Hiking in the Eastern States: Best Routes

Hiking in the Eastern States: Best Routes
Smoky Mountains National Park gelyngfjell, iStock
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Hiking in the US means that you have a wide variety of destinations. Narrowing down your choices can be difficult, but here are a few trails located among the eastern states that you might want to consider for your next trip:

The Great Smoky Mountains

You can hike here all year round. Because of the southern location, it escapes the same level of cold weather that the more northerly states get. With more than 800 trails to choose from, you could be here for some time unless you do some research before your trip. Many people love the hike to the top of Mount Cammerer, a 12-mile trail that guarantees great views. Alternatively, you could opt for Chimney Tops, one of the national park’s most popular trails. This is a four-mile hike, also with great views, but you need to be prepared for a climb. The mountains stretch throughout Tennessee and North Carolina so you have plenty of areas to choose from when planning your trip.

The Appalachian Trail (AT)

Hikers throughout the US (and other parts of the world!) know about the Appalachian Trail. This wends its way through 14 states along the east of the country and covers 2100 miles. This is widely considered to be one of the best and most varied trails in the country. Most dedicated hikers attempt part of this trail at some point. Very few people get to cover all of it so you need to choose the parts that you want to hike – some research is essential. It is estimated that up to 3 million people hike part of the trail each year, with around 2000 of these attempting the whole of the trail.

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