We hired A Walk in the Woods for two hikes. It was our first trip to the Smokys and weren't sure what to expect so wanted someone that knew the area. The first hike was scheduled for 2.5 hours, but our guide, Sam(antha) was so great about pointing out botanical and historical features that it ran into 3 hours and she seemed happy to let it. Our second hike, also with Sam, was a lot more strenuous with steeper hills. She took us to a beautiful waterfall that seemed few other hikers knew about. On the way back, she was very patient with us less-physically-fit hikers :-) and initiated rest stops instead of making us ask. Her narration was conversational, not a lecture by any means, and we definitely came away smarter...even our 10 year old was engaged. We knew that she was on a tight schedule because she had another walk scheduled for the afternoon, but she didn't make us feel rushed and even let us do a short spur to a cemetery. (When I asked if we were making her late, she said no, that she had some "lunch hour" time between hikes and could easily give us that time.) On both trips we enjoyed walking with other families from out of state, it added to our experience. Calling to book the trips was also a pleasant experience, they were very helpful in discussing the different aspects of various trips. (Also, Sam never once mentioned a tip, but she definitely earned it!) We would definitely book again with them, and even are considering an overnight backpacking trip.