The Great Eastern Trail Could Be the Next Appalachian Trail. Here’s How to Hike Part of It Now.
The Great Eastern Trail Could Be the Next Appalachian Trail. Here’s How to Hike Part of It Now.
When it's finished, this in-progress long trail will let hikers take a stroll up the Appalachians without battling the AT's crowds.
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
Outside+ members can read about this and four more great work-in-progress long trails now.
Itching for a long thru-hike that rivals the Appalachian Trail but not excited to deal with the crowds? Better plan to take 4 to 6 months off to hike the Great Eastern Trail once it’s completed.
The Great Eastern Trail (GET) will wind its way from the middle-of-nowhere in Alabama to the Finger Lakes of New York, crossing 1,600 miles through 9 states just west of the Appalachian Trail. On the way, you’ll cross Tennessee’s Frozen Head State Park (home of the famed Barkley Marathons), hike the entire 252-mile Tuscarora Trail, stumble over the rocky terrain of Pennsylvania, and top some of New York’s most famous peaks
The Great Eastern Trail Association has completed over 70% of the trail since 2007, relying on volunteers to build connecting trails Fittingly, Earl Shaffer, commonly believed to be the first person to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail, was the first person to hit on the idea of building the GET, but the first thru-hike of the GET, by Jo Swanson and Bart Houck, didn’t occur until 2013
The GET will provide a much-needed alternative to the Appalachian Trail, which faces over-use and high traffic from accommodating over 1,000 thru-hikers a year and thousands more section- and day-hikers. Plus, with months and months of great scenery that’s only been thru-hiked by a handful of people so far? We don’t need much convincing to pack our bags and hit the trail.
Hike the Great Eastern Trail
Pennsylvania has 400+ miles of completed GET trail, more than any other state. Take 4-7 days to hike the state’s 84-mile Standing Stone Trail, which has become a part of the GET. You’ll follow stunning ridgelines and the climb the famed Thousand Steps section which has, you guessed it, more than a thousand stone steps that climb up the mountain. The northern terminus begins at Greenwood Forest State Park and ends at a junction with the Tuscarora Trail in Buchanan State Forest near Cowans Gap State Park; overnight camping permits vary along the route.
Learn More about the Great Eastern Trail
- The Crew Building the Next Great American Thru-Hike from Outside
- The Great Eastern Trail Association
