Appalachian National Scenic Trail
The Appalachian Trail is a 2,190+ mile long public footpath that traverses the scenic, wooded, pastoral, wild, and culturally resonant lands of the Appalachian Mountains. Conceived in 1921, built by private citizens, and completed in 1937, today the trail is managed by the National Park Service, US Forest Service, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, numerous state agencies and thousands of volunteers.
About 1.5 hours from Philadelphia and 1.5 hours from Baltimore by car.
Alerts
- ClosureNPS ↗List of trail closures post-Hurricane Helene
Many closures remain on the Trail following Hurricane Helene's devastation. This will remain true for the foreseeable future. Visit the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) website for an up-to-date list of closures. OBSERVE ALL CLOSURES. Stay safe!
- CautionNPS ↗Black Bears Frequenting the McAfee Knob Area in Virginia
Human-habituated bears have been frequently spotted in the McAfee Knob Area. Allowing bears access to human food or garbage causes it to lose its fear of humans. Follow all food storage regulations, use provided food lockers and never feed a bear.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
The Appalachian Trail is free for all to enjoy. No fees, memberships, or permits are required to walk on the Trail. However, the A.T. passes through numerous state and national parks, forests and public lands, a few of which charge fees or require permits or reservations to park or to stay overnight in shelters or campsites.
Hours
| Appalachian National Scenic Trail | Daily · All Day |
When to go
July draws the most visits here and February the fewest, averaged over 2025 to 2025.
Visitor centers
- Appalachian Trail Conservancy - Harper's Ferry Visitor Center ↗
The National Park Service and the Appalachian National Scenic Trail do not currently have a visitor center. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy, a national non-profit organization, operates its own visitor center in Harpers Ferry, WV.
- Appalachian Trail Conservancy - Damascus Trail Center ↗
The National Park Service and the Appalachian National Scenic Trail do not currently have a visitor center. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy, a national non-profit organization, operates its own visitor center in Damascus, VA.
- Appalachian Trail Conservancy - Monson Visitor Center ↗
The National Park Service and the Appalachian National Scenic Trail do not currently have a visitor center. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy, a national non-profit organization, operates its own visitor center in Monson, ME.
No campgrounds, no webcams or events in Park Service data. What is here comes from the official page. The rest lives there.
Checked nightly. Modules appear as soon as the Park Service publishes the data.
Explore
Things to do
- Multi-Park Loop
Park your car and stretch your legs! Visit four different National Parks in Washington, DC and begin logging miles on seven different National Historic or National Scenic trails!
Opens on the Park Service site - Visit John Brown's Fort
A visit to John Brown's Fort is more than seeing the building where John Brown and several of his followers barricaded themselves in 1859.
Opens on the Park Service site - Visit Jefferson Rock
Hike along the Appalachian Trail in Harpers Ferry, WV to see the view Thomas Jefferson once described as "one of the most stupendous scenes in Nature."
Opens on the Park Service site
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
Guidebooks for New England
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Seen this monthBald Eagle 6× · Lesser Yellowlegs 1× · Peregrine Falcon 1× · Osprey 1×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 38 birds, 11 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsBald Eagle · Cooper's hawk · Golden Eagle · Merlin · Peregrine Falcon · Sharp-shinned hawk · northern saw-whet owl
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican bittern · Hooded Merganser
Gamebirds & dovesSpruce Grouse
WoodpeckersBlack-backed arctic woodpecker · yellow bellied sapsucker
Also on the checklistAmerican Pipit · Appalachian Bewick's wren · Bay-breasted warbler · Bicknell's Thrush · Blackpoll warbler · Cerulean warbler · Common moorhen · Golden-crowned Kinglet · Gray-cheeked thrush · Magnolia warbler · Mourning warbler · Northern Goshawk · Parula warbler · Rusty blackbird · Swainson's warbler · Yellow-rumped warbler · alder flycatcher · black-billed cuckoo · blackburnian warbler · common raven · hermit thrush · olive-sided flycatcher · purple finch · red-breasted nuthatch · vesper sparrow · winter wren
Small mammalsAlleghany woodrat · Allegheny woodrat · Carolina northern flying squirrel · Eastern Woodrat · Eastern woodrat · New England cottontail · Rock Vole · VA northern flying squirrel · Water shrew · southern rock vole
Predatorsblack bear
Activities
Activity guides for this park Birdwatching in the national parks · Camping in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Stargazing in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
All 17 activitiesHide
Questions people ask
Does Appalachian charge an entrance fee?
No. Appalachian is free to enter, though some tours and ticketed sites inside charge separately.
Source: National Park Service
Is Appalachian open year-round?
Yes. The grounds are open 24 hours a day, year-round.
Source: National Park Service
Is anything closed at Appalachian right now?
2 active alerts as of October 14, 2026: List of trail closures post-Hurricane Helene; Black Bears Frequenting the McAfee Knob Area in Virginia.
Source: Alerts
How busy is Appalachian?
6,215,118 recreation visits in 2025, number 9 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
Nearby units
