What is the Appalachian Trail?
The Appalachian Trail is a more than 2160 mile path that begins at Springer Mountain in Georgia and ends at Katahdin in Maine, following the Appalachian Mountains. The trail was the dream of Benton MacKaye, who proposed it as part of “a project in regional planning.” It was meant to be a place where normal people could go to get away from their everyday lives and experience nature and the American outdoors. The trail began in October, 1923, in Bear Mountain State Park in New York. Soon after, the The Appalachian Trail Conference was formed. By August, 1937, the Appalachian Trail was completed. To this day, many people experience the trail on day trips and hikes. Many outdoors aficionados brave hiking the trail in it’s entirety. Click the link below for more facts about the Appalachian Trail.
The Appalachian Trail, known as the A.T., is a hiking trail that spans the distance between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mt. Katahdin in Maine. The length of the trail is listed differently by different agencies and experts, but is approximately 2,100 miles (3,380 km.) The A.T. was first opened in 1923, and has enjoyed popularity as a hiking spot since. In 1921, a former forester named Benton MacKaye envisioned the trail as an escape for city dwellers. The trail was originally planned to have hostels and nature camps at regular intervals, but these ideas were later scrapped for cost reasons. Though a small section was opened in 1923, it was not until the re-organization of the trail conference by Myron Avery in the 1930s that most of the work began in earnest. Disagreements between MacKaye and Avery lead to MacKaye’s departure, but he remains memorialized as the founder of the Appalachian Trail. Passing through fourteen states and a variety of terrain elevations, the Appalachian Tr
The Appalachian Trail (AT) is a continuously marked footpath in the Appalachian Mountains that spans 14 states in the eastern U.S. Its northern terminus is Mt. Katahdin in Maine. Its southern terminus is Springer Mtn. in Georgia. The AT is the most popular hiking trail in the world. How long is the trail? The trail is approximately 2,165 miles (3,500 kilometers) long. How many people have hiked its entire length? Approximately 5,000 people have hiked all of the AT. About 1,500 – 2,000 hikers attempt to hike the AT each year, approximately 12% (200 – 300) succeed. How long does it take to hike all of the trail? For those who hike the entire length of the trail in a single trip, most require 5 – 7 months for the entire journey. What is “thru-hiking”? Thru-hiking is hiking the entire length of the trail in a single year. What is “section-hiking”? Section-hiking is hiking the trail over a longer period of time, usually 2 or more years. How do hikers get food while thru-hiking? The eastern
The Appalachian Trail is a continuous marked footpath that goes from Katahdin in Maine to Springer Mountain in Georgia, a distance of about 2160 miles. Many trace the origins of the Trail to a 1921 article by Benton MacKaye entitled An Appalachian Trail: A Project in Regional Planning. The path is maintained by thirty trail clubs and multiple partnerships. The majority of the trail is in wilderness, and thus encounters a wide array of wildlife, topography and plant life. Some portions do traverse towns and roads, and even cross rivers. The Appalachian Trail is famous for its many hikers, many of whom attempt to hike it in its entirety, often non-stop. Earl Schaffer was the first to do so. Many books, memoirs, web sites and fan organizations are dedicated to this pursuit. Along the way, the trail passes through the states of Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and M
