Hiking The Appalachian Trail

For a true hiking experience, try hiking the Appalachian trail. The Appalachian trail stretches from Georgia to Maine and is filled with wilderness, plant life and even goes through towns. Hiking the Appalachian trail is the ultimate goal for many hikers and nature enthusiasts as it encompasses so much of the Eastern part of the United States.

When you are hiking the Appalachian trail, you will pass few quite a few states. Most people who hike take a backpack and sleep out among the stars in survival tents. Hiking the Appalachian trail in one trip has been accomplished by several hikers and many have written books about their experience.

The trail starts out in Springer Mountain, Georgia and then ends up at Mount Katahdin, Maine. It goes through most of the Eastern states including the scenic New England States and commonwealths. There is an extension to this trail that goes into Canada, but when people talk about hiking the Appalachian trail, they are mostly interested in the portion located in the United States.

If you are planning on hiking the Appalachian trail, make sure you bring along a good digital camera as you will see many sites that are well worth photographing. Probably the best time to hike this area of the country is in the early autumn as it would be too hot in the summer, especially in the southern states like Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia. During the trip, you will move from the southern magnolia country of Georgia through Tennessee and then into North Carolina. From there you will move to Virginia and West Virginia and then into Maryland. During your trip through Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, you can see many historic sites, especially those concerning the American Revolution.

In the cooler months, as you move north it will get quite cool. This is why it is best to hike in the fall as the temperatures are cool but not too cold as you move towards the New England states. The foliage in the New England states as you are hiking the Appalachian trail is something to behold and you will move through New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and finally on to Maine. The only New England state that you will miss is the little state of Rhode Island.

You can do this if you have several weeks. It will take several weeks to hike this entire trail that stretches over 2100 miles. You will have to cover 100 miles a day to make the trail in three weeks, which is not impossible for an experienced hiker. Of course you will have to make sure you have provisions for the trip and an emergency plan in case you cannot complete the entire hike. You are probably better off to cover 50 miles a day and enjoy more of the sites and do the journey in 6 weeks as there is so much to see when you are hiking the Appalachian trail.