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APPALACHIAN TRAIL BREAKDOWN Home Hiking Background Provisions Ranges and Routes Latest Position on Trail Comments
Noteworthy Ranges and Routes Smoky Mountains Named after the low hanging fog that is regularly produced in early morning hours, the Smokies offer a variety of incredible outdoor adventures with a touch of the southern Appalachia culture. Area includes hiking trails with easy degrees of difficulty like the Asheville botanical garden trails, moderate degrees of difficulty, for instance the Bearwallow Mountain Trail and difficult trails, exemplified by the Big Butt Trail. Blue Ridge Mountains Home of the famous Springer Mountain, which is know for being considered the start of the Appalachian trail and where you can find the Benton Mackaye Trail. The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southernmost portion in Georgia and ending northward in Pennsylvania. To the west of the Blue Ridge, between it and the bulk of the Appalachians, lies the Great Appalachian Valley, bordered on the west by the Ridge and Valley province of the Appalachian range. The Blue Ridge Mountains are noted for having a bluish color when seen from a distance. Trees put the "blue" in Blue Ridge, from the isoprene released into the atmosphere, thereby contributing to the characteristic haze on the mountains and their distinctive color. Within the Blue Ridge province are two major national parks: the Shenandoah National Park, in the northern section, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in the southern section. Catskill Mountains A large area in the southwestern portion of New York state, located 100 miles northwest of New York city and 40 miles southwest of Albany. Not all of the Catskill Mountain range is considered part of the Appalachian Trail or mountain range. The Appalachian Plateau is the northwestern part of the Appalachian Mountains, overlapping with the Catskills, stretching from New York to Alabama. The plateau is a second level United States physiographic region, covering parts of the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. From the east the escarpment that forms the edge of the plateau has the appearance of a mountain range. However, technically it is an eroded plain of sedimentary rock, not mountains. A large portion of the plateau is a coalfield formed during the Pennsylvanian Period. Green Mountains The Green Mountain Club was established to build and maintain Vermont's Long Trail, America’s first long-distance hiking trail. The Long Trail traverses the high peaks of Vermont for 270+ miles from the Massachusetts state line to the Canadian border. Established in 1910, this 10,000 member, statewide organization also maintains the Appalachian Trail in Vermont and trails in Vermont’s beautiful Northeast Kingdom. The Berkshire In Connecticut the trail goes from Kent to Salisbury and along the way passes through picturesque towns such as Cornwall, Falls Village, and Lime Rock. The mountains are called the Litchfield Hills and they are foothills of the Berkshire Mountains. Although the CT portion of the AT is short, the variety of trails and scenery is as exciting and refreshing as any along the entire AT. The great thing about Connecticut's A.T. section are the dozens of day hikes that are easily accessed. A hiker passing through CT will enjoy short but challenging climbs with spectacular views. Serene river walks, open farmland, and dense woodlands seem to appear around every corner. Massachusetts section begins at Sages Ravine with its dramatic cascading waters. It passes by Race Brook Falls, over Mt. Everett, into Jug End, through some picturesque New England towns and hardwood forests of west central Massachusetts, over Mount Greylock (the state's largest peak), and into Vermont. White Mountains The white mountains can be found in New Hampshire and is home to the famous Presidential Range Containing the highest peaks of the Whites, its most notable summits are named for American presidents, followed by prominent public figures of the 18th and 19th centuries. Mix this in with postcard scenes of classic New England, and you have the ingredients for a memorable trail experience. The Presidential Range is notorious for having some of the worst weather on Earth, mainly because of the unpredictability of high wind speeds and whiteout conditions on the higher summits. Because of the poor weather conditions, the Presidential Range is often used for mountaineering training for those who go on to climb some of the world's highest mountains, including K2 and Everest.
Copyright © 2015 Thomas Maloney