Appalachian Trail Clubs
30 Clubs and 5,000 Individuals
30 Trail clubs are responsible for most of the day-to-day work of keeping the A.T. open. In addition to Trail maintenance, club volunteers build and repair shelters and other structures, monitor and protect the Trail corridor, monitor and manage rare plants and invasive species, develop management plans for their sections, and much more.
Since 1935, volunteers and trail enthusiasts from the Maine Appalachian Trail Club (MATC) have been maintaining 267 miles of the A.T. from Route 26 in Grafton Notch to Katahdin, as well as 40 miles of side trails. From light and heavy trail work to clerical tasks to carpentry to database entry, there’s a way for everyone to help MATC preserve and protect the A.T. in Maine…and have fun to boot!
Maine Appalachian Trail Club
For the past 140 years, the Appalachian Mountain Club’s (AMC) New Hampshire Chapter has been all about discovering more new places and protecting the environment they comprise. In addition to offering hundreds of trips and activities each year, the club maintains over 100 miles of the Appalachian Trail, including the iconic Franconia Notch. Can you spare a day for the trails you love? If so, the chapter would love your help!
Appalachian Mountain Club
For over a century, the Randolph Mountain Club (RMC) has maintained hiking trails and mountain camps in the White Mountains so that everyone can experience the beauty and freedom of the northern Presidential Range and the Crescent Range north of Randolph, NH. The club maintains a small but mighty 2.2-mile section of the A.T. that runs entirely above tree line in the White Mountain National Forest. Volunteer work trips are scheduled during the summer months and all are welcome to join in regardless of prior experience.
In 1911, the Dartmouth Outing Club (DOC) proposed creating a chain of cabins from Hanover to the White Mountains of New Hampshire for ski touring. This collection of cabins and their associated trails were ultimately instrumental in the creation of the Appalachian Trail. Today, DOC is responsible for the maintenance of over fifty miles of the A.T., from the Ledyard Bridge over the Connecticut River to Route 112 in Woodstock, NH. DOC volunteer “Trail Adopters” each maintain a few miles of trail and Corridor Monitors steward the land surrounding the A.T.
Dartmouth Outing Club
The Green Mountain Club (GMC) was founded in 1910 to build the Long Trail across the mountains of Vermont, which later served as the inspiration for the creation of the Appalachian Trail. Today, the club manages over 500 miles of trails, including the Long Trail, its side trails, and the A.T. in Vermont, as well as numerous backcountry shelters and privies. In addition to trail building and maintenance, GMC’s work also includes land conservation and stewardship, hiker outreach and education, and community building and engagement. Volunteers are the backbone of GMC and all are invited to help the club maintain their section of the A.T. and the Long Trail.
Green Mountain Club
The Appalachian Mountain Club – Western Massachusetts Chapter’s AT Management Committee maintains and manages the 90 miles of the A.T. that runs through Massachusetts. In addition to routine maintenance, the club hosts regular work parties with projects for both first time and experienced volunteers. This past year, the club’s volunteers worked on an impressive variety of projects, including maintaining and managing the Upper Goose Pond Cabin, which hosts more than 1500 A.T. visitors a season, identifying and monitoring over 40 rare, threatened or endangered rare plant occurrences, replacing a shelter roof, and maintaining A.T. corridor boundaries. The club also hosts fun and rewarding volunteer vacation experiences each summer.
AMC Western Massachusetts
The Appalachian Mountain Club Connecticut Chapter (CT AMC) has been helping people of all ages and abilities to explore and develop a deep appreciation of the natural world for more than 100 years. The Connecticut Chapter represents 8,000 members and sponsors activities in hiking, paddling, climbing, cycling, and conservation. CT AMC maintains 53 miles of the A.T. from Sages Ravine to Hoyt Road at the Connecticut-New York border. If you’ve ever hiked up Bear Mountain, Connecticut’s highest peak on the A.T., you’ve been on the CT AMC’s section of the Trail! Everyone is welcome to give back to the A.T. by joining a club work party – there’s always lots to do and no experience needed!
AMC – Connecticut Chapter
The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference (NY-NJTC) is a volunteer-powered organization that builds, maintains, and protects 2,100+ miles of public trails and trail lands. If you’ve ever hiked on the A.T. in New Jersey or New York, thank a NY-NJTC volunteer! The club maintains 162 miles of Trail, including the section that runs through Bear Mountain State Park, the first segment of the A.T. to be built! NY-NJTC invites everyone to keep trails happy by volunteering with the club. There’s an opportunity for everyone and no experience is necessary.
