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Authorities are investigating after several people came down with symptoms of norovirus, the highly-contagious, sanitizer-resistant stomach bug that's sickened hikers on the Triple Crown in recent years.
With the Madison Gulf Trail footbridge in New Hampshire's White Mountains unsafe to use, hikers now face a detour that eliminates 4.3 grueling but beloved miles of the AT—and officials will need to decide whether to make an exception to wilderness rules to allow for it to be replaced.
Plus more takeaways about this year's NOBO hikers from data gathered at AT Basecamp.
A year after Hurricane Helene knocked down thousands of trees, flooded miles of trail, and heavily damaged some of the Appalachian Trail's most beloved towns, hiker Grayson Haver Currin headed back to see whether it had recovered.
Since a massive storm ravaged the AT in September 2024, hikers have worried the iconic trail may be unusable in 2025. To find out, we sent a veteran thru-hiker to do its worst-hit miles.
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy—the nonprofit that supports the United States’ most iconic footpath—turns 100 this year. To celebrate, AT thru-hikers Mary Beth "Mouse" Skylis and Grayson Haver Currin pick the 100 best miles of trail, spread out over 19 bite-size sections.
"From this trip, I thought, self-reliance might grow. If it did, exploring would not be far behind."
For 100 years, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy has helped maintain and manage the world's most famous long trail. Through its new consulting service, it hopes to help build a few new ones.
After Hurricane Helene wrecked a bridge that allowed hikers to cross the Nolichucky River in Tennessee, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and a local guiding company arranged a ferry service to help hikers cross safely.
On top of a mountain in Virginia along the Appalachian Trail, a shelter logbook contains some of hikers' deepest, darkest secrets.
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s thru-hike registrations are down by nearly 30% compared to this time last year—and a look at last season reveals a potential reason why.
AT thru-hikers today are more likely to finish the trail and less likely to get their food stolen by a bear—and more than ever before are coming from outside of the United States.
More than 80 firefighters and emergency personnel are currently working on the Butternut Fire in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.
Weaving nearly 70 miles through the Sekida Mountains, the Shinetsu Trail has become a crown jewel of Japanese hiking. And if it hadn't been for two backpackers' visit to the Appalachian Trail more than 20 years ago, it might never have happened.
When Vanderloop set out to thru-hike the AT, she had no idea she was on her way to becoming the oldest woman on record to complete the feat.
After Hurricane Helene, large swathes of North Carolina and Tennessee’s Appalachian Trail were left devastated. Some hikers are looking to these southern routes as alternatives—and their volunteers and managers say they can handle the new visitors.
After the storm wiped out buildings and canceled fall hiking season, some hostels and guides are searching for a way forward.
A viral TikTok post claimed that Helene demolished nearly 900 miles of the AT. But on the ground, locals dealing with the hurricane's aftermath tell a different story.
Some of the AT’s most famous towns and their residents bore the worst of Helene’s damage. Hikers who were on trail discuss the moment that the storm struck—and locals contemplate the long recovery ahead.
Parks and trail towns along the southern reaches of the AT are devastated. Here's how hikers can help.
Some southbound thru-hikers are facing tough choices on the AT after Helene left trails across the region damaged, flooded, or closed.
Ultrarunner Tara “Candy Mama” Dower shaved 13 hours off Karel Sabbe’s previous record for hiking the iconic route
National Park Service says that it was "proud" to support effort to change name of Clingmans Dome back to Kuwohi.
Bear Mountain State Park re-opened over the weekend after a 10-month closure caused by catastrophic rain damage.
Officials warn pet owners to remain vigilant after finding at least a dozen barbed treats. No dogs have been reported injured so far.
For a handful of lucky students in Emory and Henry College's Semester-a-Trail program, the Appalachian Trail is the ultimate teacher.
You won’t have as much solitude as you think, and there’s a reason everyone uses some of the same gear. But once you’ve hiked the Appalachian Trail, you’ll never be the same person you were when you started.
A hiker whose loyal, four-legged partner disappeared on the last stretch of the Triple Crown is asking for the hiking community's help finding her.
Federal land managers and trail clubs are monitoring the spread of a gastrointestinal illness among thru-hikers on the southern portion of the AT.
Cinamen, an 8-year-old cat from New York, went viral for leading guests at his owner's AirBnb on Appalachian Trail hikes. It's a role he was born to play.
In a normal year, Hot Springs’s Appalachian TrailFest is the second-largest gathering on the AT. But with just weeks to go, organizers have canceled it for unclear reasons.
Choosing not to thru-hike was one of the hardest decisions I've ever made.
Doyle set a speed record on the AT 50 years ago, long before YouTubers and partying twentysomethings had flooded the iconic trail. Through his Appalachian Trail Institute, which he’s run since 1989, he’s still trying to convert a new generation of thru-hikers to his personal philosophy of what the trail should be.
Miles of the AT and Blue Ridge Parkway have closed over the past week as crews battle blazes in North Carolina and Virginia.
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy announced this week that it had purchased 850 acres of land beneath McAfee Knob, in part using funds from an agreement with the developers of the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline.
Kristian Morgan set a new southbound FKT on the Appalachian Trail, but he’s not done yet
For most AT thru-hikers, Katahdin is the finish line. For Will French, it was the halfway point on a 25-year, 4,320-mile journey along the prehistoric spine of the Appalachians.
