View Full Version : Underutilized sections of the AT?
somers515
09-13-2015, 16:03
Hiking bubbles and seasons aside, are there generally sections of the AT that get significantly less use but are still great sections of the trail? Are you willing to share your favorite underutilized sections?
Thanks in advance!
Maybe most of Maine? The trail is used quite often. Mostly on weekends, during the week it gets a break. Winter hiking the trail seems more like you would get the solitude you could be looking for.
BirdBrain
09-13-2015, 16:23
Mahoosucs.
that are "great" sections of the trail. i dont know, maybe maine. seems like a lot of nice but not especially noteworthy sections up there dont get seen by anyone but thru or section hikers. same may apply to parts of VT.
plenty of kind of bland trail in NJ, NY, PA i think barely gets touched too. truthfully, the sections in ME and VT i am thinking of might not eb any more interesting except that to me they are novel.
Most of Maine, except for the Hundred Mile Wilderness.
Parts of CT and NY. I had a 48 hour stretch with no other humans at all between Island Pond (NY) and the trailhead near Vernon NJ. Right around this time of year, back in 2006.
peakbagger
09-13-2015, 17:38
Hike off season and most of the trail is underutilized. I sectioned much of the southern AT in the fall and in general avoided the bubble. One year I hiked Northern VA to southern PA in Late septembe/ early October and had the trail to myself.
Most of Maine, except for the Hundred Mile Wilderness.
i dunno, i hiked from east flagstaff road to rangely on a weekend this past july and on saturday it was amazing how many people were out, in large groups, on very remote trails. and they were day hiking. i really dont know how they did it. i mean how does a group of girl scouts with no visible overnight gear get to the summit of spaulding mountain by 10am?
i dunno, i hiked from east flagstaff road to rangely on a weekend this past july and on saturday it was amazing how many people were out, in large groups, on very remote trails. and they were day hiking. i really dont know how they did it. i mean how does a group of girl scouts with no visible overnight gear get to the summit of spaulding mountain by 10am?
Up over Sugarloaf? It's not that far from the summit of sugarloaf to Spaulding mountain.
Up over Sugarloaf? It's not that far from the summit of sugarloaf to Spaulding mountain.
again, it was 10am!
i mean sure, its entirely possible and obviously they did it. just saying, that section of the trail is actually heavily used despite its degree of remoteness. they werent the only ones out i saw that weekend either. long way from it.
Heliotrope
09-13-2015, 23:05
Met a young couple in the 100 mile wilderness last year the looked right out of a backpacker magazine ad. Fresh and clean. How did they get there? They were dropped in on float plane that morning.
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Met a young couple in the 100 mile wilderness last year the looked right out of a backpacker magazine ad. Fresh and clean. How did they get there? They were dropped in on float plane that morning.
Yep, I saw stuff like that my second time through and it felt like it diminished the experience. When men were men yadda yadda you used to have to commit to a 100 mile hike to the other end. Now, not so much. Shuttlers ply the forest roads.
LittleRock
09-14-2015, 09:34
In my experience, most of the AT is pretty empty on weekdays outside of thru-hiker season.
hikernutcasey
09-14-2015, 09:55
I am a section hiker that tries to avoid the bubble. Obviously you are going to see more folks on the weekends but during the week, depending on where you are at, it's usually just a handful of people most days.
My favorite times to take a trip are April (unless it's in Georgia or NC because of the bubble) and late September/October. Cool temps and no crowds. Sign me up!
If you don't get your mind stuck on hiking just the AT you can find many underutilized trails. Most of the places I hike these days I can go out for 3 or 4 days and not encounter another person.
joshuasdad
09-14-2015, 11:55
West of I-81 in Virginia (e.g., Tinker Cliffs, McAfee Knob, Dragon's Tooth and southward) is often really deserted in the off-season, yet may be hiked most of the year. I felt much more alone there than in the 100 mile wilderness.
peakbagger
09-14-2015, 12:49
In the offseason even the Blue Ridge Parkway and SW VA is deserted. In 2002 we started at the south gate of SNP and went south. For three weeks we saw few hikers. We has the shelters to ourselves most nights and even on weekends we rarely had much company.
