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Text: Tony Pisarra
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Appalachian Trail Homepage Maps & Reference Related Journals AT Thru-hike Journal, May - Nov 2002 |
The product of a unique public-private partnership, the Trail was formally proposed in 1921 by Boston planner, Benton McKaye. A network of individuals and local hiking clubs began work the following year, and the final section of the Trail was completed by Civilian Conservation Corp crews on Sugarloaf Mountain, ME in 1937.
The Trail passes through parts of 14 states and includes more than 90 miles of elevation change over its full course. Because of ongoing relocations (largely designed to reroute the Trail onto public lands) the length of the Trail changes every year.
When the AT was completed in 1937 the Trail was officially 2038 miles long. In 2003 the Appalachian Trail was officially 2,172 miles long. At least one pending reroute in Tennessee is likely to be added to the total mileage bringing the official length to 2174 miles for 2004. (although owing to ongoing reroutes is in fact several miles longer as walked)
Although the AT is a designated Natl Park Service site, it is overseen by the private, non-profit Appalachian Trail Conference and a network of regional hiking clubs and individual volunteers.
HIKING THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL
Initially though impossible by many of the AT's planners, in 1948 the entire length of the Trail (then 2044 mi) was first hiked in a single season ("thru hiked") by a recently demobilized Pacific War veteran name Earl Shaffer. Several thousand people have followed in Earl's steps, and even more have completed the Trail over a period of years ("section hiking")
Even if you have no intention of becoming a 2000 Miler the Appalachian Trail is one of the few places in N. America, and the only place east of the Rockies, where a hiker can walk a week or more without running out of trail. Select Here to learn more about planning for a week, a month or six month on the Trail.