Recognizing a need for an organizing body for the Appalachian Trail Project, Benton MacKaye convened the first Appalachian Trail meetings in Washington DC in 1925. From those initial meetings of foresters, hikers, and advocates, the Appalachian Trail Conference was formed under Major William Welch. Their mission was to establish a continuous trail along the East Coast.
Benton MacKaye. Address to the Appalachian Trail Committee, 1925. From the MacKaye Family Papers. ML-5, Box 177, Folder 38
"...the Appalachian Trail is not an end within itself: it is a base for more fundamental needs. It is the equipment required for a certain line of badly needed social education, the power within a people's mind to see their common ends, not as a tangle of antagonistic parts but as a single harmonized, integrated whole."
Diamond-shaped Markers for the New York and New Jersey sections of the Appalachian Trail. From the MacKaye Family Papers. ML-5, Box 196, Folder 32
Many of the trails that would come to form the single Appalachian Trail were already in place in New England. The first sections of trail created uniquely for the AT were in New York in 1923 and utilized these markers to demarcate the trail. Thanks to the formation of the Appalachian Trail Conference and multiple clubs to support the work, the AT would become fully connected in October, 1937 - 16 years after Benton MacKaye envisioned a "skyline trail" from Georgia to Maine. The distinctive diamond-shaped trail marker was first adopted in 1922 and is an enduring and easily recognizable symbol of the AT.
- Letter from Myron Avery to the Dartmouth Outing Club regarding recent publication of a new trail guide. April 25, 1941. From the Dartmouth Outing Club Records. DO-1, Box 6141, Folder 7
Map of the Appalachian Trail on the back of ATC letterhead. 1941. From the Dartmouth Outing Club Records. DO-1, Box 6141, Folder 7
In 1931, Myron H. Avery took over leadership of the ATC and accelerated AT building efforts using four key steps: organizing a trail club for each section; determining the best route for the Trail; clearing, marking and maintaining the Trail; and collecting up-to-date data and maps to publish in ATC guidebooks. Due to disagreements between Avery and McKaye, McKaye removed himself from the AT Project, rejoining the effort in the 1960s.
- Shaffer, Earl V. Walking with Spring : The First Thru-Hike of the Appalachian Trail. Harpers Ferry, W. Va: Appalachian Trail Conference, 1983. White Mountains GV991.42 .A68 S43 1983
Bryson, Bill. A Walk in the Woods : Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail. 1st ed. New York: Broadway Books, 1998. Tower Room F106 .B92 1998
Although Benton MacKaye never envisioned the Appalachian Trail as a long-distance hiking destination, in 1948 Earl Shaffer reported the first thru-hike of the Trail. The resulting press coverage and his book, Walking with Spring, lead to accelerated interest in striking out along the AT.
The popularity of the trail only continued to grow, especially after the 1998 publication of Bill Bryson's light-hearted bestseller, A Walk in the Woods. Bryson was a resident of Hanover when he decided to make his well-documented hike; he purchased his gear at the Dartmouth Co-op and his trail maps at the Dartmouth Bookstore. Like Shaffer and Bryson before them, millions of visitors visit the AT each year to seek solace and adventure.
- Joni Baluh. "Appalachian Trail: 50 Years". Valley News. August 15, 1987. From the Robert Monahan Papers. MS-1088, Box 11, Folder 3
Carey D. Fiertz. "A Management Plan for the Dartmouth Outing Club Appalachian Trail". June, 1978. From the Dartmouth College Outdoor Programs Records. DA-671, Box 5104, Folder "AG Mgmt Plan 1978"
In 1938, just after the last section of the AT was completed in Maine, the Appalachian Trailway Agreement was established between the ATC, the National Park Service, the US Forest Service, and various state partners. This was the beginning of what is now called the Cooperative Management System, a unique partnership between the ATC, thousands of volunteers, and numerous land management agencies. Carey Fiertz's 1978 management plan, submitted as an assignment for Dartmouth's Environmental Studies 80 class, is an example of the individual agreements that grew out of the 1938 pact.
Jack Rottier. "President Lyndon Baines Johnson signs the National Trails System Act". From the Appalachian Trail Conservancy website.
The National Trails System Act, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, officially designated the Appalachian Trail as a National Scenic Trail under federal protection. Amendments to the Act in 1976 expanded land acquisitions along the Appalachian Trail.
As the land acquisition program progressed, the ATC, trail clubs, and trail crews moved hundreds of miles of footpath to optimal, constructed locations. Amidst this large undertaking, in 1984, NPS delegated some park-management responsibilities to the ATC.
- "The Thru-Hiker’s Guide to HANOVER, NH". Outdoor Programs Office, Dartmouth College. Hanover, NH, 1999. From the Dartmouth College Outdoor Programs Records. DA-671, Box 12628, Folder "Thru-Hikers"
Letter from Bob Averill to Fraternity President concerning thru-hikers crashing at fraternities. May 18, 1976. From the Dartmouth Outing Club Records. DO-1, Box 6179, Folder 55
Depending on which direction thru-hikers are traveling, Hanover is either the first or last town that they visit along the Trail. These annual visitors are always welcome in town, thanks in part to the efforts of the Hanover Area Friends of the Appalachian Trail, a group that was founded in 2009 for just such a purpose. Well before the Friends were established, Dartmouth fraternities had a reputation for friendliness towards the thru-hiking community to the point that one alum became concerned that the social organizations soon might find themselves overrun.
Old and New Conference and Conservancy Paraphernalia. Courtesy of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.
In 2005, the Appalachian Trail Conference changed its name to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. The name change reflected the priority of preservation of the Trail corridor and its natural and cultural resources, as well as reflecting the importance of the ATC in the overall management and conservation of the AT and its landscape.
In 2025, the ATC celebrates its 100th anniversary and the organization’s continued mission to protect, manage, and advocate for the Appalachian Trail. Today, the AT landscape draws millions of visitors, serves as a critical refuge for thousands of diverse species, and plays a vital role in driving climate resilience and economic vitality in neighboring communities. Benton MacKaye’s original hope that a trail along the Appalachian Mountains would become a respite for the American people remains at the core of what the ATC strives to achieve.
