APPALACHIAN NATIONAL SCENIC TRAIL

mountain footpath for hikers extending from northeast to southwest some 2,100 miles (3,400 km), from Mount Katahdin, Maine, U.S., to Springer Mountain, Georgia, along the crest of the Appalachian Mountains. The trail passes through 14 states, 8 national forests, and 2 national parks. Hikers are responsible for the upkeep of the primitive shelters and trailside campsites, located 7 to 8 miles apart. Originally established by hiking enthusiasts in the 1920s and '30s, the trail became one of the two initial units of the National Trail System established by the U.S. Congress in 1968. Most of the trail runs through public lands (e.g., national parks), but short stretches of it still traverse privately owned tracts.