Appalachian Trail reopens to day-trippers
In mid-March, the Appalachian National Scenic Trail started shutting down sections and services to hikers of all ambitions. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), which oversees the 2,193-mile route, implored day hikers and “thru-hikers” to temporarily hang up their hiking boots. Last week, the organization revised its message and released guidelines that coincide with the steady reopening of the trail.
The ATC, which is based in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, teamed up with trail management partners and experts in the outdoor recreation and medical fields to assemble tips for day and overnight hikers. The group is still urging thru-hikers – adventurers who complete the months-long 14-state trek in one go – to hold off on plans.
“Day hikers can mitigate exposure,” said Sandra Marra, the ATC’s president and chief executive, “but there is no feasible way thru-hikers can because of the closures.”
In anticipation of the Memorial Day holiday and the unofficial start of summer, the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service opened areas that the trail runs through, such as Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee, and Pisgah and Nantahala national forests in North Carolina. However, about 47 miles of the Appalachian Trail remain off-limits, according to the ATC. Among them is the Triple Crown, a 27-mile stretch in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains notable for its trifecta of natural gems: Dragon’s Tooth, McAfee Knob and Tinker Cliffs.
Although about 98% of the trail is back, most of the services long-distance hikers depend on are still shuttered. As of late May, the majority of overnight shelters and privies are closed, with the number exceeding 200. Trekkers will find closures on National Park Service and Forest Service land, including Shenandoah National Park, the Chattahoochee National Forest in Georgia and the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in New Jersey. In New Hampshire, the Appalachian Mountain Club has pulled the welcome mat from its mountain huts and parked its White Mountain hiker shuttle for the remainder of the year. Maine closed all lean-to shelters and camp sites on state land, including Baxter State Park, which also forbids hiking above the tree line and on the trail’s first – or final – 5.2 miles. The park plans to readmit overnight hikers on July 1, a turn of events that could delay thru-hikers: Katahdin, the park’s legendary mountain, is the official start or finish line of the trail, depending on the hiker’s point of departure.
“Southbounders can’t start until Baxter opens,” Marra said, referring to hikers who travel from Maine to Georgia.
Day and overnight hikers have more flexibility to work around the limited facilities and patchwork of restrictions, including states requiring visitors to quarantine for two weeks. Hikers of this ilk can also be more self-sufficient: They can carry their own water and food supplies and avoid the enclosed spaces with high-touch surfaces where the risk of exposure to the coronavirus is greatest.
“When you go into those facilities, all bets are off,” Marra said. “The picnic tables and privies are teeming with bacteria on the best day. We can’t station enough people to sanitize them.”
The ATC maintains a frequently updated list of closed areas and services on its website. For businesses in communities near the trail, such as hostels, laundromats and grocery stores, hikers should contact the retailer directly, because hours of operation may vary.
Before setting out, the ATC recommends that hikers ask themselves questions about their state of health and preparedness, such as: Have you experienced coronavirus-like symptoms? Does your route include any closed portions of the trail? And do you have protection against the coronavirus, such as a mask and hand sanitizer? Depending on the answers, you should stay home or proceed to the trailhead.
The tips combine guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with outdoor best practices. For example, hike with your shelter-in-place crew or a group of no more than six people. Maintain a safe distance from other hikers; if you can’t, slip on a mask. Wash or sanitize your hands after touching a hard surface. Carry a trowel for digging a cathole or makeshift latrine. Hike locally to avoid pit stops for gas and food. If you plan to stay overnight on the trail, pitch a tent or erect a structure that no one else has inhabited. And bring your own bear-proof food storage unit, so you can skip the communal bear boxes, poles or cables.
“Treat your hike like a true backcountry experience that is not reliant on A.T. facilities you would otherwise use,” the ATC states in its guidelines.
Even outside, under the open sky, hikers need to take precautions. To minimize contact with other trail users, seek out access points and trailheads with less foot traffic. Be aware of narrow paths not conducive to social distancing. “You can’t walk five abreast and stay on the trail,” Marra said. If the trail is crowded, retreat until it is safe to proceed or choose an alternate route.