Appalachian Trail Will Suffer From Federal Firing Surge

By

Justin Housman

Published Date

February 20, 2025

Brown rectangular sign with a white border.

Appalachian Trail in Harpers Ferry / NPS

The Appalachian Trail, as it winds through 14 states over 2,190-plus miles, is part of the National Scenic Trail system. This means that, in addition to the US Forest Service, conservation groups, state agencies, and other groups, the AT is also managed by the National Park Service. And like many other NPS units across the country, the AT stands to be impacted by the recent and shocking cuts to the Park Service and the Forest Service.

Managing a trail of that length requires a delicate, cooperative balance between the federal agencies, state agencies, and groups and invididuals that are dedicated to maintaining the trail. One of those groups, the Appalachian Trails Conservancy (ATC), has warned in a recent release this balance is threatened by cuts to these federal agencies.

According to the ATC, approximately 3 million people each year hike at least part of the AT. Of those, some 3,000 attempt a thru-hike of the whole thing. These hikers rely on co-management of the trail network for maintenance of the trail itself, as well as the infrastructure that supports the AT, like overnight shelters, privies, bridges, shoring, and retaining walls, among other projects. Thousands of volunteers participate in work to keep the trail safe and passable, but they work in careful coordination with NPS and USFS staff.

With the damage sustained from Hurricane Helene last year, the trail has a backlog of maintenance issues that may not be resolved with this forced staffing shortage. The ATC is predicting that even with an army of volunteers and local trail groups, the projects needed to keep the trail's maintenance on track will have to be stopped.

"The ATC, together with our Trail Club partners, is willing to step up and pick up the slack in every way possible, however, with this level of disruption, ATC cannot fully offset the agencies’ reduced ability to service the Trail," the ATC wrote in a statement. "We anticipate the agencies’ reduced ability to provide staff support and material resources will result in the stoppage of projects across the entire Trail, from the sections in North Carolina and Tennessee still recovering and closed after Helene to stretches of the A.T. in New England awaiting much needed repairs and updates.”

The ATC added:

"We ask anyone who cares for the Appalachian Trail to step up with us and:

Contact your U.S. Senators, U.S. Representatives and the White House to demand the reversal of these firings and urge that any reductions of public lands staff outside of the annual appropriations processes be stopped;
Volunteer on the Trail to help shoulder the growing responsibility that the ATC and the clubs will be undertaking to maintain the iconic and scenic qualities of the A.T. experience; and
Donate to the ATC and the local A.T. clubs so that we have the resources needed to keep critical Trail maintenance and restoration projects moving forward."

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Appalachian National Scenic Trail

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