Join a three-day backpacking trip on the iconic A.T. at Max Patch, famous for its sweeping 360-degree views. You'll cover about 20 miles over rolling terrain with a few real climbs, building real backpacking mileage and camping under open sky each night. Good fitness and a willingness to move all day are what matter most here — whether it's your first overnight or your fiftieth.
Arrive in Hot Springs, NC in the afternoon or evening hours and meet your guides at their bunkhouse, and get a good rest for the night ahead. You can also meet your guides in the morning of Day 1 if this suits you better. No meals are included on this day.
Accommodation: Bunkhouse
Meet your guide and fellow hikers at 9am to start your trip! Your trip begins with a pack shakedown. Your guide will pass out your gear and food, and will teach you how to pack your backpack and will go through what you’ve packed to make sure you don’t bring too many extra items. Around 11am, you’ll shuttle to the trailhead to start your hike (drive time is 1 hour). You’ll hike to Max Patch for lunch, then continue to your campsite at Walnut Mountain.
Meals: Lunch, dinner
Hiking: 7 mi (11 km)
Elevation: +1,000 ft (305 m), -1,100 ft (335 m)
Accommodation: Single or double tents
Wake up and break camp. Day 2 covers mostly rolling terrain, with a couple of challenging climbs throughout the day (up Bluff Mountain and Deer Park Mountain).
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Hiking: 10 mi (16 km)
Elevation: +1,350 ft (415 m), -3,300 ft (415 m)
Accommodation: Single or double tents
Wake up and break camp. Start your hike with a short uphill section, then descend into the town of Hot Springs. Hike generally finishes early in the afternoon on the last day.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch
Hiking: 3 mi (5 km)
Elevation: +400 ft (121 m), -1,400 ft (430 m)
Itinerary is subject to change based on a variety of factors, including weather, trail conditions, and participants needs and abilities. Please inform us ahead of time if you have a time constraint on the last day of your trip.
Included:
Not included:
Expect full days on trail—you’ll be active and moving consistently, with more mileage and elevation than a casual overnight. These trips reward you with classic mountain scenery and a real sense of accomplishment, but they ask something of you first. Previous camping or backpacking experience helps, but it’s not required.
For both itineraries, you can expect:
3-Day Roan Highlands Backpacking
Over three days, you’ll cover 19.5 miles (31.4 km), with up to 2,150 ft (655 m) of elevation gain on your biggest day. You should be comfortable walking 10 miles (16 km) over hilly or mountainous terrain, or 12 miles (19 km) on flat ground, while carrying a 25-30 lb (11.5-13.5 kg) pack the whole way.
3-Day Max Patch Backpacking
Over three days, you’ll cover 20 miles (32 km), with up to 1,350 ft (415 m) of elevation gain on your biggest day. You should be comfortable walking 13 miles (21 km) over hilly or mountainous terrain, or 16 miles (25.7 km) on flat ground.
Check the day-by-day itinerary for exact mileage and elevation on each day.
Equipment to bring:
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Group sizes and pricing
Min. age requirements
If your group has participants under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
These trips are recommended for hikers age 14 and up. All hikers under 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult.
Both the Roan Highlands and Max Patch itineraries are point-to-point backpacking trips with full daily mileage and elevation gain, so kids joining should already be comfortable hiking and carrying a pack.
Regardless of the itinerary you choose, the night prior to the hike is spent at the guide’s bunkhouse. This is a shared bunkhouse and a single occupancy room isn’t available.
However, you’ll spend 2 nights camping, and your guides are providing tents free of charge—you can either choose a single or a double tent! The default is a double tent, so just leave a note at checkout if you’d like to have a single one.
Regardless of the itinerary you choose, the starting point is the same—Hot Springs, NC. To get there, most people fly into the Asheville Regional Airport (AVL), 1 hour away. From there, you can rent a car or take a taxi to get to your meeting point.
You will meet your guide at their Appalachian Trail-er Bunkhouse (200 Lance Ave, Hot Springs, NC 28743). Make sure to arrive a day prior to the start of the adventure, and overnight at the bunkhouse.
Your guides provide the shuttle from Hot Springs to the trailhead as part of your trip, at no additional cost.
We highly recommend that you cover all your bases with insurance. To make your booking and traveling experience as carefree as possible, you’ll be offered to simply insure your trip with Redpoint at checkout.
Redpoint—the official 57hours insurance partner—tailors protection packages for adventure travel, offering a comprehensive travel program, even in remote locations! Trip cancellation, natural disasters, pandemic coverage, medical evacuation, primary medical expenses—regardless of the travel interruption that may happen, Redpoint will have you covered.