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Top Pick | Explore the Appalachian Trail

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Hiking the Appalachian Trail | Northern Region

Appalachian-Trail-northern-region

The Appalachian National Scenic Trail is one of the country's most famous hiking trails. The park covers 2,184 miles and passes through 14 states, starting in the north at Mount Katahdin, Maine and ending in Springer Mountain in Georgia. As this trail travels across the country visitors can enjoy views of some of the most scenic views in the region. The trail can be divided into three regions, the Northern region, which includes Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut. The Central region includes New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The Southern region includes Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia.

The Northern region of the Appalachian Trail covers some amazing destinations in the northeastern region of the United States. Travelers start their journey at Mt Katahdin in Maine, located in Baxter State Park. Hikers on the trail will find that the terrain in Maine and New Hampshire is some of the hardest terrain on the trail. The trail passes through the White Mountains, and the path can be steep and difficult, which can be combined with severe weather.

Those traverse that want to hike the trail by region should be sure to know that the 281 miles of the trail that pass through Maine are some of the hardest and require experienced hikers. While enjoying this hike travelers will see bogs, lakes, and travelers must ford streams and rivers, including the Kennebec River.  The trail in Maine passes through a variety of wonderful destinations including the Bigelow Preserve where travelers will hike Mt Bigelow and also continues into Grafton Notch State Park, one oft the state's fantastic parks After walking through Maine, travelers will continue into New Hampshire.

Like Maine, New Hampshire offers some difficult terrain, the trail goes through the White Mountains and White Mountain National Forest. While the hiking through these mountains visitors can enjoy the stunning views from the mountain. Travelers hiking on this section will climb Mt. Washington, which has harsh weather throughout the year. Hikers will travel over 160 miles through New Hampshire, until reaching the border with Vermont.

Passing into Vermont travelers will find that the terrain is still taxing, however the elevation on average is lower than the previous portions, and visitors have the opportunity to enjoy hiking through more wooded areas. While hiking in Vermont travelers will cross the Connecticut River, hike through the Stratton mountains, cross through the Green Mountain National Forest and have the opportunity to see some of the wonderful outdoor destinations in Vermont.

Next travelers will cross into Massachusetts. The trail continues into the Clarksburg State Forest and up Mt Greylock. The average difficulty through Massachusetts decreases and visitors can enjoy seeing the stunning beauty of the Berkshires while on foot. Other spots visitors are sure to enjoy in Massachusetts include the October Mountain State Forest, Beartown State Forest, Mt Everett and more.

The last state in the Northern region is Connecticut. The Appalachian Trail only travels slightly over 50 miles through Connecticut. Hikers will find that the difficulty of this trail is fairly mid-range, with moderate terrain with some difficult climbs. In Connecticut hikers will travel near the Taconic Range, as well as the Housatonic River Valley, each of which are stunning destinations for hikers to enjoy. While hiking in Connecticut travelers can go through the Housatonic State Forest and the Housatonic Meadows State Park and more.
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