Good long section to hike in the Fall?

[Happydaddy]

My plan is to do a long section in the Fall. By "long" I'm thinking in the 400-500 mile range. My original thought was to do Springer to Damascus. As I've thought about it, it has occurred to me that there might not be many folks on the trail then (I could be completely wrong). As this would be my first time on the trail, there is something a bit comforting about the idea of there being others nearby. What should I expect in terms of numbers in that section that time of year? Are there other sections you would recommend instead? Thanks for the help.

[Slo-go'en]

The best time to hike in the south is in the spring. The best time to hike in the fall is New England. If your talking Sept/Oct, start in Mass and head north.

[rafe]

In my opinion, you can't go too far wrong anywhere on the AT, hiking in September. You may encounter brief snow in the Whites or in Maine, but it will generally not be a deep or lasting snow. Can't vouch for the AT south of Pearisburg, haven't been there in eons.

I had the trail and the shelters pretty much to myself hiking in mid Virginia after Labor Day. You'll see day-hikers on weekends if the weather is fair. The NOBO thru-hiker bubble (such as it is) will be in NH and ME or finished. The SOBO bubble is really no such thing, it's barely detectable.

So you're left with a trail population of joggers, weekend warriors, student outings ("freshman orienteering") and occasional section hikers, hiking alone or with a buddy or two. Of course you'll also see a lot of non-hiker tourists in the Smokies, Shenandoah, and at the AMC lodges at Pinkham and Crawford Notch -- any place reachable by car.

[Prime Time]

My choice for September to mid October would be New England starting in Maine and ending in New York. For Late October thru November Virginia into North Carolina. Either way, hike southbound if you want to follow the autumn foliage. It will be busy on the nice weekends, otherwise not too bad other than the absolute peak two weeks of color in Northern New England depending on where you are at that time.