The Appalachian Trail - State by State

The Appalachian Trail - State by State

Springer <=====> Katahdin

Note: ME,NH,VT and GA links checked March 2002. Will do rest later. Links being checked - early October, 1999. Many have been fixed, others that were not working eliminated. Will watch a few whose servers cannot be connected to. Those problems may well be temporary.

Links last checked: May 27, 1998. Many eliminated as the files were not found. Many others had had changes of URL.

Previous full checks: November 11-12, 1997, July 21, 1997.

Here are some brief descriptions of the Trail as it passes through the fourteen states that are home to portions of it. In addition, there are links to various sources of information about areas either directly along the way or in the general vicinity of the A.T.
The mileages are fairly accurate, but don't take them as gospel. Reroutings of the Trail cause the trail mileage to change from year to year. You can keep up with the actual changes by getting a copy of the Data Book, which is issued yearly.
Do not count on all information provided by various out-links as it is hard for files to be kept up to date. Therefore, be aware that some things may be inaccurate, especially things such as hours of operation, phone numbers and addresses. If it is important that you know, for example, the dates of operation of a particular store or campground, get in touch directly with the facility in question in advance.

Table of Mileage and High Points Along the A.T. by State
Go to the state-by-state info, the same as will be found below, via a Clickable Map.

Maine - 281 Miles

The northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail is Katahdin, 5,267 ft. high, in Baxter State Park in central Maine. The Trail continues southwest to Monson, eventually crossing the Kennebec River, at about the Maine halfway point. Many mountains later, and after passing through the famed Mahoosuc and Grafton notches, the Trail enters New Hampshire.

Katahdin: | Katahdin Winter Ascent Hike Report | Andy Rogers's Katahdin Account | Thoreau's Ktaadn Account |

New Hampshire - 161 Miles

Continuing through the rugged Mahoosuc Range, the Trail enters New Hampshire and then makes its first ascent in the state up Mt. Success and continues to the White Mountains. You can visit the headquarters of the AMC hut system at Pinkham Notch, at the foot of Mount Washington.

Vermont - 146 Miles

The Trail enters Vermont after crossing the Connecticut River. After joining up with the Long Trail at Sherburne Pass, the two trails are contiguous for 95 miles through the Green Mountains.

Massachusetts - 90 Miles

After entering Massachusetts near Williamstown, the Trail winds through the Berkshires before going on to cross the Hoosic and Housatonic Rivers. One peak it climbs is Mount Greylock (3491'), the highest point in the state.

Connecticut - 52 Miles

Crossing Bear Mountain, the Trail continues through the Taconic Range and then follows the scenic Housatonic River valley passing through several State Parks along the way.

New York - 88 Miles

The wildness of the A.T. is surprisingly close to New York City. You can take a bus from the city and be on the Trail within an hour. The trail crosses the Hudson River, entering Harriman-Bear Mountain State Park, where the first section of the A.T. was completed in 1923. Heading south, the trail then passes through the newly protected Sterling Forest.

New Jersey - 74 Miles

The Trail in New Jersey goes through the Wawayanda State Park, later passing through High Point State Park. It then follows the Kittatinny Ridge and passes Sunfish Pond on its way to the Delaware Water Gap.

Pennsylvania - 232 Miles

The Trail enters the state at the Delaware Water Gap, following the eastern rim of the Alleghanies before crossing the Cumberland Valley on its way to Maryland. The Trail in Pennsylvania has the reputation for being just a wee bit rocky.

Weather: Gettysburg National Military Park

Maryland - 41 Miles

The Trail follows the crest of South Mountain until it comes down and briefly joins the C&O Canal for a couple of miles before crossing the Potomac River, and entering Harpers Ferry.

Local Counties: | Washington County | Frederick County |

Weather: | Greg Keefer's Weather Page | Mid-Atlantic Weather Station | Smithsburg (about 2 miles from AT) |

West Virginia - 2 Miles

The Trail passes within a few 100 yards of the ATC headquarters before crossing the Shenandoah River, and continuing into Virginia. Thru-hikers think of Harpers Ferry as being the psychological half-way point of the Trail - even though the actual half way point is in Pennsylvania. (In southern Virginia, in the Peters Mountain area, the trail goes briefly along the West Virginia-Virginia border.)

Virginia - 544 Miles

About a quarter of the Trail lies within Virginia, including about 100 miles through the popular Shenandoah National Park. Further south, the Trail generally parallels the Blue Ridge Parkway, eventually going through the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area and then coming into the town of Damascus, where Trail Days are celebrated every May.

Weather: Shenandoah Park

Tennessee-North Carolina - 371 Miles

After leaving Virginia, the Trail goes for about 70 miles through Tennessee before beginning to follow the TN-NC border. In this area, the Trail crosses through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where it reaches its highest point, Clingmans Dome, before continuing through the Nantahala Forest.

Pictures and Journals: | Ernie Patterson's Page | The Lorax's Pics from Carolina and Two Days of Thru-Hike Journal |

Weather: Great Smoky Mountain Park

Georgia - 75 Miles

The Trail goes through the rugged Chattahoochee National Forest before reaching its southern terminus at Springer Mountain. Many hikers are surprised to find that one needs to first hike eight miles from Amicalola Falls in order to reach the beginning of the Trail's southern end.

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