Last Updated on July 6, 2019 by mountainswithmegan
How long does it take to hike the Appalachian Trail?
The standard answer is five or six months.
It can certainly be hiked in more time or less. My hike ended up taking six and a half months.
Factors That Can Impact the Time it Takes to Complete a Thru-Hike
- Athletic ability. It does take a while for your body to adjust to hiking. Some people do training hikes ahead of time and spend the winter working out in preparation. Other hikers don’t do those things. Some people are just naturally athletic and fast, while some of us have to try extra hard to be good at athletic endeavors. While training is within your control, natural ability is outside of it.
- Daily mileage. Some hikers like to wake up with the sun, hike until it’s dark, and take very few breaks. Other hikers like to enjoy the views, take long lunch breaks, and have a pleasant time. Your daily mileage will depend upon your hiking style and how much you prioritize putting in the miles.
- Zero days. Every now and then, you might want to take a day off from hiking. Zero days are awesome, but they do add time to your hike. I took about 45 zero days during my hike, so that added a considerable about of time to my hike. You body demands days off, but sometimes you just want to do it for fun.
- Your trail family. Most hikers fall in with a group of other hikers. Trail families all have different hiking goals. Some groups get really into hiking big days together and competing with each other. Some groups drink a lot of beer and take zero days often.
- Focus. If your super goal oriented, you might want to hike big miles and take few zero days. Or you might just want to meander along and enjoy yourself. It’s perfectly fine to do either. Just be aware of how day to day actions impact your overall goal.
- Level of fun. If you find that you absolutely love the trail, you’ve made awesome friends, and you don’t have anything particularly compelling you need to get home to do; it may take you a while to finish your hike.
You won’t know what the trail is going to be like for you until you’re actually on it. My advice is to start early, so you have plenty of time to finish no matter what hiking style you adopt.
i think i’m definitely going to hike on the slower side, but that photo of the colorful leaves is making me feel better about it and giving me something to look forward to! slow and steady!
You definitely won’t regret taking your time and enjoying the scenery.
I’m loving your blog! Thanks for making so much info available. I plan on attempting my thru-hike in 2014, because of school I won’t get to start until mid/later-April. It’s making me a little nervous. What do you think of a later start? I’m not sure I see an alternative, but any advice would be nice.
Hi Jess! A lot of hikers don’t start until April. You just have to stay focused. Another option is to go South Bound in May or June. I passed lots of hikers that were doing that because of school.
It’s definitely interesting to see how everyone takes the trail. We ‘planned’ ours for six months and finished a day or two under five. Another week or two could have been nice but the timing worked well. At the same time it is kind of fun to see the people who have taken 8+ months to hike it, too, though sometimes I’m wondering just what they are up to!
Here via Sasquatch’s blog today.
For the record (just as inspiration and not intimidation), an out-of-shape girl can hike it in four months flat. I hiked slowly (average 2.25 miles per hour) but long distances and passed all the men both times I hiked the AT. That said, I probably missed a lot, but it was my style–to end the pain and misery as quickly as possible?
Hey, Shera! Not sure if you will see this, but I was wondering if you could expand on “out-of-shape” and what that experience was like for you. I’m thinking of attempting a thru-hike this year and am pretty oafish, so I’m curious about how your time went.
-Izzy
Hi! Love your blog! I’m planning on hiking this spring but I start college in the fall. I’d love to finish the trail but im afraid that I won’t. When do you think I should start so that I can finish on time?