The Appalachian National Scenic Trail is a 2,181 mile long national hiking trail located in Eastern part of the United States which spans from Georgia?s Springer Mountain all the way to Mount Katahdin in Maine.

The trail also known as AT or the Appalachian Trail passes through different states in the US including the states of Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The path was conceived in 1921 by forester Benton MacKaye. MacKaye?s idea was printed and published in the New York Evening Post before getting adopted as the main project for the Palisades Interstate Park Trail Conference. The Appalachian National Scenic Trail was completed in 1937 with the help of private citizens and casual hikers. These people are also responsible for volunteering to conserve and maintain the Appalachian Trail decades after its completion.

Visitors of the AT will find thousands of plants and animal species. Most of these species have been classified as rare, endangered or threatened plants. The Appalachian Trail features animals such as the American black bear, which is the largest omnivores inhabiting most of the Appalachian region. Other animals living in the region include different species of snakes such as the copperhead and the Eastern timber rattlesnake. Larger faunas found in the area includes deer and elk.

The Appalachian National Scenic Trail is open to the public all year long. The northern entrance to the nature trail can be found in Baxter State Park and might be closed for a variety of reasons including the weather conditions inside the nature trail. Spending a day following the trail is free but there are permits that should be acquired for tourists who would like to spend the night at the AT. Some areas along the hiking trail will also require fees for parking vehicles.