Our Mission: The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is a volunteer-based organization dedicated to the preservation and management of the natural, scenic, historic, and cultural resources associated with the Appalachian National Scenic Trail in order to provide primitive outdoor-recreation and educational opportunities for Trail visitors. 

ATC traces its roots to the vision of Benton MacKaye, a regional planner who convened an Appalachian Trail “conference” in 1925 in Washington, D.C. That initial gathering of hikers, foresters, and public officials laid the groundwork not only for the creation of a trail, but also for an organization to build, manage, and protect it. Today, through the efforts of volunteers, clubs, and agency partners, the A.T. extends more than 2,170 miles from Maine to Georgia within a protected 250,000 acre greenway.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy was instrumental in the passage of the federal legislation that designated the A.T. as America’s first national scenic trail in 1968. ATC has been delegated responsibility by the National Park Service to coordinate the management and protection of the Trail footpath and its surrounding corridor lands.

ATC works closely with numerous federal, state, and local agencies and with 30 member clubs and their volunteers in the cooperative management of the Trail. ATC has close to 40,000 members, ATC employs approximately 45 regular staff and numerous seasonal program employees. With a main office and official trail visitor center in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, ATC remains singularly focused on the A.T. with regional offices in North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts.