Since our founding in the late 1960s, Nantahala Hiking Club members have maintained 59 miles of the Appalachian Trail from the Georgia/North Carolina state line to Nantahala Outdoor Center in Wesser, N.C. We also maintain more than 40 miles of Blue Blaze Trails throughout Nantahala National Forest.
If you are at least 18 years of age and enjoy hiking and good company, you are invited to join us each Wednesday for a full day of trail maintenance. No prior experience is required. Tools and training are provided.
As trail maintainers, we are volunteers for the U.S. Forest Service, the land management agency that makes all operational decisions on USFS-managed lands. We typically carpool from the clubhouse to the trail-head. Workday length varies, but we are typically back at the clubhouse by 5 p.m. It can be later if we are doing a long section requiring lots of work, if we have a long drive to/from the trailhead, or if we have some type of issue.
What to Bring
Bring good footwear, gloves, water/fluids, and lunch. Wear clothing to protect from branches and briars and pack rain gear. We can provide PPE such as safety glasses and earplugs. We carry a first aid kit and some radios. We provide a tasty snack and beverage at the end of the trail.
Section Maintainers
If you are interested in trail maintainance but cannot work with the Wednesday crew, consider becoming a section maintainer. Similar to North Carolina’s Adopt-A-Mile highway program, our club has identified 23 sections from the Georgia/NC state line to Nantahala Outdoor Center; the longest one is 4.1 miles long.
As a section maintainer, you are expected to work your section a minimum of four times each year, doing jobs like removing down limbs, cutting weeds and rebuilding water bars. New section maintainers are always needed and will received training as needed.
Resource Links
While these resource information links may have some overlap in their contents, each presents unique information.
An Overview of the entire Appalachian Trail, the longest, hiking-only trail in the world.
Appalachian Trail Conservancy is the organization that oversees the entire Appalachian Trail.
If you would like more information, please email [email protected].