Number Of People On The Trail?

[Dave568]

Having never been on the AT (I am currently planning my first trip this season), I was just wondering how populated it really is. If I were to find a random section of trail, and just sit there all day long in mid-summer, how many people would I see on average? I'd just like to get some sort of idea of how many people I will be encountering. Thanks for any information.

[Jack Tarlin]

Depends where you go, and when.

Up North, there are very few people on the Trail before May or after late September.

In the South, folks will be out there much earlier, as warm weather arrives much sooner.

Better known State Parks will get more visitors and hikers than other areas. Places like the 2 National Parks (Great Smoky Mountains and Shenandoah) will have people all year round, except for the dead of winter.

Thru-Hiker season down south really picks up after 1 March. The Trail in Geogia and North Carolina will have lots of people on it up til May, and shelters will be crowded.

Virginia is most crowded in summertime.

Vermont and New Hampshire get the most folks in July and August.

If it's seclusion you're looking for on the A.T., hike early in the hiking season, or late. Or avoid really popular sections like the White Mountains. Or best yet, hike the Maine section, it's by far the quietest.

If it's NOT seclusion you're looking for, i.e. if you WANT other folks around, either for the company or the security, you'll have plenty of company; it's very rare to go all day on the A.T. without seeing at least a few folks, unless it's early or late in the season.

[Tin Man]

In our late Sept, early Oct. section hikes between CT and Hanover, NH the only day we did not run into anyone was the time it rained all day. We quietly waded through the trail in Mass. by ourselves and tried to dry out in Congdon Shelter that night. In the morning, we lightly toasted our boots by the fire before continuing north. We dallied a little longer than necessary as the morning camp fire also drew in two lovely young ladies finishing up a Long Trail hike, but that is another story...

[Kerosene]

I've found that my September and October section hikes (south of Harpers Ferry) give me the most solitude, although it is rare not to run into someone over the course of a hiking day. One several October week-long hikes in Virginia (not SNP) I only encountered a few dozen other hikers all week, not counting day hikers on nice weekend days. On the other hand, hiking south from Daleville in late May/early June last year, I ran into over 100 thru-hikers representing the latter part of the annual pack.

[vipahman]

Hiking in NY/NJ from Oct to Mar I barely see anybody. And in the dead of winter, Dec-Feb it's absolutely nobody. This inspite of having a warm winter and no snow on the trail (most of the time). It works out great with no bugs and the solitude.

[Rendezvous01]

Dave--
In about a hundred days on the Trail (some spring breaks, mostly May to July), the fewest other people I've seen was one, and that was just after Memorial Day weekend between Hot Springs and Erwin. I had both Jerry Cabin and Hogback Ridge shelters to myself. I happened to be between two packs of hikers heading north, and only met one section hiker coming south. I actually felt quite lonely that day, after a month on the Trail nearly always hiking with others. Later on I came to truly appreciate the solitude, and frequently tried to hike alone, often only meeting up with other hikers at shelters or in town.
Even in mid-summer in Virginia, you will be able to find solitude if you so desire, except, as mentioned above, in or near the major state and national parks on summer weekends. And you will also be able to meet other hikers, if that is what you seek.

[SnakebiteSurvivor]

The most hikers I ever met in one day was about 40, hiking southbound from Max Patch to Davenport Gap in late April (peak hiker season). There have been some days when I met no one at all in an entire day of hiking (late July in Virginia, north of Atkins). I've stayed twice at the Chatfield Shelter in VA with no one else there, and once my myself at the Wadleigh Stream lean-to in ME in early August (everyone was camped at the lake beach half a mile south). It all depends on the season, weather, etc.

[gsingjane]

Summer and spring section hiking on the AT in CT, we would see (at most) 50 people - this includes groups like Boy Scouts and summer adventure camps - and at the least, maybe 5. This includes day hikers. We had most campsites and shelters to ourselves or shared them with 1-2 other people (except once at Pine Swamp in August when there were maybe 8 thru-hikers there). The trail was considerably less crowded than I had previously thought.

Jane in CT

[The Solemates]

Having never been on the AT (I am currently planning my first trip this season), I was just wondering how populated it really is. If I were to find a random section of trail, and just sit there all day long in mid-summer, how many people would I see on average? I'd just like to get some sort of idea of how many people I will be encountering. Thanks for any information.

There was this same discussion WB a few months ago, and it was very interesting. Many people went to great lengths estimating, calculating, integrating, derivatizing, and even differentially equating numbers. It was a true geekfest. I tried to do a search for it, but I couldnt find it, but you may have better luck.