New York-New Jersey Trail Conference
True to its name, the BATONA Hiking Club (BHC) has been helping outdoor-lovers in the Philadelphia area and beyond get “BACK TO NATURE” for 95 years! BHC founded the Batona Trail in 1961 and offers trail work opportunities and weekly hikes. The club also maintains 8.5 miles of the A.T. between Wind Gap and Fox Gap in Pennsylvania, as well as a blue-blazed bypass trail and the A.T boundary corridor. The club has a long tradition of giving back to the trails they love through trail maintenance and everyone is invited to join the club on a work day – no special skills required!
Batona Hiking Club
The Appalachian Mountain Club-Delaware Valley Chapter (AMC-DV) maintains two sections of the A.T., including 15 miles from Wind Gap to Little Gap and seven miles from Fox Gap to Delaware Water Gap. The club also maintains the Leroy Smith and Kirkridge shelters, as well as privies and campsites.
AMC-DV reminds us that, without volunteers, the trails we love to hike might become filled with trash, overgrown, eroded, impassable, or might not even exist in the first place. Interested in giving back to the A.T.? AMC-DV has a variety of opportunities! Volunteers are needed to help the club’s A.T. work crew with trail maintenance projects, monitor the Trail corridor, and take care of shelters, campsites, and privies.
AMC- Delaware Valley Chapter
The Keystone Trails Association (KTA) was founded in part to maintain the A.T. in Pennsylvania and has been working to protect and promote hiking trails throughout Pennsylvania for 60 years. Over time, KTA has continued to grow and expand its advocacy efforts and trail programs. KTA maintains the section of the A.T. in the Lehigh Valley from Lehigh Furnace Gap to Little Gap, plus three adjoining trails, the North Trail, the South Trail and the Winter Trail.
Everyone is invited to join KTA on its A.T. work days to keep the Trail in prime shape for day, section, and thru-hikers. From raking and digging Trail segments to trimming back encroaching vegetation to painting blazes, there’s something for everyone to do! And the best part? Stepping back alongside other volunteers to admire all your hard work at the end of the day!
Keystone Trails Association
The Blue Mountain Eagle Climbing Club (BMECC) was founded in Pennsylvania in 1916. In 1926, BMECC was asked to locate and build 102 miles of the A.T. from the Lehigh River to the Susquehanna River. Volunteers finished this section of Trail, as well as numerous monuments, cabins, and rest stops, after five years of dedicated work. Currently, the club maintains a 65-mile section of the A.T., which includes eight shelters and The Pinnacle, where hikers enjoy one of the best views in Pennsylvania. BMECC also owns and maintains a 34-acre Arboretum in Bern Township Pennsylvania. The club hosts hikes and frequent work trips on their section of Trail and invites everyone to join them to help preserve this amazing treasure.
Blue Mountain Eagle Climbing Club
The Allentown Hiking Club (AHC) members enjoy escaping the crowded city to hike and to maintain the club’s 10.3-mile section of the Appalachian Trail. The club’s section of Trail includes the Allentown Shelter and the rocky, exposed section of Trail known as Knife Edge. AHC is entirely supported by volunteers, and the club reminds anyone interested in caring for the A.T. that many hands make light work! Even helping for a few hours each month can make a big difference, and all are welcome to attend a club work day or meeting.
Allentown Hiking Club
In 2024, the Susquehanna Appalachian Trail Club (SATC) celebrated 70 years of being champions of the A.T.! Each year, SATC volunteers contribute at least 2,000 hours toward the care and preservation of a 20-mile section of the Trail in Pennsylvania, from PA-225 on Peters Mountain to Rausch Gap. SATC also maintains the Peters Mountain shelter and privy, and protects and monitors the Trail’s corridor.
The club offers about 100 group hikes each year around central Pennsylvania, the area known to many thru-hikers as “Rocksylvania”! SATC is especially proud of their work in the conservation of wildlands and wildlife, and invites anyone interested in taking care of the A.T. to join them on a work trip!
Susquehanna Appalachian Trail Club
During the Great Depression in 1932, a group of enthusiastic folks formed the York Hiking Club to enjoy each other’s company while engaging in a local, inexpensive outdoor activity – hiking! For more than 75 years, this all-volunteer nonprofit organization has maintained the 7.5-mile section of the A.T. from the western bank of the Susquehanna River to the top of Peter’s Mountain in Pennsylvania. The club organizes work hikes to build new trail, remove blowdowns, blaze the Trail, maintain the Clarks Ferry shelter and outhouse, and other much-needed trail work. Everyone who is interested in taking care of the Trail is welcome to join a work hike or become a year-round maintainer – no special skills or experience needed!
