Looking for a destination for a month-long trip in March

Hi

I have a long vacation starting early March, and am dreaming about passing the entire month just walking. I'm a pretty experienced hiker (although not in this part of the world) .

My original plan was to start walking the Appalachian trail starting in Springer mountain and just see how far I can get, but I've started wondering about alternatives, especially since I heard this is a fairly busy season on the A.T.

Since I've been deprived of such things for a long time, I really would like this to be a great trip. Any recommendations about some place with great views and scenary would be appreciated.

Thanks

Jon

Welcome to Trailspace znbhckcs,

If you can tell us the general area you live in, or are thinking about walking in we can give you some suggestions.

One trail that is not too far from Springer Mountain would be the Foothills Trail, 80 miles along the NC / SC border. Great views!

The BMT (Benton MacKaye Trail) is another alternative to the AT that time of year. It is another long trail, at 300 miles, that starts in Georgia, then runs through the Tennessee and North Carolina Hilghlands, and ends at Davenport Gap on the north side of the Great Smoky Mountains.

http://www.bmta.org/
 

Thanks for the replies. I'll check out the BMT.

trouthunter, as to your question, I don't have my heart set on the Georgia area in particular. I'm in New Jersey but I don't mind going anywhere in the country for this trip.

You see, I'm not American, so I'm only here for a short while. Hiking is a serious hobby of mine and I'd like to really use this opportunity to see some great views.

Besides, 80 miles are a little short for a whole month...

Thanks

Jon

The Arizona Trail is nice. You can either start on the north end at the Grand Canyon and go south or at the south end east of Nogales.

www.aztrail.org

From Wikipedia: The Arizona National Scenic Trail is a National Scenic Trail from Mexico to Utah that traverses the whole north-south length of Arizona. The trail begins at the Coronado National Memorial near the US-Mexico border and moves north through parts of the Huachuca, Santa Rita, and Rincon Mountains; it goes through the Santa Catalina north of Tucson and the Mazatzal Mountains before ascending the Mogollon Rim north of Payson to the higher elevations of Northern Arizona and the San Francisco Peaks, and then continuing across the Coconino Plateau to the Grand Canyon. It terminates near the Arizona-Utah border in the Kaibab Plateau region. The Arizona Trail is about 93% complete as of mid-2007, and is planned to be about 800 miles (1,300 km) long when completed. It is designed as a primitive trail for hiking, equestrians, mountain biking, and even cross country skiing. It showcases the wide variety of mountain ranges and ecosystems of Arizona.

I would continue on GaryPalmers lead and look into the register of the National Recreational trail system. You can decide which area of the country you want to explore and the level of difficulty of the trail and resupply along the route. They have a number of trails that vary in length so you can tailor it to your desires for comfort or ruggedness. If your a very well experienced hiker and thru hiker doing something like the Hayduke trail through Utah and Arizona would be an very formidable feat worth bragging about for a life time considering the level of skill required to succeed there. If you want something more so tame there are trails like the above mentioned foothills trail that can be hiked at a relaxed pace and enjoyed thoroughly.I spent 10 days on the foothills trail and nearly finished it but it could be done much slower with time spent along the rivers trout fishing and just hanging out.

Your level of skill and experience along with what your are looking to accomplish here are important pieces of information that will ultimately give you your answer. Hell a month could make for an amazing road trip, you could just drive cross country in a loop car camping at national forests, National parks, state parks, etcc.. and you would have a great experience.

If you have not looked at Arkansas, you will not be disappointed.....two trails to consider:

Ouachita Trail...BTW it is pronounced Wash-ah-tia.....223 miles

Ozark Highlands trail....256 plus.....

Winter, early spring is great....leaf off views,no bus or snakes, and the Ouchita has several AT style huts.....

1/2 mile Buddy

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