water hikng along the AT

[perrymk]

I've just finished section hiking the Florida Trail and in a couple of years hope to either thru or section hike the AT. The FT required plenty of water hiking. That is, stretches of up to 8 miles that were mostly ankle to knee deep in water, though most sections didn't exceed 3 or so miles. This isn't creek crossing; this is flooded trail hiking.

Is there any flooded trail hiking on the AT? Where? How much? I've read lots of memoirs but don't recall any mention of flooded trail hiking except perhaps for when it rains.

Thank you.

[Slo-go'en]

In most of New England, if it's raining and your not walking in a stream, your not on the trail. But that is the only time. There are no swamps like the everglades to wade through. For the most part, your walking along the top of the mountains.

[moldy]

No water hiking in the AT. Not like what you are talking about on the Florida trail. It's all high ground. Flooding can cause swollen rivers that are to be waded and after heavy rains the trail can have a bunch of water but it's not the same.

[FastHands__]

In Maine you'll have to ford a few rivers, and of course the trails can get a little flooded during rains (like a couple inches or so), but nothing more than that.

[Dogwood]

There are areas of standing water and bogs. Trail construction keeps you above the harshest of it
There's no wading for miles in ankle to knee deep water though as a rule.

For example, in Vernon NJ and outside of Pawling NY there's decking like walking on a dock. There are bogs some deep in Maine traversed by walking on floating wooden trail. I forget the name what this trail construction is called.

I recall hiking in NC/TN and ME in temporary trail flooded to 2 ft deep after days and days of heavy rain. The trail became a temporary creek.

[AllDownhillFromHere]

If you hit the Smokies during the melt, be prepared to walk in streams, sometimes the trail is cut knee-deep or higher down into the soil.

[Rain Man]

Depending on the season and weather (recent rainfall), you might find yourself wading through some puddles, standing water, muck, or on sunken bog bridges, or having to fork streams, but that's all very intermittent and I never found it a problem. As others have mentioned, the serious and permanent swamps/bogs have bridges of some sort built over them.

[LittleRock]

Sometimes during and for a short time after heavy rain events parts of the trail will be covered in 1-2" of water. This often happens when heavily used trails cut into the landscape and start to affect how the water drains. These are the exception, not the rule, on the AT.

[peakbagger]

The AT/Long Trail in VT tends to turn into a muck hole in the valleys during the spring with the trails going up and down the ridgelines turning into streambeds in the spring. The club officially closes the trail during mud season in the spring to minimize the damage of hikers tearing up loose soil but inevitably some fools elect to press on and tear up the trails and have a miserable time.

A general comment to anyone contemplating it is "Please dont do that" Even in dry weather there are several miles around Stratton Pond that are potentially "juicy". There are ongoing battles with beavers along the Maine AT down in the valleys and especially in spots east of Mt Bigelow. The trail adopters try to keep up with them but the beavers can really screw things up quickly in a couple of nights.

[JJ505]

If you love this type of thing, you should think about hiking in the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico. I understand there are 100 crossings on some hikes. It's very large and very isolated, cliffs on both sides.