Best Hikes of the Appalachian Trail: Mid-Atlantic by Matt Willen provides readers with detailed information on 43 of the best Appalachian Trail day hikes along the 450 miles stretch of trail that extends from Harper's Ferry, West Virginia to the New York/Connecticut state line. The guide includes a range of hikes, from those that are suitable for families with small children looking for a nice walk in the woods, to the seasoned hiker out for challenging weekend. Many of the hikes make use of adjacent side trails to create loop and balloon configuration trips as well as out-and-back excursions, and all of the trips can be completed with a single car. Each of the profiles includes pertinent information on the history or natural history of the hike and provides recommendations for other activities or sites of interest in the area.

Each year, nearly 2,000 men, women and, occasionally, children set out to hike the 2,174 miles of the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine (or vice versa). Good preparation is often the key to whether they become part of the 20-25 percent who make it. For this adventure of a lifetime, the [i]Thru-Hike Planner[/i] will help you chart a course, work out a budget, choose gear, plan meals, get in shape and otherwise inspire. It comes with homework: charts and worksheets and checklists and forms, all designed to be ripped out and spread over the kitchen table and then stuck in your pack.Formerly the popular [i]Appalachian Trail Workbook for Planning Thru-hikes[/i], which went through six revisions between 1992 and 2003, this title underwent a total make-over in 2005, bringing together the up-to-date advice of recent hikers with the mileages and trends seen by the trail's managers. This 4th edition advances the mileages and shelters to 2009 status and includes new tips.

Day hikes in all fourteen states the Appalachian Trail passes through are described in brief, followed by a point-by-point description of the hike and trailhead directions. Hikes range in length from less than a mile to eleven miles....

In 1968, management of the Appalachian Trail shifted from control by an informal alliance of private-citizen volunteers to a designated responsibilty of the National Park Service. To protect it from adverse development, Congress had made the trail part of the national park system and endorsed an unique private/public cooperative management system involving scores of private organizations and public jurisdictions. The volunteers still have the lead role in defining the work, but public agencies have the accountability. This June 1987 history is the inside story of how the pieces of that puzzle were put together, by the chairman of a group of volunteers and state-appointed officials that crafted this model of private/public stewardship of public recreational lands.

The author's account of his four-month hike in 1948 of the entire length of the Appalachian Trail.

From beginners to thru-hikers, Discovering the Appalachian Trail has something for anyone that wants a connection with the nation’s longest marked footpath at approximately 2,181 miles. Starting at Springer Mountain in Georgia and finishing far to the north in Maine’s Mount Katahdin, the A.T. crosses 14 states, 6 national parks, and 8 national forests. Taking on the A.T. is a pilgrimage because of both its beauty and accessibility. Let Joshua Niven and Amber Adams guide you across the best trails that the Appalachian Trail has to offer. Complete with full-color photography, you’ll also have hikes suited to every ability, mile-by-mile directional cues, sidebars, and maps.