Appalachian Trail Visitors

An estimated three to four million people visit the Appalachian National Scenic Trail every year.  Most are out for one day to hike several miles, some are on the trail for longer periods of time—weekends, weeks, or months—and a few will thru-hike the entire 2,175-mile Trail in one trip.

The A.T. represents one of the last great wild and natural outdoor places in the eastern U.S., and many seek it out to experience nature and a sense of remoteness. Retaining its natural character and allowing all visitors to enjoy the Trail without interfering with each other is important to the health and well-being of today's population and of future generations.

The large quantity of visitors who come to enjoy the A.T. affects the Trail and its surroundings, and those visitors may also affect one another.   

The physical impacts of visitors are most apparent at overnight sites, around very popular areas, or along fragile sections of the Trail. Evidence of overnight sight impacts include: large areas of bare and compacted soil; exposed tree roots; trash and human waste left on-site; trampled vegetation; habituated wildlife; and contaminated water sources.

Impacts on the Trail include widening of the treadway by walking too close to the edge, trampling of side vegetation, and the creation of additional trails used to detour Trail obstructions or standing water.  These impacts cause erosion of the treadway and create an overall adverse effect on the Trail’s soil, surrounding water, and vegetation. It alters the natural, pristine character of the Trail, thus affecting visitor experiences and enjoyment of the natural environment.

In addition to environmental impacts, an individual’s experience of the Trail can be compromised by the number of other visitors, or by others’ actions and behavior, including crowding, conflict, and noise.

ATC and its trail management partners would like to know more about total visitor numbers and changes in impacts. Studies will define whether overall visitor use is increasing for the A.T., and what related impacts are increasing, decreasing, or staying the same.

Study visitor use

• A.T. MEGA-Transect partners are adapting the Trail assessment process that ATC and the Trail clubs currently use to document the condition of the treadway, trail facilities, and to plan future maintenance work. The A.T. MEGA-Transect modifications would include incorporating information about the proliferation of visitor-created trails and unofficial campsites. 
• Partners are also working to expand the 2007 Visitor Count Survey pilot project to the entire Trail. The expanded survey will incorporate two new questions regarding quality of experience and crowding.

Incorporating these facets of study will provide significant new data on visitor numbers and the breadth and severity of physical impacts over time.  With the results of these studies, trail managers will work to protect the Trail, its resources, and the associated experience of its visitors.

To volunteer with future surveys or for more information on the 2007 Visitor Count Survey, contact megatransect@appalachiantrail.org.