Extending the Appalachian Trail into Alabama a natural, say advocates and state conservation officials
Alabama's Mount Cheaha would be part of the Appalachian Trail if supporters are successful in having it extended. (Alabama State Parks)
For decades, Alabama hiking enthusiasts have dreamed of seeing the venerable Appalachian Trail (AT) officially extended into the state.
Whether it will ever happen is unclear. But with more AT “thru-hikers” taking their first, or last, steps of the epic trek in the Yellowhammer State, Alabama conservation officials and long-time advocates of the idea are pumping up the “AT2AL” campaign in hope of someday making it official.
They point to legendary conservationist Benton MacKaye’s original vision of the Appalachian Trail, which included Alabama. In March 1925, the founding Appalachian Trail conference convened in Washington, D.C., where it formally adopted the original 1,700-mile-long “Main Line” trail from Cohutta Mountain, Georgia, to Mount Washington, New Hampshire and recommended extensions to Maine in the North and Alabama in the South.
Since then, the Maine extension has been formally added, but not the one into Alabama.
Medallions show support for expanding the Appalachian Trail into Alabama. (contributed)
AT2AL advocates want the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and the National Park Service to officially move the AT’s southern terminus from its current spot at Springer Mountain in Georgia to Cheaha State Park in east Alabama. That would extend the AT from Alabama’s Mount Cheaha to Maine’s Mount Katahdin.
“There’s something magical about the idea of linking Maine’s highest peak with Alabama’s highest mountain,” said Chris Blankenship, commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. “Hikers who complete this feat would have the satisfaction of having traveled the entire length of the Appalachian Mountains in America, and it would also realize Benton MacKaye’s original idea of linking Maine with Alabama.”
Already, the route has been physically blazed, with the Pinhoti Trail extending more than 300 miles from Cheaha and the Talladega National Forest into north Georgia, where it links to the Benton MacKaye Trail. That trail connects to the AT at Springer Mountain.
State conservation officials, in a news release, said moving the southern gateway of the AT to Mount Cheaha would not only ease AT congestion, but pump tourism and travel dollars into Georgia and Alabama. The AT currently stretches more than 2,190 miles; extending it to Mount Cheaha would make the trail more than 2,500 miles.
State officials say that in recent years, Alabama has seen more thru-hikers – those traversing the entire AT in one big chunk or in sections over time – start their journeys in Alabama, where the warmer climate allows them to begin the trek in winter.
“That is really the point behind our efforts,” said State Parks Director Greg Lein. “We have worked over the years to buy missing properties in Alabama for the trail, like Indian Mountain, and see trail constructed, and now the word has gotten out and hikers are showing up and making independent decisions to start their thru-hike in Alabama.
Civilian Conservation Corp builds a portion of the Appalachian Trail in the Shenandoah Valley. (Creative Commons Wikipedia)
“We simply want to support thru-hikers who wish to attempt their start or finish their personal journey in Alabama, and Cheaha State Park is an easy and convenient place to support hikers,” said Lein, who has thru-hiked the AT himself.
Renee Raney, the Alabama State Parks district superintendent who oversees Cheaha State Park, said the facility is poised to serve AT hikers. “Cheaha State Park has a store, lodge, cabins and a campground, which are all ready to serve and support hikers and their families embarking on this great adventure. The milder winter and spring conditions in Alabama certainly make for a better starting option in February, March or April when the northbound thru-hiking pilgrimage typically gets underway.”
Precedent for extending the Appalachian Trail
State officials acknowledge that extending the AT into Alabama may require amending federal law and navigating other political obstacles. But that hasn’t deterred advocates from spreading the word in hope of someday making the extension official.
They note there are multiple precedents for moving or extending the trail. In addition to the extension at the northern end into Maine, the AT’s southern terminus has changed several times, from its original location at Mount Mitchell in North Carolina to Springer Mountain.
Now, there are new ways to show some love for the AT2AL movement.
Tom Cosby, a Birmingham resident, seasoned hiker and longtime advocate for extending the AT into Alabama, said outdoor enthusiasts can purchase a medallion for $10 from the Cheaha Park store that can be attached to backpacks to show support for the campaign. T-shirts, hats, sweatshirts and stickers with the AT2AL message can also be purchased, with proceeds benefiting Alabama State Parks.
“Our goal is simply to raise awareness in the hiking community that bringing the AT to Alabama is, really, a culmination of Benton MacKaye’s original dream from 1925 – and a reminder that the Appalachians begin in Alabama,” Cosby said.
Dr. Jeff Hayes, another supporter of the AT2AL movement, said his hiking experiences affirm the validity of the vision.
“I grew up hiking in Alabama, thinking the trails here were nothing special,” Hayes said. “After attending college in Maryville, Tennessee, and hiking extensively in the Smokey Mountains, then later hiking the full length of the Appalachian Trail, I realized that those trails, while older and more developed, are no more special than ours. Then, when I hiked the entire Alabama section of the Pinhoti for the Pinhoti steering committee, I became convinced that our Appalachians, too, are on par with those along many sections of the Appalachian Trail.
“We should bring the Appalachian Trail to Cheaha State Park, a worthy peer to Baxter State Park, both holding the highest point in their respective states,” Hayes added. “We should do this not just because the visionaries who gathered in the first Appalachian Trail Conference in 1925 thought the Appalachian Trail should extend to Cheaha, but because leaving out the Southern Appalachian deprives hikers – day hikers, weekenders and long-haul – of the full range of scenic Appalachian beauty. The Appalachian Trail is incomplete without our mountains. Let’s finish the job started almost 100 years ago and bring the Appalachian Trail home to Alabama.”
Learn more about the AT2AL campaign here.
