What you get in this adventure:

• A local Appalachian Trail hiking guide
• Campsites fees
• Hostel accommodation for one night
• Permits
• Transportation throughout the adventure
• Transfer back to your vehicle after the hike

What’s not included:

• Meals
• Travel insurance
• Flights and flight taxes
• Sleeping bags, tents, and personal items
• Camping gear
• Hotel upgrades or extra days
• Shuttle back to the vehicle in the middle of a hike if the hiker is quitting

You need to be able to hike for full days, carrying a full daypack or backpacking pack. Each day you will hike between four to six hours or between 6 to 10 miles (9.7-16 km) per day for a total of 50 miles (80 km) each week. The terrain can be challenging—you can expect some scrambling even on the easiest trails. That said, if you are looking for adventure and up to the task of multiple days or weeks of full-day trekking, you’ll be rewarded immensely.

If you are joining hikes starting from Damascus, VA, or Erwin, TN, be ready for a more challenging terrain and pace. You will hike for 10 miles per day on average for 7-8 days, depending on the speed of your group. 

Here’s a list of the general equipment you need to bring:

• Backpacking pack large enough to carry all the items listed (around a 40-60L bag)
• Water bottle
• Hiking boots
• Spare warm clothes
• Down or synthetic jacket
• Rainproof jacket
• Compass & map
• Toiletries (sunscreen, hand sanitizer, first aid kit, toilet paper, etc.)
• High quality sunglasses
• Head lantern
• Water filter
• Camp stove and fuel — can be rented from the guide
• Trekking poles — can be rented from the guide
• Tent — can be rented from the guide
• Sleeping bag
• Food you can eat on the go and camp food
• Camera — optional (but recommended)

Your exact gear list will be dependent on the itinerary you choose and will be provided after booking by your guide. 

For all week-long and custom hikes, you can rent any hiking or camping gear from your guide for an added fee of $100 per week.

The camaraderie, trail magic, and the sheer number of hikers all make the trail accessible for just about anyone. People of all ages, from 5 to 86 have hiked the trail. Doing a thru-hike, though, requires a great sense of your own physical capabilities and mental stamina. Most people who stop on the trail do so because of injury, as people often set unrealistic paces and their bodies can’t keep up. For those who have successfully thru-hiked, you’ll find that they were all patient and didn’t really push themselves until they’d found their trail-legs. Take your time, set realistic goals and manageable expectations.

Everybody over the age of 16 is welcome on this hiking adventure.

The hiking community varies in age, occupation, experience and fitness levels. While there are hikers in their 20s and 30s, there are even more hikers in their 50s or even 60s. The only criteria you have to fit is to have a desire to be outdoors!

Groups for week-long hikes usually consist of two people for southern sections and four people for northern sections. The maximum number of hikers is 5. 

All pricing is per person.

You can arrange a private trip with a guide, if you’re traveling alone or with a larger party.

Your exact meeting location and transportation to the trailhead will be dependent on the itinerary you choose and will be discussed after booking with your guide. You’ll typically meet your guide on Sunday for a day of preparation ahead of the hike. After your stay overnight, the guide will bring you to the A.T. trailhead.

If there is a complete thru-hike scheduled, you must be able to join the group wherever they may be unless you wish to hike outside of the hiker season. If no thru-hike is scheduled, there will be week-long group hikes offered each month from different locations.

Each month there will be several week-long hikes offered: one starting from Amicalola Falls State Park in NE Georgia to Neels Gap, and another one further north along the trail. Several hikes will begin at Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, and end at Pen Mar in Pennsylvania.

The thru-hike usually begins around mid-March to the beginning of April at Amicalola Falls State Park near Atlanta, Georgia, and officially ends on top of Mt. Katahdin in Baxter State Park, Maine. Transportation from Baxter State Park to the bus station or Bangor International Airport will be included. Additional transportation back to Atlanta can be arranged for an additional cost. 

57hours is committed to providing safe outdoor adventure experiences. We require all guides using our platform to have a COVID-19 safety plan and to make the details of that plan accessible to travelers. In most cases, group sizes will be reduced, guides will avoid overcrowded locations, and other safety measures will be met depending on the location and activity.

We also expect clients to respect local regulations and take measures to protect themselves, guides and the communities they’re travelling to. For more information on COVID-19 measures in Atlanta, Georgia, please refer to the Georgia Department of Public Health website.

Please contact us if you have any questions or require further information. We are happy to provide you with the most up-to-date information!