Appalachian Trail
Hiking trail going through fourteen US states / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Appalachian Trail, also called the A.T., is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost 2,200 miles (3,540 km) between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.[2] The Appalachian Trail Conservancy claims the Appalachian Trail to be the world's longest hiking-only trail.[3] More than three million people hike segments of it each year.[4]
Appalachian Trail | |
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![]() Appalachian Trail logo | |
Length | 2,197.4 miles (3,536.4 km) in 2024[1] |
Location | Appalachian Mountains |
Designation | National Scenic Trail |
Trailheads | Springer Mountain, Georgia Mount Katahdin, Maine |
Use | Hiking, backpacking |
Highest point | Clingmans Dome, 6,643 ft (2,025 m) |
Lowest point | Bear Mountain State Park, 124 ft (38 m) |
Difficulty | Easy to strenuous |
Season | Early spring to autumn for thru-hikers; year-round for other users |
Hazards | Severe weather American black bears Tick-borne diseases Mosquitos Yellowjackets Biting flies Chiggers Steep grades Limited water Dangerous fordings Diarrhea from water Poison ivy Venomous snakes |
Website | Appalachian National Scenic Trail |
Trail map | |
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The trail was first proposed in 1921 and completed in 1937. Improvements and changes have continued since then. It became the Appalachian National Scenic Trail under the National Trails System Act of 1968.
The trail is maintained by 31 trail clubs and multiple partnerships[5] and managed by the National Park Service, United States Forest Service, and the nonprofit Appalachian Trail Conservancy.[6][7] Most of the trail is in forest or wild lands, but some parts traverse towns, roads, and farms. From south to north it passes through Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.
Thru-hikers walk the entire trail in a single season. The number of thru-hikes per year has increased steadily since 2010,[4] with 715 northbound and 133 southbound thru-hikes reported in 2017.[8] The Appalachian Trail Conservancy estimates there are over 3,000 attempts to traverse the entire trail each year, about 25% of which succeed.[9] Many books, documentaries, and websites are dedicated to the pursuit. Some hike from one end to the other, then turn around and thru-hike the other way, a "yo-yo".[10]
Affiliated trail sections extend from either end from the north as the International Appalachian Trail into Canada and beyond, and from the south as the Eastern Continental Trail into the Southeastern states of Alabama and Florida.
The Appalachian Trail, the Continental Divide Trail, and the Pacific Crest Trail informally constitute the Triple Crown of Hiking in the United States.[11][12]