New for 2020, the THIRD edition of Hike the Bluegrass and Beyond  is your personal guide to walk, roll, and stroll your way across Kentucky. From nature preserves and wildlife management areas, to the premier hikes of the Red River Gorge and the Sheltowee Trace, this book will introduce you to the hidden wonders of backwoods central and southern Kentucky. (Note: For other regions of Kentucky, you may want to consider Five Star Trails: Louisville and Southern Indiana and  Backpacking Kentucky.) This edition describes over 100 hikes, urban walks, and public gardens, complete with full-color topo maps, photos, and recommended side trips. Lightly doused with humor and just the right amount of historical trivia, this book focuses on many of the lesser known hiking spots in the Bluegrass region. Whether you rarely get off the couch or you do ironman triathlons for fun, you're sure to find a hike or walk to add to your favorite short list. Each entry includes a full description and color topographical trail map, directions to the trailhead, other facilities available, contact information, and lots of full-color photographs A detailed trail chart indicates which hikes and walks are accessible, kid-appropriate, and dog-friendly. This is a must have if you love hiking and live in or near Kentucky. The descriptions are great, the pictures are beautiful and the directions are clear. It also has a helpful index of what walks that you can take dogs on, and distance from Lexington, KY as a reference. We were given this book as a gift a few years ago and we like it so much that we bought another copy to give to a friend who's interested in getting into hiking. Verified purchase: Amazon 9/12/2016 What a great book for those hiking in Central Kentucky. The author does a good job of discussing many of the hidden gems of the area. I appreciate books like this as they showcase the beauty of Kentucky. While these places can be found by Google Search, it's not necessarily easy to find them all. Kentucky does a terrible job of marketing itself when it has some great places to visit. So for this, we thank you for providing us cheap entertainment in Central Kentucky and the ability to discover some of the prettiest places around. Most hikes mentioned are shorter day hikes but they are still worth checking out as many hikes are within a few miles of each other. Also, the history and tips included are interesting and can save you some trouble. On one specific hike, we would've completely missed the place without her clear directions as to what to look for. Verified purchase: Amazon 1/24/2016 I am an avid hiker and thought that I had hiked all possible trails around Central Kentucky. Then I picked up this book and found that it included not only my favorite hikes, but a number of new hikes that have proven to be gems, right in my own "back yard." I love reading each entry, as most have a little history of the area, a descriptive review of the trail, and a lot of folksy humor. I like that the book has charts in the back that lists trails by amenities, trail length, and distance from Lexington. When I have visitors from out of town, the charts make it easy to select trails that are the perfect length for the amount of time we have allotted. The charts are especially nice for finding trails suitable for my friends who have young children in strollers. And as a bonus, most of the trail entries include "side trips" of additional places to explore while you're in the area. One of my favorites was Burke's Bakery in Danville where an amazing chocolate pastry completely cancelled out all the calories I had burned while hiking in the Central Kentucky Wildlife Refuge. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in hiking in Central Kentucky. Valerie Askren, after spending more than 20 years as a university researcher and professor, traded the ivory towers of academia for the great outdoors. Her background in natural resource economics and love of nature translated into a second career of writing outdoor guides, including "Hike the Bluegrass and Beyond", "Backpacking Kentucky", "Five Star Trails: Louisville and Southern Indiana" and "Fly Fishing Kentucky". An avid outdoorswoman, Valerie has swum in Africa's Lake Malawi, climbed China's Mount Tai, sailed the coast of southern France, biked Nova Scotia, and backpacked the überchallenging West Coast Trail of Vancouver Island. Her honeymoon was spent kayaking the Grand Canyon with her husband, Ben. The mother of four, Valerie lives in Lexington, Kentucky and hits the trail every chance she gets.