The Appalachian Trail is a public footpath across 2,160 miles of Appalachian Mountain ridgelines from Maine to Georgia. Roads that cross it for all but its northernmost 100 miles give ready access. The Trail is protected along more than 96 percent of its course by federal or state ownership of the land itself or by rights-of-way.

Two-inch by six-inch vertical white paint blazes mark the trail. A double blaze—one above the other—is placed before turns, junctions, or other areas that require that hikers be alert. Blue blazes mark Appalachian side trails. Usually these lead to shelters, water supplies, or vistas.

Benton Mackaye, who envisioned and campaigned for the trail in the 1920s, recognized that"the ability to cope with nature directly—unshielded by the weakening wall of civilization—is one of the admitted needs of modern times." More than 70 years later, the Appalachian Trail pulls the imagination of millions stuck in the daily grind of the crowded eastern seaboard—and elsewhere. The trail beckons for us to get away. Spend a day, or a week, or a season on the trail.

Appalachian Trail Resources
Feature articles
State-by-state guide to the AT
View AT trail rating
Submit your own AT trail rating
History of the trail
AT discussion board
Other AT resources

GORP followed two solo thru-hikers on the AT—Nina Baxley and Nimblewill Nomad. Their trail dispatches provide personal and inspiring narratives of life on this great American trail.

Read about GORP's other thru-hikers.

Top AT Overnighters Mahoosuc Notch - This section of trail in Maine is known as the AT's"toughest mile." Classic Connecticut - Extraordinary camping near Mount Prospect in the Berkshires. Sunfish Pond and Mount Mohican - Two natural wonders of New Jersey near the Delaware Water Gap. McAfee Knob - In Virginia, experience one of the AT's most scenic vistas. Carver's Gap - History and scenery in the Tennessee Balds.