Appalachian Trail?

[gridlox]

I was talking to my cousin this afternoon and he was talking about wanting to try and hike the rest of the entire Appilachian Trail in stages over the next few years. He's already done the part in Georgia & parts of Tennessee a few times.

 

I've been telling him about geocaching and he seems interested in some that involve long hikes. So, I thought it'd be kinda cool to be able to find caches while he's on the AT hike.

 

Does anyone have a list of hides on the AT trail?

 

I did a "keyword" search on the "seek a cache" page but only came up with 4.

I'm sure there would have to be more than that.

 

TIA

 

D-man

[+robert]

Here is a bookmark list that one of our members put together of some along the AT here in Maryland.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.a...c3-112a7fbadd08

 

Should get you started.

 

 

P.S. If you can find the AT with Google Earth (maybe start with those caches), you can create a bookmark list by following it and clicking the icons and bookmarking it. We have a bookmark list in the works for caches along the DC metro that is being done that way. Just make sure to create the bookmark list first. And make it public and all that so others can use it too !

[+trail hound]

In N.W N.J. You will find;

GC276E

GCN4NG

GCJK22T

GCJ4B8

GC5F8

GCB7A1

 

Good Luck

[BRTango]

The following link will show you all the shelters on the AT. If you zoom in you can see that the AT is shown in Blue. You can zoom in and see caches in relation to the AT (see image below).

 

Appalachian Trail in GE

 

[+briansnat]

Since the AT corridor is officially NPS land, caches technially are not allowed there. So publicizing lists of caches near it is not a good idea.

Edited January 8, 2006 by briansnat

[+DocDiTTo]

Since the AT corridor is officially NPS land, caches technially are not allowed there. So publicizing lists of caches near it is not a good idea.

Are you sure about that? The AT here runs through State Game Lands, and even over private property in some cases. It's maintaned by local groups, not the NPS. I seriously doubt NPS has control of the whole trail. Maybe some parts of it, but not the whole thing.

[+The Leprechauns]

Fine, so hide the caches on the Gamelands, in the State Forest, etc., and not within the AT corridor. When hunting for such caches, I've sometimes noticed very clear boundary markers to separate the AT corridor from the Gamelands. Of course you then need to follow whatever permission requirements might apply to the adjacent property, such as a DCNR permit for the State Forest, or landowner permission for private property, etc.

Edited January 8, 2006 by The Leprechauns

[+DocDiTTo]

Fine, so hide the caches on the Gamelands, in the State Forest, etc., and not within the AT corridor.

I don't think I've ever noticed any AT Corridor signs. How wide is this corridor, and it it actually controlled by the NPS? Any links where I can read up about it? This is something I've never been aware of.

[+DocDiTTo]

Fine, so hide the caches on the Gamelands, in the State Forest, etc., and not within the AT corridor.

I don't think I've ever noticed any AT Corridor signs. How wide is this corridor, and it it actually controlled by the NPS? Any links where I can read up about it? This is something I've never been aware of.

To answer my own question, googled and found this:

 

"The A.T. follows a narrow corridor of mostly public owned land as it makes it way from Maine to Georgia. In 1978 the National Park Service (NPS) Appalachian Trail Park Office (ATPO) began the task of purchasing the privately owned lands needed to provide a protected corridor for the trail."

 

from here

 

Sounds like the NPS purchased some privately owned land to keep the trail complete, but does NOT own or control all the land the AT runs through.

[+DeskJocky]

One of the reason the government buys the property is because they can use eminent domain to purchase it.

[+LadeBear68]

The two that I adopted from a great geocacher have DCNR permits for two years so some of the caches along the trail are permitted.

[+briansnat]

Sounds like the NPS purchased some privately owned land to keep the trail complete, but does NOT own or control all the land the AT runs through.

 

The NPS now administers the enitre AT corridor as a National Scenic Trail, whether or not it crosses state parks, gamelands, forests, county parks, etc... The width of the corridor varies.

 

Most, if not all of the AT is now on public land.

 

Here is an excerpt from the NPS's index:

 

Appalachian National Scenic Trail

 

Approximately 2,150 miles of this scenic trail follow the Appalachian

Mountains from Katahdin, Maine, through New

Hampshire,Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York,

New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland,West Virginia, Virginia,

Tennessee, and North Carolina, to Springer Mountain, Georgia.

The trail is one of the two initial components of the National

Trails System. It is also a unit of the National Park System.

Established Oct. 2, 1968. Length: 2,175 miles.

Acreage—227,000.55 Federal: 169,473.59 Nonfederal:57,526.96.

