{"id":36848,"date":"2018-08-03T07:00:51","date_gmt":"2018-08-03T14:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=36848"},"modified":"2022-07-26T18:35:48","modified_gmt":"2022-07-27T01:35:48","slug":"appalachian-trail-at","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/appalachian-trail-at","title":{"rendered":"Appalachian Trail (AT)"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"cb-itemprop\" itemprop=\"reviewBody\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of America\u2019s most iconic footpaths, the Appalachian Trail travels nearly 2,200 miles between Georgia and Maine. Each year thousands of people head north from the trail\u2019s southern terminus in an attempt to hike the whole trail in one year, but only one-fourth of them finish the journey, according to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Distance<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 2,190 miles<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>States<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Year Established<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 1968<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Best Times of Year to Visit: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Spring, summer and fall<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_36852\" style=\"width: 860px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-36852\" class=\"size-full wp-image-36852\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/ATC_RP3851_Humpback-Rocks-AT-Spur-Self-scr.jpg?resize=850%2C567\" alt=\"\" width=\"850\" height=\"567\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-36852\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo courtesy of Brent McGuirt Photography.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><b>Notable Spots Along Trail<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: <\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Grayson Highlands, Virginia, is the only place on the AT where you can view wild ponies.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">McAfee Knob, Virginia, is the most photographed spot on the entire AT, according to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mount Moosilauke, New Hampshire, offers stunning panoramic views of New England. \u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Fun Facts, According to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thousands of volunteers contribute roughly 240,000 hours to the AT every year.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More than 250 three-sided shelters exist along the trail.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of the 14 states along the route, Virginia is home to the most miles of the trail (about 550), while West Virginia is home to the fewest (about 15).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The total elevation gain and loss of hiking the entire AT, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/appa\/index.htm\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">about 464,500 feet<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, is equivalent to climbing the height of Mount Everest (up and down) 8 times.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More than 3 million visitors walk a portion of the AT each year.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most thru-hikers walk north, starting in Georgia in spring and finishing in Maine in fall, taking an average of six months. To spread out the use of the trail, thru-hikers are encouraged to \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/appalachiantrail.org\/home\/explore-the-trail\/thru-hiking\/flipflop\">flip-flop<\/a>\u201d their hike by starting\u00a0somewhere in the middle of the trail and then hiking north or south, then returning to their starting point to finish the rest of their journey.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Trail Uses<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Hiking in all areas and and equestrian use in limited areas<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Administering Agency: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/appa\/index.htm\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">National Park Service<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Nonprofit Partner: <\/b><a href=\"http:\/\/www.appalachiantrail.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Appalachian Trail Conservancy<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_36853\" style=\"width: 860px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-36853\" class=\"size-full wp-image-36853\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/ATC_RP13911_WACphotography_BelviewMountainProject_070-scr.jpg?resize=850%2C567\" alt=\"\" width=\"850\" height=\"567\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-36853\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo courtesy of Adam Collins.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><b>Permitting Information:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> No fees or paid permits are required to access the AT. However, some New England campsites impose fees and you must obtain permits for backcountry camping for the two national parks on the AT: Great Smoky Mountains and Shenandoah. <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.appalachiantrail.org\/home\/explore-the-trail\/multi-day-hiking\/permits-and-regulations\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More information<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>REI Stewardship: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The co-op has invested more than $733,000 in the AT since 2002.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Read More:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"\/blog\/hike\/21-appalachian-trail-statistics-that-will-surprise-entertain-and-inform-you\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">21 Appalachian Trail Statistics That Will Surprise, Entertain and Inform You<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"\/blog\/hike\/how-to-pack-for-an-appalachian-trail-thru-hike\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to Pack for an Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"\/blog\/hike\/seven-hardest-day-hikes-appalachian-trail\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 7 Hardest Day Hikes on the Appalachian Trail<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"\/blog\/paulsboots\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Paul\u2019s Boots<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"\/blog\/hike\/how-much-does-it-cost-to-hike-the-appalachian-trail\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How Much Does it Cost to Thru-Hike the Appalachian Trail?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"\/blog\/hike\/the-appalachian-trail-vs-pacific-crest-trail-which-hike-is-right-for-you\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Appalachian Trail vs. Pacific Crest Trail: Which Hike Is Right for You?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/national-scenic-trails\">Learn more<\/a> about all of our national scenic trails.<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of America\u2019s most iconic footpaths, the Appalachian Trail travels nearly 2,200 miles between Georgia and Maine. Each year thousands of people head north from the trail\u2019s southern terminus in an attempt to hike the whole trail in one year, but only one-fourth of them finish the journey, according to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Distance: [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":36851,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[387],"tags":[469,1591,1528,656,1542],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-36848","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hike","tag-appalachian-trail","tag-national-scenic-trails","tag-northeast","tag-public-lands","tag-south"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/hike\/appalachian-trail-at","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Appalachian Trail (AT)","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/appalachian-trail-at","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/appalachian-trail-at"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/ATC_RP13444_DSC_5922-lpr.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/ATC_RP13444_DSC_5922-lpr.jpg?fit=2000%2C1335"},"articleSection":"Hike","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Aer Parris-Hoshour"}],"creator":["Aer Parris-Hoshour"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["appalachian trail","national scenic trails","northeast","public lands","south"],"dateCreated":"2018-08-03T14:00:51Z","datePublished":"2018-08-03T14:00:51Z","dateModified":"2022-07-27T01:35:48Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"Appalachian Trail (AT)\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/hike\\\/appalachian-trail-at\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/hike\\\/appalachian-trail-at\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/ATC_RP13444_DSC_5922-lpr.jpg?resize=150%2C150\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/ATC_RP13444_DSC_5922-lpr.jpg?fit=2000%2C1335\"},\"articleSection\":\"Hike\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Aer Parris-Hoshour\"}],\"creator\":[\"Aer Parris-Hoshour\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"Uncommon Path \\u2013 An REI Co-op Publication\",\"logo\":\"\"},\"keywords\":[\"appalachian trail\",\"national scenic trails\",\"northeast\",\"public lands\",\"south\"],\"dateCreated\":\"2018-08-03T14:00:51Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-08-03T14:00:51Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-07-27T01:35:48Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/rei.com\/p.js"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/ATC_RP13444_DSC_5922-lpr.jpg?fit=2000%2C1335","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36848","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36848"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36848\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":180572,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36848\/revisions\/180572"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36851"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36848"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36848"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36848"},{"taxonomy":"internal-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-tag?post=36848"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}