Are there guides for the Appalachian Trail?
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy even offers a couple of popular options on their website , including “Appalachian Trail Data Book” and “Appalachian Trail Thru-Hikers Companion”. You’ll see both used on trail by a few people, but one unofficial guidebook is far-and-away the most popular, AWOL’s famous “The AT Guide” .
What part of the Appalachian Trail is best for beginners?
The Easiest Sections on the Appalachian Trail
- NOBO: Starts at mile 863 after Rockfish Gap / Waynesboro.
- NOBO: Cross into Maryland from West Virginia at mile 1,024 at the Potomac River, hit the PA border at 1,065 at the Mason Dixon Line.
Where can I sleep on the Appalachian Trail?
Appalachian Trail shelters are simple wooden structures scattered along the length of the trail for hikers to sleep in. They, most commonly, have three wooden walls (the fourth wall being exposed) and are elevated a couple feet off the ground.
Can you pitch a tent anywhere on the Appalachian Trail?
Dispersed camping is allowed on roughly half of the Trail, with the largest area of land open to dispersed camping concentrated on U.S. Forest Service lands; specific guidance may differ in each forest. No dispersed camping is allowed on the A.T. in the states of Maryland, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.
How hard is the Appalachian Trail?
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (or ATC) believes the 281.4 miles (452.9 km) of the trail in Maine are particularly difficult. The western section includes a mile-long (1.6 km) stretch of boulders at Mahoosuc Notch, often called the trail’s hardest mile.
Where does the Appalachian Trail start?
The Appalachian Trail begins in Georgia on Springer Mountain, 90 miles north of Atlanta, and ends at Mount Katahdin in Maine. On the way north it slips back and forth across the Tennessee/North Carolina border in the Great Smoky and Blue Ridge mountains .
What is the route of the Appalachian Trail?
Appalachian Trail. running 2,167 miles through fourteen states from Georgia to Maine. Its route in Georgia follows the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains , covering approximately 77 miles from its beginning at Springer Mountain to Bly Gap at the North Carolina border.
What was the purpose of the Appalachian Trail?
The Appalachian Trail, commonly referred to as the A.T., was the vision of a Massachusetts regional planner and forester Benton MacKaye , who outlined his plan for a trail along the Appalachian Mountains in 1921. He envisioned a trail as a means to preserve the Appalachian crests and to provide a retreat from increasingly industrialized modern life.