AT section hikes

[shawnlakenorman]

Ok. So I am researching,reading and learning. Now I need to train. Lol. Want to plan a short AT hike with my daughter. She's in college at App State. Has another year. But we could carve time out for a trip. Best section to plan for. Any input.

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[Lyle]

Hello, welcome.

First off, where are you and how far do you want to travel? Always keep in mind that you are asking questions of folks who are from all over the country, in fact, all over the world, so you cannot assume that folks will know where Lake Norman or App State are.

Narrow things down a bit and you should get plenty of responses. Also, how much experience do you and your daughter have? Newbies or experienced backpackers? What time of year do you have in mind and how long of trip are you thinking of, time wise?

[ratfaceraines]

I shuttle out pearisburg, va. Feel free to call anytime @540-921-7433(RIDE) to discuss suggestions/options for hiking this area.

[LesterC]

Good two day hike is Winding Stair Gap to NOC. Add another day and go to Fontana Dam. Or, do half the Smokies, beginning at Newfound Gap and going either direction. Either way is doable in two days, or a relaxed three days.


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[bigcranky]

Lots of great hiking on the AT in NC. How long do you want to be out? There's a nice weekend loop in Southwest Virginia about 45 minutes from Boone (my daughter went to App State too, and we would do this loop then go to Boone for a visit and get brunch at Melanie's). The loop is at Grayson Highlands State Park and it includes the AT and the Pine Mountain Trail. Makes a nice overnight, in open country with wild horses.

[LittleRock]

You can get to the AT trailheads anywhere from 19E up to Damascus in less than an hour from Boone. The 19E to Damascus section isn't spectacular - but the parts just south of 19E or just north of Damascus are. Two very popular short AT hikes are Carver's Gap north to 19E (Roan Highlands), and Damascus north to VA 603 (Grayson Highlands). Be aware that those sections can get pretty crowded on the weekend. I saw more people on average per hour in those sections on the weekend than I saw the entire Mon-Fri I spent hiking between them.

[JumpMaster Blaster]

I second 19E and Carver's Gap. Drop car off at Mountain Harbour B&B, get shuttled to Carver's Gap ($40), and do a sweet 2 day hike back to 19E. I say this because I always drive through Boone on my way to/from that area. The Roan Highlkands are not to be missed. I have only done a small section between 19E and Damascus, but it wasn't bad at all. Laurel Fals is really nice. I would suggest looking into Grayson Highlands as well.

[saltysack]

603 sobo to Damascus best 40 miles on the southern AT in my opinion...


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[rafe]

Assuming it's Lake Norman in NC (according to Google) and you'd like to minimize driving time... There are some nice chunks of trail between Erwin, TN and Damascus, VA. Roan Mountain comes to mind, and Laurel Falls. Or maybe Max Patch, just south of Hot Springs.