManagement of Central Hardwood Forests is important reading forforesters, natural resource managers, regional planners,environmental scientists, governmental officials--everyone with astake in the future of this critical living resource.

This regional travel guide seeks out “engaging reenactments and the best exhibits, where remarkable artifacts and excellent displays bring history alive.” —Kathryn Schneider Smith, author of Washington at Home: An Illustrated History of Neighborhoods in the Nation’s Capital Few regions of the United States boast as many historically significant sites as the mid-Atlantic. Travels through American History in the Mid-Atlantic brings to life sixteen easily accessible historical destinations, and additional side trips, in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington, D.C., the Potomac Valley, and Virginia. Charles W. Mitchell walked these sites, interviewed historians and rangers, and read the letters and diaries of the men and women who witnessed—and at times made—history. He reveals in vivid prose the ways in which war, terrain, weather, and illness have shaped the American narrative. Each attraction, reenactment, and interactive exhibit in the book is described through the lens of the American experience, beginning in the colonial and revolutionary eras, continuing through the War of 1812, and ending with the Civil War. Mitchell contrasts the ornate decor of Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, for example, with the passionate debates that led to the Declaration of Independence, and the tranquil beauty of today’s Harpers Ferry with the trauma its citizens endured during the Civil War, when the town fell six times to opposing forces. Excerpts from eyewitness accounts further humanize key moments in the national story. Hand-drawn maps evoke the historical era by depicting the natural features that so often affected the course of events. This engaging blend of history and travel is ideal for visiting tourists, area residents seeking weekend diversions, history buffs, and armchair travelers.