Appalachian Trail
2,197 mi long · across 14 states · centroid 36 mi from Allentown
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail runs roughly 2,197 miles along the Appalachian Mountains from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. Designated a National Scenic Trail in 1968, it is maintained by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy along with thirty volunteer trail clubs and several state and federal agencies. A typical thru-hike takes five to seven months.
- States
- Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine
- Length
- 2,197 mi
- Trail type
- National Scenic Trail
- Network
- National (nwn)
- Centroid nearest city
- Allentown, PA · 36 mi · ~1.0 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 40.4696°, -76.1437°
- Official site
- appalachiantrail.org
- OSM relations
- 12 sub-relations on OpenStreetMap
Termini
Southern terminus: Springer Mountain, Georgia.
Northern terminus: Mount Katahdin, Maine.
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Appalachian Trail and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Stay nearby
Other trails within 50 miles
Horse-Shoe Trail
14 miles from this trail's centroid
Conestoga River Water Trail
24 miles from this trail's centroid
Conestoga Trail System
32 miles from this trail's centroid
Lower Susquehanna River Water Trail
36 miles from this trail's centroid
Brandywine Trail
41 miles from this trail's centroid
Mason-Dixon Trail
46 miles from this trail's centroid
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.