When we section hike in January and February, we usually see fewer than 3 people per day, and shelters are empty. But, on one mid-February trip, it snowed pretty hard, hadn't seen anybody all day, and when it got to the shelter, it was full. A scout troop - about 7 people, and two early-bird NOBO thru-hikers (southern NC). We pitched our tent on about 3" of snow. Slept warm, it was a good trip.
i dunno, i hiked from east flagstaff road to rangely on a weekend this past july and on saturday it was amazing how many people were out, in large groups, on very remote trails. and they were day hiking. i really dont know how they did it. i mean how does a group of girl scouts with no visible overnight gear get to the summit of spaulding mountain by 10am?
You say no visible overnight gear - could they have camped somewhere and left gear, just bringing daypacks?
There is not a lot of ways to get to the summit of Spaulding. Caribou Valley Rd, but it's still quite a hike. It is kinda puzzling. I was told of a trail to the shelter there, that gets some use, from the time the shelter was built, but I've never been on it.
There is not a lot of ways to get to the summit of Spaulding. Caribou Valley Rd, but it's still quite a hike. It is kinda puzzling. I was told of a trail to the shelter there, that gets some use, from the time the shelter was built, but I've never been on it.
i'm sorry i mentioned it. my point was it gave me the impression that area sees a lot of use. the curiosity of how they got there so early in the am was a side note. i imagine they either camped somewhere that they left there gear (dunno where) or, more likely, they started up on a side trail somewhere very early in the am. for the record, i started from caribou valley road headed sobo and encountered them headed nobo (not actually at the summit, but in the vicinity of the trail to the summit) and no it didnt look like they had camped at spaulding mountain lean to that night as i stopped in there around the time i saw them.
i saw a lot of similar groups in that area over the weekend, again, my point was only that the area is not under-utilized.
and while im typing a posting, i'm going to throw this out too- re-read the OP's question all of you, he said not counting seasonal discrepancies. thats how most of you seem to want to "answer" the question.
peakbagger
09-15-2015, 09:20
Spaulding is readily accessible via logging roads from the south of the AT. The MATC had a anniversary hike to the last mile plaque a few summers ago. We took a bus from the base of Sugarloaf over to the Orbeton Stream area and it didn't take that long to be up Spaulding.
Slo and I did part of the Grafton Loop around this time last year. Beautiful weather. We had a lot of company on Baldpate summit, and on the way up. Once we left Baldpate summit, we had the Grafton Loop to ourselves.
I imagine Speck gets a lot of visitors coming up from Grafton Notch. The trailhead lot looks like it's built to accommodate some heavy use.
From Grafton Notch to Rangeley (OK, it was years ago) I pretty much had the trail to myself. Ditto for Caratunk to Monson. Both those hikes in high season (summer.)
Slo and I did part of the Grafton Loop around this time last year. Beautiful weather. We had a lot of company on Baldpate summit, and on the way up. Once we left Baldpate summit, we had the Grafton Loop to ourselves.
I imagine Speck gets a lot of visitors coming up from Grafton Notch. The trailhead lot looks like it's built to accommodate some heavy use.
From Grafton Notch to Rangeley (OK, it was years ago) I pretty much had the trail to myself. Ditto for Caratunk to Monson. Both those hikes in high season (summer.)
Old Speck does get a lot of use and on the other side, the Tablerock loop as well. Love the Grafton Notch Loop Trail. I need to get back up there and do some trail work, anyway.
The first time the GF and I did the GNLT we saw no one. The next time we hiked it was Memorial Weekend and we saw about 15 hikers on the West side. The last time I did the East side of the trail, probably saw 8 or 9 people over the weekend. That's not a lot for a weekend and a trail with two trailheads to access it.
From Grafton Notch to Rangeley (OK, it was years ago) I pretty much had the trail to myself. Ditto for Caratunk to Monson. Both those hikes in high season (summer.)
agreed, those sections of ME see very little use. i dont think that constitutes nearly "most" of ME has someone suggested though. i would throw in east flagstaff road (or heck, maybe the summit of avery peak) to caratunk too.
