Historical Profile: Benton MacKaye & The Appalachian Trail


The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, also known as the Appalachian Trail, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern part of the United States.  The Appalachian Trail covers 2,175 miles from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. The trail passes through 14 states and it was completed in 1937. 


Rising to an elevation of 6,643 feet Clingmans Dome is the highest point on the trail.  Clingmans Dome is located in Tennessee and North Carolina.  The lowest point of the trail is Bear Mountain State Park in New York.  This park reaches 124 feet.  The National Trails System Act of 1968 established the Pacific Crest Trail and the Appalachian Trail as the first national scenic trails in the United States.    


The idea for the Appalachian Trail was first proposed by Benton MacKaye (1879 – 1975).  MacKaye, a graduate of Harvard University, wrote an article titled: “An Appalachian Trail: A Project in Regional Planning” in 1921.  MacKaye was a pioneering land preservationist and forester.  He worked for the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Department of Labor.  On June 17, 2011 MacKaye was inducted into the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame.


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