By MARK TAYLOR
THE ROANOKE TIMES

   The Blue Ridge Parkway is one of the busiest national parks, but that's largely because many drivers use it simply to get from Point A to Point B.

    The parkway also offers some great outdoor recreation, of course. It has great access to hundreds of excellent hiking trails and bike rides, and is itself a popular biking route. Two authors have released books focusing on those opportunities.

    Randy Johnson tackles the foot-travel side of things with "Hiking the Blue Ridge Parkway." Tim Murphy's new book, "Road Cycling the Blue Ridge High Country" includes plenty of rides on and around the parkway.

    With Johnson's exhaustive guide in hand, a hiker could walk for years. The book includes nearly 50 chapters. Some focus only on a single route, but many include several trails in an area. Each write-up gives easy directions on how to reach the trailhead and detailed descriptions of the hiking route itself, including its length and difficulty. The accompanying topographic maps are excellent. Johnson also includes plenty of information about the scenery - both natural and man-made - along the way.

    The 300-plus page softcover, published by Falcon Guides, is $16.95.

    In his cycling guide, Murphy also includes everything a rider needs to know before heading out. Ride descriptions include length, difficulty and scenery descriptions. Maps are straightforward and easy to understand.

    The cycling book focuses mainly on rides in North Carolina, but there's a nice section on rides in the Damascus area.

    Murphy will appear 7-9 p.m. on Monday at Ram's Head Books in Roanoke to sign copies of his book and be available to answer questions about biking the Blue Ridge high country.

    The books are available at book stores, outdoor stores and through Internet book sellers.

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