The Best Time Of Year To Hike The Appalachian Trail

Spanning a staggering 2,190 miles, the Appalachian National Scenic Trail is the longest single-use hiking trail in the world. Covering a grand total of 14 different states, the northernmost tip of this trail is Mount Katahdin in Maine, while the southernmost point is Springer Mountain in Georgia. Over 3 million people visit sections of the Appalachian Trail every year, with only 0.1% of them attempting the herculean effort of thru-hiking the entire length of it — an effort that includes five to seven months of continuous walking. As for the best time to hike the Appalachian Trail, that depends entirely on whether you want to hike it from south to north, or from north to south.

Hiking northbound (NoBo) is definitely more popular, and the best time to do so is starting in March or April and ending around September, give or take a few weeks depending on your walking pace. The reason hiking northward starting in the southern state of Georgia in the spring is preferred (and sensible) is because you'll be experiencing the southernmost and hottest states during the most comfortable season, and hikers can expect cool temperatures and lush greenery along the northbound trail come May. Although muggy conditions will be present during the height of summer, by the time you complete your hike in September or October, you'll be treated to a frenzy of fall foliage in Maine. Another reason this route is popular is because it is tried and tested and full of fellow hikers determined to reach Katahdin and other gems like Millinocket, a town in Maine full of postcard peaks and New England charm.

If you're interested in hiking the southbound (SoBo) route of the Appalachian Trail (starting in Maine and ending in Georgia), the best time to start would be in June, and you'd end around November or December. Although this means hiking through New England in the heat of summer and enduring storms and showers, June is the earliest a southbound hiker can start because there are sometimes still dustings of snow on the peaks at the beginning of the trail in May. And if you start later, you won't be able to finish the hike before mid-winter, when conditions can be quite extreme. Be warned, then, that this is not the preferred route among most backpackers, and the southbound trek is only recommended for the more experienced thru-hikers. 

Furthermore, hiking the Appalachian Trail from north to south means that you'll be starting your hike by climbing Mount Katahdin, which many people consider the hardest part of the entire journey. It's also important to note that the early summer months in Maine are riddled with the presence of mosquitos, gnats, and ticks, among other bugs, making an already-challenging hike even harder. A combination of these factors results in higher quitting rates among SoBo hikers compared to those hiking northward. It's not all bleak, though; those determined to hike this world-famous trail southward will benefit from fewer crowds and quieter trails, with the entire hike culminating in Springer Mountain in Chattahoochee-Oconee, a national forest in Georgia brimming with waterfalls and valleys.