FlyPaper
09-15-2015, 10:32
This may be of some interest to the thread. A "heat map" of sections hiked....
http://www.atdist.com/heatmap
This may be of some interest to the thread. A "heat map" of sections hiked....
http://www.atdist.com/heatmap
i think high utilization occurs in areas where there is an appeal that extends beyond hiking the AT because it is the AT (a concept oft overlooked on here i must say). this, by definition, accounts for only people who are hiking the AT to hike the AT. i think it'd be fairly clear to anyone who has been to the whites that it would be a much darker color otherwise.
as i said at the start of the thread, underutilized areas are probably the connective areas- places where theres not a whole heck of a lot noteworthy (least not to the locals, or cool enough that anyone would travel a long distance to see) but long distance hikers use it to get from point A to point B. as to the specifics of the OP's question though, that doesnt really match the criteria either as he is looking for nice sections that arent used much.
there really may not be such a thing, that or its relative (an unremarkable part of ME is cool to people not from ME, an unremarkable part of NJ or WV is cool to someone not from that area, etc).
a truly awesome spot that maybe isnt visited quite as much... i dunno, BB might have been right to suggest the mahoosucs, or maybe bondcliff. perhaps glastonburry? moxie bald?
peakbagger
09-15-2015, 11:48
I remember discussing the use of the trail in the areas around Kincora with Bob many years ago. He was of the opinion that the AT down in that area got few weekenders or off season folks. Pretty much once the bubble went through it was pretty quiet for the rest of the year. We stayed at Kincora during the fall for a couple of days and had the place to ourselves until the weekend.
agreed, those sections of ME see very little use. i dont think that constitutes nearly "most" of ME has someone suggested though. i would throw in east flagstaff road (or heck, maybe the summit of avery peak) to caratunk too.
That someone might have been me. In any case, compared to the White Mountains, the AT in Maine has got to be much less traveled.
That someone might have been me. In any case, compared to the White Mountains, the AT in Maine has got to be much less traveled.
that may be true of the whites compared to anywhere else.
BirdBrain
09-15-2015, 17:14
Sections that are "underused" are underused because they are remote or difficult. Much of the Whites are difficult, but are easy to get to. Much of Maine is hard to get to and difficult. The Mahoosucs excel on both parts. Yes you can drive to them. However, one day into that section and the start is of little consequence. Much of Maine is that way too. I just think the Mahoosucs are the most spectacular.
Sections that are "underused" are underused because they are remote or difficult.
or uninteresting.
BirdBrain
09-15-2015, 19:32
or uninteresting.Tru dat. :)
DawnTreader
09-15-2015, 19:58
A lot posts about Maine in this thread. It all depends on whether you are hiking in or out of season. Most of Maine is EXTREMELY busy on the AT during hiker season, almost everywhere. There are so many camp groups backpacking the AT in June/july/august, so friggen' many. All sections in ME are now easily accessible by logging roads, and groups drive them in summer. I would say the section that is 'underutilized,' or 'less busy' but still interesting, would be from ME rt. 4 to Andover. Great section.. Bemis/Elephant/Old Blue. I think section hikers/camp groups are using the other sections more. Mahoosucs, Bigelows, Saddleback/ 100 mile wilderness are on every NE backpackers 'must hike' list in the summer season. They are all great IMO. Also the section in NH from South Kinsman South to Hanover could be considered 'underutilized.' Everything else is busy as f8ck during hiker season.
OK I bet this section is underused: between Lafayette and Garfield summits. I suspect only thru-hikers ever go there.
I suspect the section from Rte. 112 to Kinsman summit is similarly neglected. Or the section from Hanover to Glencliff. Just sections I remember as having had little or no company... even in summer.