York Hiking Club
For more than 30 years, the Cumberland Valley Appalachian Trail Club (CVATC) has maintained the 17 miles of the A.T. that runs through Cumberland County, PA. The club’s section of the Trail begins at Center Point Knob on South Mountain and extends through the Cumberland Valley to the top of Blue Mountain. (Fun fact – Center Point Knob used to be the middle point of the A.T.) Once a road walk, CVATC was an integral part of transforming this section of the A.T. into the beautifully rural footpath it is today.
Every spring, the stretch of trail from Scott Farm to Sherwood Drive turns into “bluebell central” as the ephemeral Virgina bluebells burst into bloom for just a few short weeks.
CVATC members keep the Trail in great shape as both section and boundary corridor maintainers. The club invites anyone who wants to give back to the Trail to join them on a group work trip or a “Weed Warrior” work day!
Cumberland Valley Appalachian Trail Club
Mountain Club of Maryland (MCM) celebrated its 90th year in 2024! MCM has been a proud A.T. maintaining club since its members helped complete the Trail in the 1930s. The club maintains the northernmost 10 miles of the A.T. in Maryland on behalf of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club and 32 additional miles in Pennsylvania. MCM also maintains four hiking shelters and privies on its Trail section in Pennsylvania, and patrols 25 miles of Trail boundaries.
MCM invites everyone to join their regular trips to improve the footpath, repair a privy, support a certified sawyer, or help maneuver large stones to traverse a wide stream.
Mountain Club of Maryland
The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC) strives to connect people with the outdoors through outreach events, rental cabins, and volunteer opportunities. Created in 1927, the PATC was formed to build the Appalachian Trail in the mid-Atlantic region and has been maintaining 240 miles of the Trail from Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park to Pine Grove Furnace, Pennsylvania for nearly a century! More than 1,000 active volunteers help the PATC maintain 1,100 miles of trails throughout Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Washington D.C, logging an average of 90,000 volunteer hours each year. The club invites you to check out their variety of volunteer opportunities at https://www.patc.net/volunteer.
Potomac Appalachian Trail Club
The Club invites you to explore what’s special about the Trail by joining them for a hike or an upcoming volunteer outing.
Old Dominion Appalachian Trail Club
Based in Norfolk, Virginia, The Tidewater Appalachian Trail Club (TATC) is an energetic group open to individuals and families, with a primary purpose to maintain a 10+ mile section of the Appalachian Trail from Reed’s Gap to the Tye River. In addition to caring for the A.T., the club maintains an additional 23 miles in the Blue Ridge Mountains and trails in parks closer to Hampton Roads and the surrounding area. Discover what this club has to offer for recreation or volunteer opportunities in the mountains or Virginia’s coastal shore.
Tidewater Appalachian Trail Club
The Natural Bridge Appalachian Trail Club (NBATC) was founded in 1930, following a presentation about the A.T. by Myron Avery. Part of the NBATC’s mission is to maintain and protect 90 miles of A.T. and its “blue blazed” side trails in central Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. This work is done by club volunteers, including A.T. section leaders and two roving crews.
The NBATC also supports the A.T. by educating people about the value of hiking and, in particular, the value of hiking on the A.T. through their active hiking program. NBATC club volunteers lead hikes almost every Saturday and Sunday, and the club sponsors groups who hike during the week with more specific goals.
For more information on either the hiking program or the maintenance program, check out the NBATC website.
Natural Bridge Appalachian Trail Club
The Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club maintains 120 miles of the Appalachian Trail, including the scenic and memorable sites of Dragon’s Tooth, McAfee Knob, and Tinker Cliffs. Not to be forgotten, Dismal Falls, Angels Rest, Wind Rock, Audie Murphy Memorial and Hay Rock are also among the gems cared for by the club over its last 92 years.
Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club
The Outdoor Club at Virginia Tech (OCVT) is a diverse group of outdoor enthusiasts comprised of undergraduate and graduate students, and other members of the Blacksburg community. The goal of the club is to get outside and be active physically and socially. OCVT strives to spread knowledge of the local area, to teach safe and responsible enjoyment of the outdoors, to volunteer time to keep our section of the Appalachian Trail maintained and, most importantly, to have fun while doing it!
