Appalachian Trail

The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, often called the Appalachian Trail or the A.T., is a hiking trail on the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern United States. 

The Trail runs from Georgia to Maine and is around  long. The exact length changes over time as parts are changed. It passes through 14 different states.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy says the Trail is the longest hiking-only trail in the world. More than two million people hike part of the trail at least once each year.

 History 
The idea of an Appalachian Trail was first suggested in 1921. It took over ten years of work to build the Trail, and it was completed in 1937.

Today, thirty-one trail clubs and many partners help keep the Trail usable.  The National Park Service, United States Forest Service, and the nonprofit Appalachian Trail Conservancy manage it.(January 1985), "A Fork in the Trail". Audubon. 87 (1):140–141Applebome, Peter (May 31, 2010), "A Jolt of Energy for a Much Trod-Upon Trail". The New York Times. p. 14. 

 Location 
The Appalachian Trail starts at Springer Mountain in Georgia and ends at Mount Katahdin in Maine.Gailey, Chris (2006). "Appalachian Trail FAQs"  Outdoors.org (accessed September 14, 2006) Along the way, it passes through 12 other states: North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire.

 Hiking 
The Appalachian Trail is an extremely popular hiking trail. More than 2,000,000 people set foot on it at least once each year.

The Trail has many enthusiastic fans. There are many books, documentaries, websites, and fan organizations about the hike.

 Thru-hikers 
Thru-hikers attempt to hike the whole trail in one season. The number of thru-hikes per year has increased steadily. In 2017, 715 north-bound and 133 south-bound thru-hikes were reported. Others were likely unreported.

Some people hike from one end to the other, then turn around and thru-hike the trail the other way.  This is known as a "yo-yo".

 Related pages 

 Hiking
 Appalachian Mountains

 Notes 

 References 

 Other websites 

Official sites
 Official site of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy
 National Park Service Trail information, with maps

Category:Trails of the United States
Category:Appalachian Mountains