BirdBrain
09-15-2015, 20:48
I agree with the Bemis Range observation. But as to the Mahoosucs observation, I disagree. I agree they are on a lot of lists. However, that does not always translate into accomplishing anything. Many people work their way up to such a section only to not realize that goal. Those of us that have hiked the Whites often forget that there are a slug of weekend warriors that would love to hike lots of places but are physically unable. Therefore they do easier stuff like hike in Acadia. No slam on Acadia. I hike there often. No slam on the less fit. At least they hike somewhere.
Pastor Bryon
09-15-2015, 21:07
This may be of some interest to the thread. A "heat map" of sections hiked....
http://www.atdist.com/heatmap
This explains my experience very well. I've been section hiking here in Central VA, mostly on weekdays, and see very few others on the trail.
A lot posts about Maine in this thread. It all depends on whether you are hiking in or out of season. Most of Maine is EXTREMELY busy on the AT during hiker season, almost everywhere. There are so many camp groups backpacking the AT in June/july/august, so friggen' many. All sections in ME are now easily accessible by logging roads, and groups drive them in summer. I would say the section that is 'underutilized,' or 'less busy' but still interesting, would be from ME rt. 4 to Andover. Great section.. Bemis/Elephant/Old Blue. I think section hikers/camp groups are using the other sections more. Mahoosucs, Bigelows, Saddleback/ 100 mile wilderness are on every NE backpackers 'must hike' list in the summer season. They are all great IMO. Also the section in NH from South Kinsman South to Hanover could be considered 'underutilized.' Everything else is busy as f8ck during hiker season.
having, on seperate trips, hiked grafton notch to rangeley, rangeley to east flagst and east flagstaff to monson, all during hiker season (once in september, once in july, once in august, all over weekends that i extended a day or two) there is wide difference in trail usage from rangely to east flagstaff compared to the others. aside from the summit of baldpate i think i might have seen 5 other hikers on that trip, and on the trip north of east flagstaff, aside from moxie bald my only company was thrus. in the high peaks region though there were all different sorts of hikers pretty constantly.
OK I bet this section is underused: between Lafayette and Garfield summits. I suspect only thru-hikers ever go there.
I suspect the section from Rte. 112 to Kinsman summit is similarly neglected. Or the section from Hanover to Glencliff. Just sections I remember as having had little or no company... even in summer.
i remember being kinda of dumbfounded by how once i got 50 feet below the summit of lafayette headed towards garfield i was suddenly by myself when 5 minutes ago i was in a crowd of probably 75 people. its true, almost no one goes there. thats a very short "section" though.
good observation on kinsman ridge, hadnt thought of that and thats very true, some cool terrain i remember through there as well.
Almost any section of the A.T. is beautiful during early spring, with wildflowers at your feet, a sprinkling of light green in the canopy, and winter views still visible through the trees. (I don't think northern New England counts since you can't really hike during "spring.")
Same for fall. Even otherwise drab sections that are green tunnels in summer are sublime with all the myriad colorful shapes and shades of autumn leaves.
The South has the greatest diversity of species, and the most variety in leaves.
Ever seen a crimson sourwood leaves with sprays of white panicles against a blue sky? Reason enough to be a section-hiker.
The low section between the higher Green Mountains and White Mountains is gorgeous in the beginning of October. There's a lot more color than in those more famous areas, since so much of the Greens and Whites are, well, evergreen.
There's very little traffic between Rutland, VT and Hanover even in peak leaf season. There's not much traffic between Hanover and Moosilauke either, except for Smarts and Cube.
Laurie P.
BirdBrain
09-15-2015, 22:40
Isolation. The name says it all. 14.4 miles round trip. I saw 5 people in the 6 hours I took to do that walk in August. And that was on a Saturday.
Of course that is a tad off the AT. I would encourage people to walk a few miles off that trail once in while. Awesome stuff just nearby. Great views of the Presidentials from Isolation.
DawnTreader
09-15-2015, 22:53
I agree with the Bemis Range observation. But as to the Mahoosucs observation, I disagree. I agree they are on a lot of lists. However, that does not always translate into accomplishing anything. Many people work their way up to such a section only to not realize that goal. Those of us that have hiked the Whites often forget that there are a slug of weekend warriors that would love to hike lots of places but are physically unable. Therefore they do easier stuff like hike in Acadia. No slam on Acadia. I hike there often. No slam on the less fit. At least they hike somewhere.
