The Trail

Great Smoky Mtns. National Park Features

The Trail

Each spring about 1,500 hikers set out to conquer the Appalachian Trail (AT), the 2,175-mi granddaddy of all hikes. Most hike north from Springer Mountain, Georgia, to Mt. Katahdin, Maine. By the time they get to the Great Smokies, where the AT reaches its highest elevation (6,625 feet) near Clingman's Dome, 160 mi from the trailhead in Georgia, about one-half of the hikers will already have dropped out. Typically, only about 400 hikers per year complete the entire AT.



Get the Fodor's Newsletter

For more travel ideas, tips, and deals, sign up for the Fodor's newsletter here. Read the current issue. Browse previous issues.




Copyright © 2009 Fodor's Travel, a division of Random House, Inc.