"The Appalachian Trail stretches more than 2,100 miles through 14 states from Maine's mighty Katahdin to Georgia's forested Springer Mountain. Along its route, the A.T. crosses eight national forests, six units of the national park system, about 60 state park or game lands, and scores of small mountain and valley communities. Nearly two-thirds of the U.S. population lives within a day's drive of this continuously marked footpath." (from ATC page)
I've hiked several big chunks of this grand
footpath, including all of Vermont, most of New Hampshire, and a good part
of Maine. Someday I hope to do the whole thing in one long summer. Many
of the long-distance thru-hikers call it the Green Tunnel, and it must
be quite beautiful!
The
Appalachian National Scenic Trail (official page)
Kathy Bilton's A T page (very nice!)
The Official Maine Appalachian Trail Club Homepage
Links to dozens of trail maintainers (Hiking Clubs)
My LONG TRAIL (AT in Vermont) Page
MY PHOTOS of the Northern Terminus at Baxter State Park
There has been talk of extending the trail south to the farthest reaches of Florida, and North into Canada. There are many other long-distance foottrails in America, including the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail. There are dozens more that currently exist, or in the planning stages. In addition, the Rails-to-Trails program is actively converting many of the nation's abandoned railroad lines into multi-use paths. Happy trails!
