Appalachian National Scenic Trail

The Appalachian Trail, also known as the AT, is the granddaddy of long-distance hiking trails, winding its way over 2,000 miles (3,500 km) through 14 states from Georgia to Maine along the Appalachian Mountains.

The trail was conceived by Benton MacKaye in the early 1920s and October 7, 1923, the first section of trail near Bear Mountain, NY, was opened.

Myron Avery took up the cause and continued advocating for the trail and reigned as Chairman of the ATC for twenty years. Avery become the first person to hike the entire trail from end-to-end in 1936, although not as a thru-hike.

It wasn’t until 1948 when the first documented thru-hike occurred. Earl Shaffer walked from Georgia to Maine in a single season—a feat that many people thought impossible at the time. Later, he then completed the first Maine-to-Georgia thru-hike. And 50 years after his first thru-hike hike, nearly 80 years old, Earl Shaffer hit the trail again in 1998 to thru-hike from Georgia to Maine making him the oldest person to have hiked the trail at the time.

The Appalachian Trail is historic, not just in its own right, but it also passes through Civil War and Revolutionary War battlefields. It follows old railroad beds and through the historic town of Harpers Ferry where John Brown’s raid occurred. You’ll pass many historic geographical landmarks such as the Potomac and Hudson Rivers, and over the top of Mount Washington where the world’s highest sustained wind speed of 231 mph was recorded.

The trail passes through 14 states: Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. It passes through two national parks: Great Smoky Mountains and Shenandoah National Parks. It passes through a multitude of state and county parts, wilderness areas, and through lots of colored mountains: the Blue Ridge through Virginia, the Green Mountains of Vermont and the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

The trail is so long, you’ll pass through several seasons. The trail starts in the winter in Georgia with trees barren of leaves and even a small snowstorm along the way. Then you’ll hit the spring flowers and trees turning increasingly green. In the heat of summer, the trees are full of life, but also bugs and humidity. By the end of the trail, you’ll start to see traces of autumn but, admittedly, I finished the hike before leaf-peeping season hit its stride. (We do have other trails such as the Long Trail for that, however!)

The Appalachian Trail is an adventure! Let’s go walk it!