AT 2008 Actual Miles

[Shady]

What is the actual miles of the AT in 2008?
I also heard someone had done a new GPS reading of the trail which will give a much more accurate elevation profiles and it was to be posted for download.
Does anyone have the web address for this?
SOBO in CT

[Nest]

I know this isn't an answer, but that's because there isn't one. Especially if you want precise mileage. The trail is constantly being rerouted, and I know of a few areas that were changed in 2008. So there are atleast 4 actual mileages, depending on when it was measured. Parts through PA were changed, so anyone who hiked through before the change did different mileage than those after them. The same thing for 2 areas in TN that were changed after Trail Days. So it's actually a question that can probably never be answered. I would say it's probably really close to 2177 miles now though.

[Jack Tarlin]

According to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the length of the Trail in 2008 was 2176.2 miles.

This may well be a different figure next year.

[Manwich]

I have a Full Resolution GPS file with 300,000 points and all elevation profiles.

Problem is, they're 31mb, I've nowhere to host them.

We discussed specific number crunching in this thread:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=41675

We concluded that the GPS files were designed to visualize the trail, and since there's a point about every 11-feet, accurate calculations cannot be made (unless you reduced the resolution, but then you lose visual accuracies,) except for Elevation Profiles, those are pretty accurate.

Mr. Parkay

[Manwich]

Mr. Parkay has a website that has complete elevation profiles of the entire AT

http://parkaymaps.110mb.com/

[Kirby]

Jack is correct, as of this year's data book the official length is 2,176.2 miles.

Kirby

[Tin Man]

2176.2... hmmm..... I would guess a thru-hiker walks a lot more miles... how many??

[Kirby]

I've heard figures around 2,500 when you take into account everything else.

Kirby

[pyroman53]

I also heard someone had done a new GPS reading of the trail which will give a much more accurate elevation profiles and it was to be posted for download.
Does anyone have the web address for this?

Backpacker.com
go to destinations
click on the "long trails" link to AT
click on a state on the map
pick a section you want to see
then select elevation profile from the map tools

I used the profile for a recent 50 mile section and it was pretty detailed and very accurate. http://bp2.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewT...=TripElevation

Here's a link to the Approach Trail profile

[Shady]

Thanks... PYROMAN53 thats what I was looking for..

[Tennessee Viking]

What is the actual miles of the AT in 2008?
I also heard someone had done a new GPS reading of the trail which will give a much more accurate elevation profiles and it was to be posted for download.
Does anyone have the web address for this?
SOBO in CT

The advertised length is 2175. But with upcoming relocations its a little more, somewhere around 2178-2180+.

I know this isn't an answer, but that's because there isn't one. Especially if you want precise mileage. The trail is constantly being rerouted, and I know of a few areas that were changed in 2008. So there are atleast 4 actual mileages, depending on when it was measured. Parts through PA were changed, so anyone who hiked through before the change did different mileage than those after them. The same thing for 2 areas in TN that were changed after Trail Days. So it's actually a question that can probably never be answered. I would say it's probably really close to 2177 miles now though.

We boys in Tennessee do not like conformity. We are always changing the trail around some how or another. I am still laughing at people still carrying pre-Elk River maps then find out there are a couple more miles added on.

[Mags]

How long is the trail? Very.

[Jeff]

How come relo's always seem to make the trail longer???

[Lone Wolf]

How come relo's always seem to make the trail longer???

to make the trail much easier

[Kirby]

Bob Peoples always has some sort of re-location going on.

Kirby