Outdoor Club at Virginia Tech
The Piedmont A.T. Hikers is a welcoming group of people who hike together and care for 66-miles of the Appalachian Trail in Southwest Virginia between Sugar Grove and Bland, Virginia. The Partnership Shelter is one of five shelters cared for by the club. Burke’s Garden is among many of the scenic views available from the Trail, and the Settler’s Museum near Atkins is one way to explore agricultural imprint of the history in the area. The club invites people in North Carolina and Southwest Virginia to join them for a camping weekend on the third weekend of the month for shared meals and new experiences on the Appalachian Trail.
Piedmont Appalachian Trail Hikers
The Mount Roger’s A.T. Club maintains roughly 60 miles of the Appalachian Trail in Southwest Virginia, from the Tennessee-Virginia state line to the South Holston River. The club’s section includes roaming wild ponies, the highest point in the state, and runs through “Trailtown USA” Damascus, Virginia. The club welcomes families and young adults in Abington, Marion, and Damascus to come explore what the club offers for opportunities to connect with nature and build community with new friends who share an appreciation for the outdoors.
Mount Rogers Appalachian Trail Club
From Spivey Gap, NC to the Tennessee-Virginia line, the Tennessee Eastman Hiking and Canoeing Club is at work to care for the Appalachian Trail. The 134 miles in this section include scenic highlights like the Roan Highlands, Laurel Fork Gorge, and Watauga Lake, and the unforgettable or uniquely-named places like Grindstaff memorial and No Business Knob. The club is open to everyone, and volunteers regularly gather to care for the Trail on Thursdays and the Third Saturday of each month.
Tennessee Eastman Hiking and Canoeing Club
The mission of the Carolina Mountain Club (CMC) is to encourage and support hiking in Western North Carolina. Based in Asheville, the club fulfills its mission by: leading hikes and welcoming all who are capable of participating; building and maintaining trails, especially the sections of the Appalachian Trail and Mountains to Sea Trail for which they hold responsibility; and working with public and private partners to conserve nature. The Carolina Mountain Club aims to be an inclusive, equitable, diverse and kind community. “At CMC we are united in our adventure by mutual trust, collective safety, respect for the natural world, and appreciation for our time together outdoors. We continually strive to provide a welcoming and respectful environment.”
Carolina Mountain Club
The Smoky Mountains Hiking Club celebrated 100 years in 2024! In addition to caring for 72 miles of the Appalachian Trail from Wesser to Davenport Gap the Club offers a variety of hikes and volunteer activities in the magical setting of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and adjacent Cheoah District of the US Forest Service. Based primarily out of Knoxville, Tennessee, the club invites people to explore the club throughout this milestone year by visiting their website.
Smoky Mountains Hiking Club
True to its name, the Nantahala Hiking Club (NHC) maintains nearly 59 miles of the Appalachian Trail in southwest North Carolina, from Bly Gap to the Nantahala Outdoor Center at Wesser. Formed in 1968, the club offers organized hikes in the area, fosters connection with the Franklin A.T. Community, supports place-based education for students in Macon County, and consistently cultivates spirit through its ongoing Wednesday work trips to care for the Appalachian Trail. From scenic spots like Standing Indian to Wayah Bald, NHC invites you to come explore and care for the A.T. alongside them.
Nantahala Hiking Club
Georgia Appalachian Trail Club is comprised of outdoor enthusiasts from every background and almost every segment of society. The group manages and maintains the 78 miles of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail in Georgia through their coordination of volunteers for one-day and ongoing activities. The Georgia Appalachian Trail Club promotes the appreciation of the A.T. and natural outdoor places through education and recreational activities, with an emphasis on conservation ethics and protection of the forests, their natural resources and wilderness areas.
Georgia Appalachian Trail Club
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Clubs & Partners
The Appalachian Trail has a unique Cooperative Management System, with many partners working together to ensure the footpath and its surrounding lands are protected.
What does Cooperative Management mean?
Cooperative Management
The A.T. is cared for by public and private partners working together to achieve common goals for the Trail. This unique partnership relies on civic engagement from people within A.T. Maintaining Clubs, the ATC, and local land managers to communicate, collaborate, and carry out the essential management of the A.T.
ATC's Volunteer Blog and Newsletter
The Register
Learn more about A.T. volunteerism and the stewards who keep the dream of the Trail alive.