Is Your Hiking Party Considered a Group?
If your hiking party includes six or more people, it’s considered a group on the Appalachian Trail, and this info is for you!
Groups usually include organizations like summer camps, school or college programs, church groups, and private companies (called “organized groups”). However, families, friend groups, and thru-hiker “tramilies” can also fall under this definition when traveling together.
- Camping group: 6-10 campers, including leaders.
- 10 is the maximum size for a camping group on the A.T. (some locations have a smaller group limit). Your camping group should be registered (see below).
- Day hiking group: 6-25 hikers, including leaders.
Group Guidelines at a Glance
Leave No Trace
Your group should take particular care to follow Leave No Trace Practices. This is vital because groups have a more concentrated impact on paths, campsites and facilities.
Consider Group Size
Traveling and camping in small groups reduces the physical impact to the A.T. environment. Small groups also help preserve the sense of solitude and remoteness for other hikers who encounter your group.
Use Designated Overnight Sites
Your camping group should stay at A.T. overnight sites where permitted and plan to tent. Leave A.T. shelters for solo hikers as shelters are not designed for camping group use.
Stay Together
Take care to keep group members together. Most search and rescue missions along the Trail happen when someone gets separated from their group.
Before You Go
Some parts of the Trail have special rules and limits for groups. A permit may be required, there may be camping restrictions, and commercial use (participants paying a fee for a hike) may not be allowed. This is all to protect the surrounding environment and A.T. experience.
Contact the land management agency (Forest Service, National Park Service, state forest, etc.) for more information. Visit our Permits, Fees, and Regulations page for general permit information about the A.T.
Not sure who the land manager is? Contact us for assistance.
ATCamp is a voluntary hiker registration system provided by the ATC. We encourage leaders of organized groups, including youth groups, who plan to spend one or more nights camping on the A.T. to register on ATCamp. By using ATCamp, you:
- Prevent crowding. Use calendars show numbers of other campers registered for designated overnight sites. If a start date or overnight site is full, you can use ATCamp to select a less crowded start date or location or overnight site.
- Support Trail management. Your data helps the A.T. Clubs, land managing partners, and the ATC manage and maintain the Trail.
- Stay informed. Stay safe and informed by signing up for Trail alerts and email updates.
- Keep the Trail Alive. Help preserve and sustain the A.T. for future visits.
Only the trip leader’s information is needed to register. Information entered into ATCamp is not shared publicly.
Register Your HikeGuided Hike & Group Services
There are several organizations along the Trail that offer free group hikes or guided walks:
- Trail Clubs from Georgia to Maine offer group hikes that are usually open to the public.
- Shenandoah National Park offers free ranger-led walks and programs about the park’s 101 miles of the Trail from early April through late November.
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park may offer short ranger-led day hikes from Newfound Gap.
Special Use Permits
Many areas of the A.T. do not allow commercial guiding where an individual or entity profits from visitor use. Areas that do allow commercial guiding on the A.T. require guides to have a special use permit. These areas include:
These and other regulations along the Trail are set by the land management agencies that own the land the A.T. passes through, such as the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, or state and local authorities. The A.T. passes through hundreds of different land management units, and it’s not always clear on the Trail when you are passing from one landowner to another.
Questions?
If you’re unsure if your group is considered commercial, unsure if commercial use is allowed where you want to hike, or have more questions, please contact the ATC. We’re happy to connect you with the right land management agency.
Virginia Hikers
Group Use in the Mt. Rogers High Country
The Mt. Rogers High Country in southwest Virginia is one of the most popular places on the A.T. It is home to stunning vistas, Virginia’s highest mountain, and a herd of feral ponies. It is also home to a critically threatened spruce-fir forest. Learn more about the area’s regulations, and how your group can help protect this special place.
Group Leave No Trace
Groups can have a larger impact on the Trail than individual hikers since the Trail and facilities were not designed to accommodate groups. Group leaders have a responsibility to teach participants the knowledge they need to have a safe and low-impact visit to the Trail.
Learn how to apply the seven principles of Leave No Trace (LNT) while hiking and camping on the A.T. with your group!
Group LNT
Scouting on the Appalachian Trail
Scouts hiking on the Trail should follow the same guidance on this page as other organized groups. Scouts interested in giving back to the Trail through volunteering should complete our Group Volunteer Interest Form or email volunteer@appalachiantrail.org.
Scouts Troops, Order of the Arrow Lodges, or Eagle Scouts who complete projects are entitled to receive a letter of recognition as well as certificate from National Park Service Appalachian National Scenic Trail Superintendent and Appalachian Trail Conservancy CEO.
