Appalachian Trail - West Virginia

• Trail Stats: 4.0 Trail Miles, No Hiker Shelters
• Despite being the state with the shortest section of trail, the headquarters of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) is located in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. The 85-year-old ATC is the primary entity working to improve the trail and protect it from any industrial impact and environmental degradation. Though it is free to hike the trail, it is the work of the membership-driven ATC to continue protecting the trail for generations to come. Though their efforts may not be a household name to those not in the AT hiking community, the ATC and its members are truly the driving force behind the celebrity of the Appalachian Trail.
• Recommended 1-Day Trip: The West Virginia section of the AT is pretty unremarkable, except for the presence of Harpers Ferry, which sits at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers and is one of the greatest small towns along the entire trail. The AT briefly runs through the downtown area before disappearing back into the woods, but the real sites are in the town anyway. Harpers Ferry is the location of the historic raid of the local arsenal in 1859 by John Brown, the abolitionist from Kansas who was killed in the ensuing gun battle. It’s acknowledged that this was the precursor to the Civil War, and many of the buildings and homes in town have been renovated to recall that era. There are numerous museums and exhibits that detail the town’s important role in the war.

Guidebook: Appalachian Trail Thru-Hikers' Companion (Appalachian Trail Conservancy)
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