Yeah, I don't know BirdBrain. I may just be oblivious at this point. Having hiked well over 1000 miles on the AT in Maine, it is hard for me to ascertain which sections would be more difficult for certain hiking abilities. I've led several backpacking trips through the Mahoosucs, 13 year old girls, never had any issues. As for the 'Weekend Warrior.' My position has changed on them over the years. There are of course, those WW that are physically not prepared for a Mahoosuc traverse, but that crowd would struggle up Mt. Willard as well. However NE weekend warriors are a little different than in many other places. Especially the peakbaggers who also enjoy backpacking, and their numbers are growing, and they are fit as f8ck! They just choose or cannot LDH. I think a lot of thu-hiker/LDH not accustomed to the Whites and Western Maine MTs. would be surprised at how many of us Weekend Warriors, 'Massholes,' and section hikers get a kick out of the comments we hear from them after they come down from Kinsman Ridge. Often they are quite shocked by the terrain. I usually skip the part about how the AT is the easiest route through the Whites.
As for the numbers, like I said, maybe I just don't know anymore. I guess I've hiked thru the Mahoosucs when there are tons of people several times, but also I've had some isolation there as well. hmmm. I should take better notes...:)
BirdBrain
09-15-2015, 23:20
Sounds to me like you have taken note and have a better sample size than me.
LittleRock
09-16-2015, 08:25
I remember discussing the use of the trail in the areas around Kincora with Bob many years ago. He was of the opinion that the AT down in that area got few weekenders or off season folks. Pretty much once the bubble went through it was pretty quiet for the rest of the year. We stayed at Kincora during the fall for a couple of days and had the place to ourselves until the weekend.
Agree - I saw a total of 3 other hikers in 3 days going from Watauga Lake to Damascus last fall. Of course, 40 miles of mostly viewless ridgeline trail with few water sources isn't very appealing. I don't imagine many people other than long-distance hikers and section hikers trying to finish the entire AT do this section.
In general, the section from US 19E north to Damascus isn't very heavily travelled. People tend to flock to Roan Highlands to the south or Grayson Highlands to the north. By comparison, the route in between these places is pretty boring. One notable exception: the short hike from Kincora down to Laurel Falls was pretty darn cool. I might take my wife and kids back there for a day hike sometime.
peakbagger
09-16-2015, 08:53
I hiked a very remote blue blaze off the AT Sunday of Labor Day weekend at Baxter State Park. The Northern Peaks Trail heading north from Baxter (via the Hamline Ridge Trail). On what arguably is the most popular day to climb Mt Katahdin of the year two friends and I got up in the AM at our leanto at Chimney Pond, signed out at the rangers station and started hiking. The first time we encountered another person was 10 hours later when we walked into Russell Pond campground. While on Hamlin we could look over to Baxter peak and saw people on the summit and along the Knifes Edge a mile or so away, but once we headed north and got behind one of the Howe Peaks we could have been in Newfoundland. This hike features several miles above treeline and unlike the Baxter summit there is no evidence of structures anywhere on the horizon. I expect the Northwest Basin Trail would have been similarly unused.
CoolBobby
09-16-2015, 09:46
I think most of the side trails that branch off the actual AT are pretty quiet most of the time. Even during the bubble. Just my 2 cents...
I think most of the side trails that branch off the actual AT are pretty quiet most of the time. Even during the bubble. Just my 2 cents...
in NY at harriman state park, theres a blue blaze that, as far as AT users are concerned, goes to the west mountain shelter. it actually continues past the shelter for quite a ways. across the river just after the bear mountain bridge, theres a blue blaze that goes to... well, pretty much nowhere as far as most AT hikers are probably concerned.
follow either of these blue blazes on a good weather weekend and you will find a crowd gathered on them that dwarves anything youll likely see along the AT anywhere in that vicinity, possible exception being the parts of bear mountain that are accessible via automobile (that hardly counts).
the AT is simply not the attraction so many of us think it is.
