This companion volume to The National Road is a traveler's guide to the nation's first federally funded highway. Combining a wealth of historical and geographical information, this book takes readers on a 700-mile journey through America's heartland, from the Chesapeake Bay to the Mississippi River. Illustrated with more than 300 maps and lithographs, this authoritative gudie leads us down a trail into our nation's past.

From there two routes went west toward the Mississippi River, one to East St. Louis and the other to Alton, Illinois. (Today the Road's path is followed, for the most part, by U.S. 40 and I-70.).

This collection of "eloquent essays that examine the relationship between the American landscape and the national character" serves to remind us that despite our differences we all belong to the same land (Publishers Weekly). “How was it possible, I wondered, that all of this American land––in every direction––could be fastened together into a whole?” What does it mean when a nation accustomed to moving begins to settle down, when political discord threatens unity, and when technology disrupts traditional ways of building communities? Is a shared soil enough to reinvigorate a national spirit? From the embaattled newsrooms of small town newspapers to the pornography film sets of the Los Angeles basin, from the check–out lanes of Dollar General to the holy sites of Mormonism, from the nation’s highest peaks to the razed remains of a cherished home, like a latter–day Woody Guthrie, Tom Zoellner takes to the highways and byways of a vast land in search of the soul of its people. By turns nostalgic and probing, incisive and enraged, Zoellner’s reflections reveal a nation divided by faith, politics, and shifting economies, but––more importantly––one united by a shared sense of ownership in the common land.

When the scenery out the car window is breathtaking, drivers and their passengers want maximum gaze time. Our popular road guide, completely revised and updated, features contiguous text and maps so visitors can follow the maps and descriptions as they drive along. The book's efficient design eliminates having to flip back and forth between maps and text and count odometer mileage--a major frustration of other road guides. This indispensable guide tracks the major roads within Yellowstone National Park and its neighbor Grand Teton National Park. Detailed topographical maps point out where to look for wildlife such as mountain goats, bighorn sheep, elk, deer, and bear; geological formations; historical sites; and plants. Also included are locations for camping, fishing, and boating within the Wyoming parks. Several pages of maps and accompanying text cover the popular Grand Loop Road, describing the formation of the 308-foot Lower Falls, Yellowstone Canyon's best views from Artist's Point, and how Mud Volcano lives up to its name. This road guide not only helps visitors find their way around but also makes the trip richer, more interesting, and more enjoyable.

The roads within America's national park system reveal a wide range of technological, aesthetic, and philosophical concerns. Their design and construction epitomize the central challenge of national park management: how to balance environmental protection with public access. The Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), a division of the National Park Service, has spent more than a dozen years documenting the history of this vital aspect of the national park experience. America's National Park Roads and Parkways brings together 331 measured and interpretive drawings commissioned by HAER to illustrate the physical characteristics, design strategies, construction practices, and visitor experiences of roads in national parks from Acadia to Zion and parkways from the Blue Ridge to the Natchez Trace. Also included are non–Park Service projects that utilized similar design strategies, including the Bronx River Parkway and the Columbia River Highway. The book documents thirty-one projects, explaining how roads shape visitor perceptions, highlighting key characteristics of individual park road systems, and connecting their design and construction to the broader history of American engineering and landscape architecture. More than a documentary record of historic design and construction practices, this book has practical applications for engineers, landscape architects, and cultural resource specialists in guiding design decisions, interpreting historic sites, and informing contemporary debates on preservation and environmental protection. National Park Roads: Acadia National Park; Crater Lake National Park; Glacier National Park (Going-to-the-Sun Road); Great Smoky Mountains National Park; Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park; Mount Rainier National Park; Rocky Mountain National Park; Scotts Bluff National Monument; Sequoia National Park (Generals Highway); Shenandoah National Park (Skyline Drive); Yellowstone National Park; Yosemite National Park; Zion National Park National Military Parks: Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park; Gettysburg National Military Park; Shiloh National Military Park; Vicksburg National Military Park Parkways: Baltimore-Washington Parkway; Blue Ridge Parkway; Colonial Parkway; George Washington Memorial Parkway; Natchez Trace Parkway; Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway Park Road Precedents: Bronx River Parkway; Columbia River Highway