Gary S. Williams first got hooked on hiking when he was a child, berry picking with his mom near Dover.

Fast forward several decades, and Williams has formalized his hobby on the pages of a new book, "Hiking Ohio," which describes in detail 83 recommended trails throughout the state.

Each suggested hike includes a description of the trail, including length and any historic or geographic highlights; amenities (restrooms, camping, etc.); a map; GPS coordinates and more. In addition, each hike is rated for its degree of difficulty, from one boot (easiest) to five (most difficult).

Gary Williams' 10 Top Hikes

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

, Three Waterfalls Hike (Northeast Ohio)

Malabar Farm State Park

, Bridle and Ski Trail (Northeast Ohio)

Kelleys Island State Park

, Kelleys Island North Shore Loop Trail (Northwest Ohio) Wayne National Forest/Marietta unit, Covered Bridge Connector Trail (Southeast Ohio)

Conkles Hollow State Nature Preserve

, Rim and Gorge Trails (Southeast Ohio)

Burr Oak State Park

, Buckeye Loop/Tanager and Chipmunk Trails (Southeast Ohio)

Wayne National Forest/Ironton Unit

, Vesuvius Backpack and Lakeshore Trail (Southeast Ohio)

Miami County Parks/Charleston Falls Preserve

, Charleston Falls Preserve Trail (Southwest Ohio)

John Bryan State Park

, John Bryan State Park Trail (Southwest Ohio)

Edge of Appalachia Preserve

, Buzzardroost Rock Trail (Southwest Ohio)

Hiking Ohio

Gary S. Williams Human Kinetics; 274 pp.; $22.95

Williams, a retired librarian, lives in Wintersville, just west of Steubenville, and is a volunteer with the Buckeye Trail Association, which maintains and promotes the 1,440-mile trail that winds through Ohio. He has previously self-published four books on early Ohio history.

He recently agreed to answer a few questions about hiking in Ohio.

Question: I'm sure people not from Ohio – people from better-known outdoor adventure states like California and Colorado and Maine – might think Ohio doesn't have great hiking. But you know differently (and so do I – I've hiked on many of your recommended trails). What do you like about hiking in Ohio?

Answer: What I like about Ohio hiking is our surprising diversity. In the same way that Ohio is an important swing state because we represent a microcosm of the nation, Ohio is also geographically prototypical. We may not have snow-capped mountains or rugged sea coasts, but the hills of southern Ohio and shores of Lake Erie make for a good approximation. We don't have deserts, but we do have sand dunes, swamps and bogs, waterfalls, cliffs, prairies, 500-year-old forests, and a bevy of unusual rock formations, and hiking trails that lead to them all. We also have the Buckeye Trail, a 1,440-mile volunteer-built trail that loops around the state.

Question: Why 83 hikes? And how did you choose them?

Answer: Having 83 hikes in the book is an arbitrary number. The publisher (Human Kinetics) wanted the hikes to include at least 60 entities, such as individual state parks, nature preserves, state forests, or municipal parks. Most of these owning agencies have one hike described in the book, but some, such as Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Wayne National Forest and Hocking Hills State Park, have multiple hikes included. I chose the hikes as not necessarily the best in the state, but as a general overview. The hardest part was visiting a part of the state and trying to sample as many hikes as possible, because I know I left a lot of good stuff out. I tried for a representational mix of easy and difficult hikes that cover as much of the state as possible. I also tried to include any places with compelling natural or human history connections. I selected hikes based on personal experience and recommendations from friends and other hiking guides.

Question: Have you tried them all?

Answer: I had to hike at least part of all the hikes, because each hike contains multiple GPS coordinates that can only be obtained by going there. There were a few hikes where I drove between some of the waypoints due to time constraints, but the inclusion of the GPS coordinates is a new introduction to Ohio hiking guides.

Question: Do you have a favorite?

Answer: About a dozen hikes stick out, but a unique one is the Covered Bridge Connector Trail in the Wayne National Forest in Washington County. The trail goes through 4.5 miles of forestland and connects two covered bridges over the Little Muskingum River. If you leave a canoe at the upstream bridge and then park your car at the downstream bridge, you can have an amphibious excursion by hiking back to your canoe and then paddling down to your car.

Question: I read in the book that all the hikes require no more than a day pack and a pair of tennis shoes (no expensive hiking boots needed in Ohio). I suppose that's a benefit for the casual hiker – but what about more serious hikers? Does Ohio have options for them?

Answer: The hikes in the book are geared for families to do, and average only about 3 miles in length. But I also mention any long distance or backpacking trails in the area for more serious enthusiasts to enjoy. In southern Ohio particularly, it is possible to have multi-day backpacking trips, and the appendix lists 10 hikes that connect with backpacking trails. The hikes in the book are rated for difficulty, ranging from one boot for the half-mile paved concourse at the Harrison Tomb State Memorial in North Bend to five boots for the 9.5-mile Archer's Fork Loop in the Wayne National Forest.

Question: Do you have a regular hiking companion? Or do you hike alone?

Answer: I did about a third of the hikes by myself, but I had 23 different people join me on the other hikes. Hiking is great by yourself or in groups, and on some of these hikes I was accompanied by some of my best friends, which is a great way to research a book. And four of these friends let me stay with them while I was hiking in their part of the state. And on some weekends, my wife, Lee Ann, served as a shuttle to trailheads while we vacationed in different parts of Ohio. One of the most fun parts is giving free copies of the book to my fellow hikers.

Question: Do you have a favorite place outside of Ohio where you love to hike?

Answer: I have a college friend who lives near Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and whenever I visit him we go hiking and backpacking there. He came up here to do the Archer's Fork Loop with me and pronounced it Smoky-worthy.

Question: Any advice for someone who has never hiked (or hasn't in a long time)?

Answer: Hiking is the easiest form of exercise. All you need is legs and a desire to stretch them. Everyone should get out and enjoy Ohio's diverse outdoors, and the benefits will be apparent.