Keep the A.T. free and wild.  This A.T. camping registration system is designed to provide you with a means to avoid overcrowding during your thru-hike and diminish the need for future A.T. regulations.  Please do NOT register to start your NOBO thru-hike on a day over the maximum A.T. shelter and campsite capacity as shown by the red line on the registration charts - you will damage the A.T.!  Please spread out. 

Please note:

-A registration is not a reservation.

-Separate registration forms should be submitted by all individual thru-hikers, but thru-hikers with a partner can submit one registration as a group of two.

FIRST STEP:  View "Thru-hiker Registration Charts" (link is at the top of this page) which show the current number of thru-hikers registered by start date and location. Select a start date which is not at or over capacity.

Streamlined Thru-hiker Registration: Just register your starting location and date.  (You may also register your campsites if you'd like but it is not required for thru-hikers.) 

-Northbounders: ATC strongly encourages northbounders to begin their hike at Amicalola Falls State Park (the "house" icon at the south end of the ATCamp A.T. map.  The A.T. is shown as a red line on the map). In the State Park visitor center, after you join Start Smart you will receive your year-specific thru-hiker hang tag and get updates on Trail conditions. The USFS gravel roads to Springer Mountain are likely impassable in February and March due to bad weather and extremely poor road conditions; parking is limited near Springer.

-Southbounders and flip-floppers: It is not advisable to attempt a Southbound hike from Katahdin prior to June 1 due to snow, ice and high water from snow melt.  In lieu of Start Smart, please review the short food storage video and take the Leave No Trace awareness course at the top of the page - you can pick up your thru-hiker hang tag as you hike past ATC Visitor Centers in Monson, ME, Boiling Springs, PA or Harpers Ferry, WV; please bring along your Leave No Trace certificate.

To register:

1. After reviewing "Thru Hiker Registration Charts" start date info - pick a starting point/date that is not at or over A.T. shelter and campsite capacity.  (You may also enter an itinerary for campsites but that is not required for thru-hikers.) Thru-hikers do not need to specify an end point/date.
   
2. Your itinerary must begin with a start point. The map will limit the displayed icons to possible start points until you select one and a start date. After that, the map will display the shelters/campsites that you can add to your itinerary, and ATCamp will automatically pick the consecutive dates. To select a map icon, click the bottom of the icon on the map.  AGAIN, picking shelter/campsites is not necessary for thru-hikers.
3. Use the map key to show/hide various icons if you wish.
4. Campsite and shelter capacity is shown when their icon is clicked. The calendar shows the number of other people registered for the site, both in the site info and on the calendar date box (below and to the left of the date number). Please avoid overnight sites that are over capacity - the date block will be yellow as the site nears capacity, and red when the site is at capacity and will not let you register for a "full" site.
5. Click "Continue With Registration" to fill in your personal info, and when done with that click "Review Registration".
6. After you have submitted your completed A.T. camping registration you will receive a PDF via e-mail with your itinerary, and thru-hiking tips.
7. If your plans change and you are no longer able to keep your planned schedule, please cancel your hike registration on ATCamp.

This registration system is continually being improved. If you have questions or comments, please contact us at ATcamp@appalachiantrail.org. Thank you!

By using this registration tool you are helping shape the future of the A.T.! This information will help us build an effective network of group campsites along the Trail and provide your group with a means to avoid overcrowding and prevent damage at overnight sites during your hike.

Please note:

-A registration is not a reservation.

-Due to large numbers of thru-hikers and limited camping resources, groups, including Spring Break hikers, are encouraged to find an alternative to visiting the A.T. in Georgia and southern North Carolina during March and April.  The Alabama Pinhoti Trail, the Benton MacKaye Trail and the Foothills Trail in SC offer excellent long-distance hiking experiences, too.

To register:

1. Enter your itinerary in sequential order - from starting point/date, to each night's campsites, to the end point of your trip.
2. Your itinerary must begin with a start point. The map will limit the displayed icons to possible start points (i.e. Trailheads) until you select one and a start date. After that, the map will display the shelters/campsite icons that you can add to your itinerary, and will automatically and sequentially pick the date. To select a map icon, click the bottom of the icon on the map.
3. Use the map key to show/hide various icons if you wish.
4. When "full", campsites or sections of the A.T. with capacities (quotas) that are in your itinerary will show a RED date on the calendar, and you will not be able to register for that site on the "full" date. If full, please select another site or A.T. section which still has space. Use of "full" sites will cause damage to fragile A.T. resources!
5. Campsites and shelters show the design capacity when clicked. The calendar shows the number of other people registered for the site, both in the site info and on the calendar date box (below and to the left of the date number). If the campsite or shelter does not have a quota, you can still see if the site will be over design capacity on the night you register - allowing you to select another campsite or Trail section if it is over capacity.
6. Click "Continue With Registration" to fill in your personal info, and when done with that click "Review Registration".
7. After you have submitted your completed A.T. camping registration you will receive a PDF via e-mail with your itinerary.
8. If your plans change and you are no longer able to keep your planned schedule please cancel your hike.

This registration system is continually being improved. If you have questions or comments, please contact us at ATcamp@appalachiantrail.org. Thank you!