Appalachian Trail

About the route

The Appalachian Trail runs 2,197.9 miles through 14 states from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Katahdin in Maine. The Conservancy says most thru-hikes take five to seven months, with the average a week or two short of six, and defines a thru-hike as the whole trail inside twelve months. Expect your mileage to change shape as you go. The Conservancy's own guidance is eight to ten miles a day for the first week, building over the following weeks, with your biggest days from Virginia through Vermont once you have your trail legs. In New Hampshire and Maine, northbound hikers can expect that to drop by as much as 30 percent. Budget for food and resupply for every month you're on the trail. Most people start northbound in March or early April, though the Conservancy actually recommends between 15 April and the first week of May, which avoids both the crowds and winter conditions people are not equipped for. The hard end of the calendar is Katahdin before 15 October. Of the northbound hikers who start, roughly a quarter to a third finish. Resupply is easy for most of the trail. The Conservancy suggests seven to ten days of food in remote stretches, but only two to three days between northern Virginia and southern New England, where road crossings come thick and fast. The exception everyone plans around is the 100-Mile Wilderness in Maine, with no public road crossings between Monson and Abol Bridge. Pack seven to ten days for it, and do not arrange a food drop of your own, because unattended food draws wildlife. Three permits matter. Great Smoky Mountains sells its thru-hiker permit on Recreation.gov. You must start and finish at least 50 miles outside the park, you have eight days to cross it, and you sleep in shelters when there is space. Shenandoah charges a backcountry fee and its free self-registration kiosks are gone, so buy it before you arrive. Baxter State Park has its own rules for Katahdin. Check three current closures before you go. The trail itself is closed between northbound miles 476.6 and 485.8 for Virginia Creeper Trail reconstruction, with a signed 20.9-mile detour, and the Conservancy expects it to reopen on 31 March 2027. The Goodloe Byron footbridge at Harpers Ferry has been closed since July 2026, with an NPS shuttle in its place. And since 1 May 2026 the Pemigewasset Wilderness in New Hampshire requires a hard-sided IGBC-certified canister for all overnight food storage, which is the newest legal requirement on the trail. Two shelters in the Roan Highlands are gone from your plan. Overmountain was removed in 2023, and Roan High Knob has been closed since 2024 with no reopening date and no camping within 60 feet of it, so the most exposed stretch of the southern trail has neither. Camping is banned on Max Patch.

Permits

There is no single trail-wide permit, but permits are required in three places. Great Smoky Mountains NP: an A.T. thru-hiker permit through Recreation.gov for hikers who begin and end at least 50 miles outside the park and travel only on the A.T. there; other backpackers need a General Backcountry Permit. Shenandoah NP: a backcountry permit through Recreation.gov. Baxter State Park: a Long-Distance Hiker Permit, obtained in person at Katahdin Stream Campground before summiting Katahdin. Thru-hiker registration on ATCamp is voluntary.

• Permit information and applications↗ (opens in new tab)
• Great Smoky Mountains NP Appalachian Trail thru-hiker permit↗ (opens in new tab)National Park Service
• Great Smoky Mountains NP backcountry camping (General Backcountry Permit)↗ (opens in new tab)National Park Service
• Shenandoah NP backcountry camping permit↗ (opens in new tab)National Park Service
• Baxter State Park Long-Distance Hiker Permit (Katahdin)↗ (opens in new tab)Baxter State Park Authority
• Appalachian Trail Conservancy↗ (opens in new tab)

Outdoors is not the permitting authority. Confirm current application windows and requirements with the issuing agency.

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