camping on the appalachian trail

Whether you're pitching a tent in a designated campsite or you're dispersed camping, minimize your impacts and know the camping regulations on the Appalachian Trail (A.T.).

Camping in Tents on the AT

On most sections of the A.T., you have two potential choices for camping: staying in a shelter or pitching a tent. Backcountry camping is available at about 100 designated camp sites and is also allowed in the immediate vicinity of most of the 250 shelters along the Trail.

In some areas you can choose your own campsite (called dispersed camping), but hikers are always encouraged to use designated sites even when you can legally choose your own. Using designated campsites means you will have fewer impacts on vegetation and wildlife habitat and will keep the Trail corridor looking natural and pristine.

Designated campsites along the A.T. are usually very simple. They have relatively flat areas where you can pitch a tent. A natural water source such as a spring or creek is usually nearby, but these sites seldom have privies.

dispersed camping

Either choose an area where the ground is already completely bare from use by previous campers (an established site) or choose a site with no sign of previous use.
Avoid places that show the beginnings of frequent use—those still have a chance to recover if left alone. Set up tents on durable surfaces, such as dead leaves or grass, well apart from each other and at least 70 paces from water.
Avoid trampling plants and seedlings.
Never build a new fire ring. Only use existing fire rings and keep camp fires small.
Use a camp stove and place it on rock or ground that is already bare.

camping regulations on the a.t.

Camping regulations vary considerably along the A.T. A table showing regulations pertaining to camping (and fires) along the A.T. listed from north to south can be found by clicking on the button below.

Camping and Campfire Regulations on the A.T.

Due to heavy use, hikers are required to stay at designated campsites or shelter sites in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina and most of the northern half of the Trail. Visitor use is concentrated to avoid large swaths of the A.T. being stripped of vegetation and losing its natural, pristine quality.

Camping regulations on the A.T. are complicated because the Trail consists of a patchwork ribbon of many different types of lands managed by more than 75 different agencies. Some areas are managed as federally designated wilderness, some as multi-use forests, some as game lands for hunting, some as wildlife refuges, some as watersheds and others as farmland.

Contact Us

799 Washington Street

Harpers Ferry, WV 25425-0807

Phone:304.535.6331

Fax:304.535.2667

Email: [email protected]

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy's mission is to preserve and manage the Appalachian Trail -
ensuring that its vast natural beauty and priceless cultural heritage can be shared and enjoyed today, tomorrow, and for centuries to come.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is a 501c3 organization. Our CFC number: 12230.
View our Privacy Policy

camping on the appalachian trail

Contact Us

About Us

Explore

Support Us