PA i love PA it gets a bad rep
Another Kevin
09-16-2015, 14:29
Yeah, I don't know BirdBrain. I may just be oblivious at this point. Having hiked well over 1000 miles on the AT in Maine, it is hard for me to ascertain which sections would be more difficult for certain hiking abilities. I've led several backpacking trips through the Mahoosucs, 13 year old girls, never had any issues. As for the 'Weekend Warrior.' My position has changed on them over the years. There are of course, those WW that are physically not prepared for a Mahoosuc traverse, but that crowd would struggle up Mt. Willard as well. However NE weekend warriors are a little different than in many other places. Especially the peakbaggers who also enjoy backpacking, and their numbers are growing, and they are fit as f8ck! They just choose or cannot LDH. I think a lot of thu-hiker/LDH not accustomed to the Whites and Western Maine MTs. would be surprised at how many of us Weekend Warriors, 'Massholes,' and section hikers get a kick out of the comments we hear from them after they come down from Kinsman Ridge. Often they are quite shocked by the terrain. I usually skip the part about how the AT is the easiest route through the Whites.
As for the numbers, like I said, maybe I just don't know anymore. I guess I've hiked thru the Mahoosucs when there are tons of people several times, but also I've had some isolation there as well. hmmm. I should take better notes...:)
As a clueless weekender from Up North, I'm tremendously heartened by your post. I get weird looks and remarks about the Mahoosucs or the Presidentials whenever I comment that there are trails that are considerably more difficult than the A-T. But there are. Some of them are even among my favorites.
Some of the best guidebook comments I've seen about trail sections:
"The rock is sound, holds are plentiful and routefinding is easy. Nevertheless, exposures are dramatic and less confident parties may wish to employ a rope."
"The trail ascends a long slab of anorthosite that has friction holds only. Approach shoes are recommended. Do not attempt this route when the rock is wet."
"Depending on beaver activity, this section of the trail may be submerged and impassable. At times of high water, a safe crossing can usually be made on the beaver dam, 0.25 mi (400 m) east."
"The next five miles cross a field of blowdown deposited by recent hurricanes. Faint herd paths are visible that circle some spots, and other bypasses are marked with orange flagging. Good wilderness navigation skills are required, since the hiker is virtually certain to lose the trail in this area at some point."
I think most of the side trails that branch off the actual AT are pretty quiet most of the time. Even during the bubble. Just my 2 cents...
Bigelow range is crawling with hikers on weekends. Lots of blue blazed trails on both sides of the mountains that make for challenging dayhikes, separate from the AT. Of course this year, it was crawling with obnoxious students from the freshman class at Harvard. Wasn't impressed.
As a clueless weekender from Up North, I'm tremendously heartened by your post. I get weird looks and remarks about the Mahoosucs or the Presidentials whenever I comment that there are trails that are considerably more difficult than the A-T. But there are. Some of them are even among my favorites.
The northern LT is, by and large, as difficult as the AT in New Hampshire. It is muddier, more overgrown, more wild all around, and has a few brain-dead-steep sections around Mansfield and Camels Hump. After hiking the northern LT, the Whites feel downright civilized.
Some of the gnarlier trails in the White Mountains are not on the AT, eg. Baldface (off Rte. 113) or Tuckermans Ravine, the back side of Mt. Carrigain, or Mt. Flume (from Rte. 93). Just a few off the top of my head.
Another Kevin
09-16-2015, 15:23
The northern LT is, by and large, as difficult as the AT in New Hampshire. It is muddier, more overgrown, more wild all around, and has a few brain-dead-steep sections around Mansfield and Camels Hump. After hiking the northern LT, the Whites feel downright civilized.
Some of the gnarlier trails in the White Mountains are not on the AT, eg. Baldface (off Rte. 113) or Tuckermans Ravine, the back side of Mt. Carrigain, or Mt. Flume (from Rte. 93). Just a few off the top of my head.
Northern LT is on my bucket list. I've done Baldface and Tuck, and agree with your assessment that they're pretty gnarly.