Any advise about taking the Appalachian Trail?

[precioustime]

I would be leaving Miami about May 2014 in a 24' Class B plus towing a small car. I hope to end up in Maine, Conn. area. I have gone through the Smokey Mts and the Blue Ridge Mts. Could I go around those areas?Where does the AT begin and where does it end? Can I get on the AT after passing what Iv'e seen already? Are the roads ok for my rig? Campsites available all around? Are there choices of SP with hookups and private parks

Sorry, my bad, thought it was a road. Thanks!

[DutchmenSport]

"The Natchez Trace does not go to Memphis. It stops just outside Nashville." .... you're correct. My error. we got off at Nashville.

[delosholly]

"We drove the Natchez from Natchez to Memphis. Got off at Memphis. Speed limit is 50 mph and absolutely no stops or intersections anywhere. All exits are interstate style exits. We visited Duck Dynasty and Cajun Pawn Stars and took this route back to Indiana from Louisiana. Oh yea, the drive was slow, because we stopped at every point of interest along the route. I'd do this trip again in a heartbeat!"

Just to clarify: The Natchez Trace does not go to Memphis. It stops just outside Nashville. Perhaps that is what you meant.

My wife and I drive (and often ride) the Trace a couple of times each year. Nice historical stops including several Indian Mounds. Re also recommend this drive. Free camping at two sites on the Trace!!

[bukhrn]

Horsedoc wrote:
Possibly you mean the Blue Ridge Parkway instead of Skyline Drive or the Appalachian Trailer. SD is pretty much an extension of the BRP. Cherokee NC to Front Royal VA.

While you can go directly from BRP onto Skyline Dr., they are in fact separate, controlled by two different gov't agencies, Blue Ridge Parkway is part of the National Forest Service, & is free to travel, Skyline Drive, is part of The Shenandoah National Park, which charges a fee to travel it.

[Hokiehall]

Horsedoc wrote:
Possibly you mean the Blue Ridge Parkway instead of Skyline Drive or the Appalachian Trailer. SD is pretty much an extension of the BRP. Cherokee NC to Front Royal VA.

That would give the OP a good sample of what the AT is like, all from the comfort of his rig. Blue Ridge Parkway is 469 miles, and the Skyline Drive adds another 105. He will have to pay a fee to enter Shenandoah National Park to continue on the Skyline Drive.

[Horsedoc]

Possibly you mean the Blue Ridge Parkway instead of Skyline Drive or the Appalachian Trailer. SD is pretty much an extension of the BRP. Cherokee NC to Front Royal VA.

[bukhrn]

gbopp wrote:
The OP could try the AT in an EarthRoamer RV. 🙂

Can't say about the entire trail, but in VA, that thing would fall off the side of the mountain, much (if not most) of the trail is only 3-4 ft wide.

[DutchmenSport]

Parrothead Mike wrote:
This might be a bit off course for you, but if you're looking for a "trail" for you and your RV you might be interested the Natchez Trace. It's 444 miles long and covers three states.

http://www.nps.gov/natr/index.htm

We drove the Natchez from Natchez to Memphis. Got off at Memphis. Speed limit is 50 mph and absolutely no stops or intersections anywhere. All exits are interstate style exits. We visited Duck Dynasty and Cajun Pawn Stars and took this route back to Indiana from Louisiana. Oh yea, the drive was slow, because we stopped at every point of interest along the route. I'd do this trip again in a heartbeat!

[Hokiehall]

While it is obvious you can't drive the AT, you can certainly get a map and plot the nearest roads along it and drive as close proximity to it as possible. It would be a very scenic and exciting trip! Be forewarned however that many of the roads in the vicinity of the AT tend to be narrow two lane ones in the mountains with turns so tight you can read the license tag on the back of your rig. While it does follow the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline drive for a good distance, the trail itself is around 2000 miles long, which is not as the crow flies of course, but up and down countless mountains and valleys.

Give it a shot. Sounds like fun if you have the time.

And if you decide to walk it, most hikers start in early spring at the southern end in Georgia so they can hopefully finish before the first snow in Maine.

[Parrothead_Mike]

This might be a bit off course for you, but if you're looking for a "trail" for you and your RV you might be interested the Natchez Trace. It's 444 miles long and covers three states.

http://www.nps.gov/natr/index.htm

[DutchmenSport]

Come-on folks, be real here. The poster is inquiring about driving Skyline Drive which traces the trail to some degree. I do know, even where I live, the two are often referred to each other as most people don't realize the driving route is Skyline Drive.

precioustime: Do some google.com or bing.com searches on Skyline Drive. The first couple "hits" you find will give you more information about the route than you can imagine.

Do have fun! Research is half the fun. Doing it, is the other half!

[RoyB]

The Appalachian Trail is a hiking trail that officially extends from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine.

This trail is setup for hiking with alot of shelters along the way usually with a source of fresh water. The trail is sometimes broken up by going thru large towns forcing you to get off the trail and start up again a few miles away.

Most hikers will plan the their routes for several days of hiking and then meet up with someone who has driven ahead and made camp at at close by camp ground.

Driving yourself to several places where the trail crosses major places or roads would not IMO be much of challenge. Anybody can do this.

If you are really interested in the Appalachian Trail then man-up and hike the whole 2200 miles of it from Georgia to Maine.

This is good link describing the
Appalachian Trail from Google....

Roy Ken

[Johno02]

There are several other routes to take, depending on what you feel like driving. Where are you leaving from, and how do you feel about swinging a bit to the west? I am not an expert, but have traveled that way several times in the past few years.

[gbopp]

The OP could try the AT in an EarthRoamer RV. 🙂

[exeter_acres]

Umm...the AT is a hiking trail....

Southern Terminus is Springer Mt in GA, northern terminus is Mt Katahdin in ME

it's not a road