Edited January 9, 2006 by briansnat

[+Mopar]

To the best of my knowledge, 'Snat is right (and last years NJ's trail maintenance volunteer of the year, I'm sure he's right). The actual trail and a right of way is controlled by the NPS. They use other orgs to maintain and administer sections of it, but ultimately it's still NPS. That said, their right of way is often quite small, usually only like 50-150 ft. All the caches I can think of that I've personally found via the AT were all outside the yellow AT boundary markers. As long as they are out past those markers the caches are under the jurisdiction of whatever state park or forest or whatever the AT passes through.

[+DocDiTTo]

To the best of my knowledge, 'Snat is right (and last years NJ's trail maintenance volunteer of the year, I'm sure he's right). The actual trail and a right of way is controlled by the NPS. They use other orgs to maintain and administer sections of it, but ultimately it's still NPS.

This has been a very education thread for me. Had no clue NPS was involved with the AT. I'm still not sure what little yellow markers you're referring to, as I don't think I've ever seen one. Guess I'll have to look more carefully next time I'm on the AT. Thanks for the info.

[+Mopar]

I'm still not sure what little yellow markers you're referring to, as I don't think I've ever seen one. Guess I'll have to look more carefully next time I'm on the AT. Thanks for the info.

Look in the woods to either side of the trail for yellow blazes.

Around here they are usually about 50-70ft off the trail and usually spaced further apart then normal trail blazes.

Those are the boundary markers for the AT right of way.

[+The Leprechauns]

I'm still not sure what little yellow markers you're referring to, as I don't think I've ever seen one.  Guess I'll have to look more carefully next time I'm on the AT.  Thanks for the info.

Look in the woods to either side of the trail for yellow blazes.

Around here they are usually about 50-70ft off the trail and usually spaced further apart then normal trail blazes.

Those are the boundary markers for the AT right of way.

Yep, those plus an occasional white metal marker sign, about 4x4 inches IIRC.

[+Harry Dolphin]

Interesting semantic problem. The Appalachian Trail is administered by the National Park Service, Appalachian National Scenic Trail is a unit of the National Park Service, but the National Park Service does not own most of the land. Most of it is more of a right-of-way than actual ownership. Those sections of the trail within NPS areas are obviously off limits, such as Shenandoah National Park, or the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. The state of New Jersey, for example, has bought a corridor of land, to permanently protect the trail. This is, or was, part of Wawayanda State Park. (There was talk of forming a new state park to administer it.) The land within Worthington State Forest, Stokes State Forest, High Point State Park, Wawayanda State Park, and Abraham S. Hewitt State Forest still belongs to the State of New Jersey, as far as I know. I suppose that the NPS as dolers of money, could enforce their restrictions on geocaches, and perhaps it has. But the land in the state parks and forests (or Pennsylvania State Hunting Grounds) does still belong to the state or commonwealth, in question. TPTB could certainly prohibit caches along the trail, if they so chose. That is withing their prerogataives. However, I have not seen that in the guidelines.

[+rjb43nh]

Just a clarification on the map that was previously posted by BRTango.

It is where the Appalachian Trail goes through the MT. Moosilauke-Mt. Wolf area of the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire, not GA as the text and reference might indicate. The WMNF through NH does allow geocaching with the exception of federally designated Wilderness areas and alpine zones. The local district ranger offices may also restrict cache placement in what they consider sensitive areas. I have met with the WMNF Pemi District ranger people and they have used me as a liasion between them and the local approver from Groundspeak when there are questions.

 

The Appalachian Trail is a patchwork of different owners overseen by the NPS and maintained for the most part by volunteers. If you would like more information on the Appalachian Trail go to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the non-profit organization that oversees the trail for the NPS.

[+Team Red Oak]

A few that I have on my list in PA are:

 

AT Indian Princess

Pulpit rock Cache

The Pinnacle Cache

Oh Danny Boy

This 'MUS' be the place

 

I've only been to 2 of these caches but they were nice ones.

[Moonsovrbend]

I am putting a list together of the caches along the Sheltowee Trace in Kentucky - I'd be interested to find out more about the AT caches - good luck with this topic

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...3a-37da8b11c9c2

Edited January 26, 2006 by Moonsovrbend

[+edscott]

A few that I have on my list in PA are:

 

AT Indian Princess

Pulpit rock Cache

The Pinnacle Cache

Oh Danny Boy

This 'MUS' be the place

 

I've only been to 2 of these caches but they were nice ones.

Yes there is an impressive string of caches in PA from Harrisburg to the Delaware River along the trail. Most are within sight of the trail but some are off on side trails or within short bushwhacking distance.

[Colonel Mustard]

For south central PA check out "The General" GCB9B, and do a nearby search. There are enough caches in that area to keep a hiker busy for a day.............. or more.

[+Pablo Mac]

Yes there is an impressive string of caches in PA from Harrisburg to the Delaware River along the trail. Most are within sight of the trail but some are off on side trails or within short bushwhacking distance.

Five Hundred Steps is one I found a little over a year ago. It's one of my all-time favorite caches.