Appalachian Trail Information and Hiking Articles

Pine Swamp Brook Shelter is reopened! Tent sites and the privy are also open again.

Madison Gulf suspension bridge over the Peabody River in New Hampshire forces official Appalachian Trail detour.

A bridge that carries the Appalachian Trail over a river in the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire is closed, forcing an official detour route for the trail.

An inspection of the Madison Gulf suspension bridge over the Peabody River found the bridge to be unsafe for pedestrian traffic. The bridge will remain closed until a new one can be designed and installed.

White Mountain National Forest staff have coordinated with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy to identify an official detour for the Appalachian Trail. The new route eliminates the river crossing and provides a safer option for hikers. The detour is signed and blazed to identify the route.

The detour means the trail now goes Osgood to Great Gulf to Road Walk 16 to 19 Mile Brook. This route does not cover Madison Gulf to Auto-Road, Old Jackson Road, Lost Pond, Wildcat Ridge.

Crossing the bridge while it is closed is a citable offense and could lead to fines or more. The Appalachian Mountain Club says you may cross the river at the bridge using your judgment; however, in high water the crossing is dangerous. The safest crossing point is just downstream and is flagged.

The Pine Swamp Branch Shelter, campsite, and privy are closed until further notice (NOBO mile 1,490.4). There are many large, dead oak trees in this area that pose a significant safety risk (hazard trees). Hikers should avoid this area and not plan to camp here, stop or take a break, or use the privy. The dead trees are highly unpredictable; large branches and whole trees can snap suddenly and fall, especially during windy weather.

An infestation of invasive spongy moth is suspected to be the cause of the widespread dying off of trees at this site and on adjoining land.

ATC staff and volunteers with the Appalachian Mountain Club – Connecticut chapter will be visiting the site over the coming weeks to conduct assessments, coordinate work to remove the dead hazard trees, and clean up debris. We will update this notice with more information as we receive it.

Per Forest Service of North Carolina - Facebook

APPALACHIAN TRAIL UPDATE:
In order to give crews time to remove debris left in the wake of Helene and reduce the risk of potential wildfires near Iron Mountain Gap along the Appalachian Trail, we partnered with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and our colleagues on the U.S. Forest Service - Cherokee National Forest to detour around a portion of A.T. from about a mile south of the destroyed Cherry Gap Shelter to about a mile north of Iron Mountain Gap (approx. NOBO mile 360.6 to 365.9).

This newly opened detour will take hikers around the last remaining closed section of the A.T. For safety purposes, all hikers should follow the signage posted along both the north- and southbound sides of the trail directing them toward the detour.

For the latest safety information along the A.T., visit the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s trail update page (https://appalachiantrail.org/trail-updates/)

Map courtesy of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) will provide a free daily ferry service starting March 17 to transport A.T. hikers across the Nolichucky River near the former site of the Chestoa Pike Bridge (NOBO mile 344.6). The bridge was destroyed during the storm.

The ferry service, made possible thanks to donations to the ATC’s A.T. Resiliency Fund, is the official route of the A.T. at this time. Hikers should not attempt to ford, swim, or otherwise cross the Nolichucky River on their own. Dogs and children are allowed on the ferry with their owner/adult.

The ferry, provided by Wahoo’s Adventure Nolichucky, will operate between 9:00 AM and 2:00 PM daily from March 17 to June 15.

The 3.6-mile road walk detour that was previously shared as the official route of the Trail should be used when the ferry is not operating: Nolichucky River Road Walk Detour. Flip-flop, southbound, and other A.T. hikers who will arrive at the Nolichucky after June 15: please check this alert for updates or use the road walk.

This ferry service is possible with support from the Tennessee Eastman Hiking & Canoeing Club, Uncle Johnny’s Nolichucky Hostel Cabins & Camping, and the Erwin and Unicoi County community.

Starting 12 March 2015 volunteers with the Carolina Mountain Club will begin dismantling and removing the Walnut Mountain Shelter (NOBO mile 262.1). The privy and bear cables will also be removed. The site will remain open for tenting. ATC staff will be onsite to assist with the project as well.

Hikers should stay out of the immediate construction zone while the project takes place.

The shelter is being removed due to poor original placement and in an effort to create more sustainable campsites along the Appalachian Trail (A.T.). The Club plans to reconstruct the shelter as a historical exhibit in Hot Springs, NC in the future.

Time to get out the bear canister if you plan to camp along the AT around Blood Mountain. Between March 1 and June 1, campers must have hard sided canisters to camp between Jarrard Gap and Neel Gap. This includes the Woods Hole and Blood Mt. Shelters.

It has been pointed out that you can hike through this section without stopping to camp. That's quite true, as the restricted area is only 5.1 miles along the AT. However, many GATC followers are local backpackers wanting to spend the weekend enjoying the Blood Mt. Wilderness. For those folks, a bear canister will allow you to camp with fewer crowds as most of the Spring thru hiker bubble hikes through this section without spending the night.