Robert “Steady Eddie” Kerker appears to have gotten caught in a swollen waterway during the historic floods that hit Vermont in July
Mud-choked paths, damaged bridges, and trail communities cleaning up from some of the worst flooding in Vermont history have AT hikers wondering if they should skip the state for now.
Extremely high water levels in Maine have shut down the famous Kennebec River canoe shuttle—and almost ended one section hiker’s trip permanently.
An end-to-end trek of the AT takes a lot of time—but anyone with a free weekend or a few vacation days can experience the highlights. We asked longtime thru-hiker Liz “Snorkel” Thomas to pick her favorites hikes on the Appalachian Trail.
Students in the Semester-A-Trail program at Emory and Henry College will spend their spring and summer semesters hiking part or all of the Appalachian Trail—with gear, support, and an on-trail budget included in tuition.
The Benton MacKaye Trail Starts at the AT's southern terminus and runs nearly 300 miles through the hills—and a bipartisan bill is set to name it our next National Scenic Trail.
Our hiking columnist went to the AT’s legendary Trail Days this year with one mission—to figure out what hikers were and weren’t putting on their feet
Once again, food-seeking bears have forced the closure of part of the AT to overnight stays.
Marta Renee Bowen had disappeared from her campsite in Connecticut, leaving behind her gear and cell phone.
Two individuals are facing criminal charges after sheriff’s deputies say they caught the duo traveling the AT with more than 14 pounds of marijuana, magic mushrooms, and LSD.
James Alan Cattley was reported missing on December 12, but may have disappeared months earlier.
After a group of campers left one of the Appalachian Trail's most beautiful sites covered in trash, the Forest Service banned camping there. But did it go too far? One local argues for a course correction.
After 2,194.3 miles, this is the equipment that they loved the most.
The results, however hilarious, remind us how hikers destigmatize the body
Joe “Kanga” Harvey appears to have drowned in the Connecticut River on the border of Vermont and New Hampshire.
Volunteers hope a new bus to the McAfee Knob trailhead will cut down on congestion.
No foul play suspected in the death of section hiker Michael Charles Lombardo.
Voluntary policy change follows increase in reports of human-bear incidents along trail.
Scott Benerofe finished a rare and daunting southbound winter thru-hike of the AT. His self-proclaimed normalcy about the endeavor suggests such treks might not stay so rare for long.
Paul “Grandmaster” Classen suffered severe injuries in plunge; cause of incident still unclear.
A group of dedicated trail lovers are working to protect America’s favorite wilderness footpath from the hordes of people who walk it each year
Have a tale from the AT? We want you to give us a call—literally.
Ill backpacker rescued in 90-minute mission.
The National Park Service will hold public meetings this month to determine how it should manage McAfee Knob, the Dragon’s Tooth, and Tinker Cliffs.
“The world and how it interacts with me changed the day I came out as trans”
It's a well-known waypoint for thru-hikers—and if local government gets its way, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area may be on its way to becoming something more.
The fate of the mostly-complete Mountain Valley Pipeline is up in the air after a federal appeals court threw out a key permit that would have allowed it to cross Jefferson National Forest.
When it's finished, this in-progress long trail will let hikers take a stroll up the Appalachians without battling the AT's crowds.
Benton MacKaye's original proposal for the Appalachian Trail came out 100 years ago. While the trail may have changed, the appeal hasn't.
In 2022, expect just a little more mileage on the East Coast’s fabled thru-hike.
With over 30 years of thru-hiking and section-hiking long trails all over the country (but never the PCT), Andy Niekamp is definitely the voice of experience. Backpacker sat down with him to find out his tips, tricks, and favorite gear.
With over 30 years of thru-hiking and section-hiking long trails all over the country (but never the PCT), Andy Niekamp is definitely the voice of experience. Backpacker sat down with him to find out his tips, tricks, and favorite gear.
After becoming the oldest person to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail at age 83, M.J. “Nimblewill Nomad” Eberhart reflects on the trip that got him there.
M.J. Eberhart finished his third AT hike in Dalton, Massachusetts.
A group of the crafty rodents rerouted a creek onto the path in Massachusetts.
Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club posts warning that litter is leading bruins to McAfee Knob.
The hiking community has long praised Earl Shaffer for being the first person to complete the iconic trail in a single push. But one man wants us to take a closer look at Shaffer’s claims.
The hiking community has long praised Earl Shaffer for being the first person to complete the iconic trail in a single push. But one man wants us to take a closer look at Shaffer’s claims.
In August 2021, five-year-old Harvey Sutton became one of the AT’s youngest successful thru-hikers. Here’s how mom and dad helped him pull it off.
He averaged about 10 miles every day, but still had the energy to play freeze tag at night.
In 2015, while crewing for her husband, Scott’s, successful Appalachian Trail speed record, Jenny Jurek began healing from the grief of two traumatic miscarriages. In 2021, she returned to the trail with their two young children in tow.
Injury forces ultra legend Scott Jurek off the trail.
The Appalachian Trail is the adventure of a lifetime. Make it yours with our ultimate guide to the country's most famous footpath and the prep, gear, and knowledge you'll need to go the distance.