The Appalachian Trail (A.T.) is more than 2,175-mile long footpath stretching through 14 eastern states from Maine to Georgia. Conceived in 1921 and first completed in 1937, it traverses the wild, scenic, wooded, pastoral, and culturally significant lands of the Appalachian Mountains.
The A.T. is a hiking trail, enjoyed by an estimated 4 million people each year. It is within a day's drive of 2/3rds of the U.S. population. People of all ages and abilities enjoy short walks, day hikes, and long-distance backpacking journeys. It offers a variety of opportunities for viewing spectacular scenery, for exploring, for adventure, for exercise, for nature study, and for renewal.
The A.T. is managed cooperatively by the National Park Service, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), volunteers from 30 local A.T. Clubs, the USDA Forest Service, and other public land-managing agencies. Within this partnership, thousands of volunteers do much of the work each year to keep the Trail open for all to enjoy. The Trail is on more than 75 different federal and state forests and park lands.
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) is the volunteer-based nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection and management of the A.T. and its associated lands - a 250,000 acre greenway from Katahdin to Springer Mountain. ATC is the primary source of information about the A.T. Visit them at www.appalachiantrail.org.
Trail description and images are courtesy of The National Park Service. The NPS home page is www.nps.gov.
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