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In 1921, the Appalachian National Scenic Trail was simply an idea. Benton MacKaye proposed the idea of the Trail as the connecting element of “a project in regional planning.”
The efforts of countless volunteers made that part of MacKaye's idea a reality. Today, the Appalachian Trail is best known as a simple footpath.
At a Glance
The Appalachian Trail, completed in 1937:
- Is a privately managed unit of the national park system.
- Is the nation's longest marked footpath, at approximately 2,179 miles.
- Is the first completed national scenic trail, designated in 1968.
- Crosses six other units of the national park system.
- Traverses eight national forests.
- Touches 14 states. Houses more than 2,000 occurrences of rare, threatened, endangered, and sensitive plant and animal species at about 535 sites.
- Crosses numerous state and local forests and parks.
- Is maintained by 30 trail clubs and multiple partnerships.
Fun facts about the Appalachian Trail:
- Lowest elevation: 124 feet – near the Trailside Museum and Zoo at Bear Mountain, New York
- Highest elevation: 6,625 feet – on Clingmans Dome in Tennessee
- Approximately 165,000 white paint blazes mark the Trail's route.
- More than 10,000 people have reported hiking the length of the Trail.
- It takes approximately 5 million footsteps to walk the entire length of the Trail.
- More than 6,000 volunteers contribute about 200,000 hours to the Appalachian Trail every year.
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.
Learn more about the Appalachian Trail state by state.
See plants and animals of the Trail
Take the Trail quiz.
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