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.
If you’d like a relaxed start, arrive in Hot Springs, NC, in the afternoon or evening and spend the night at the bunkhouse, so you’re rested and ready for the pack shakedown at 9 am on Day 1. If you’d rather skip the extra night, you can meet your guide directly at the bunkhouse on the morning of Day 1.
Meals: Not included
Accommodation: Bunkhouse
Meet your guide and fellow hikers at the bunkhouse at 9 am. The trip starts with a pack shakedown: your guide will pass out your gear and food, teach you how to pack your backpack, and go through what you’ve packed to make sure you don’t bring too many extra items. Around 11 am, we’ll shuttle to the trailhead (drive time is 1 hour) and hike to Max Patch for lunch with 360-degree views, then continue to our 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:
Both include two nights camping on the AT, and all gear and trail meals are included.
3-Day Max Patch Backpacking
4-Day Roan Highlands Backpacking
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 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.
4-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.
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.
One night is spent at the guide’s bunkhouse (optional for Max Patch, included with meals for the Roan Highlands). 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.
Whichever itinerary you choose, the starting point is the same—Hot Springs, NC. To get there, most people fly into 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’ll meet your guide at the Appalachian Trail-er Bunkhouse (200 Lance Ave, Hot Springs, NC 28743), but the timing depends on your itinerary:
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.