Appalachian Trail Historic Bibliography

 Interested in the History of the AT, especially from the 1970s?  Try this list edited from my AT Book.

The Real Appalachian Trail BC.  Appalachian Trail Museum.

All proceeds go to the Museum.

Appalachian Trail Bib

 

Adkins, L. (2009). Wildflowers of the Appalachian Trail. Menasha Ridge Press and ATC.

Adkins, L. (2009). Images of America: Along Virginia’s Appalachian Trail.  Arcadia Publishing.

Adkins, L. (2014). Along the Appalachian Trail New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. Arcadia Publishing.

Adkins, L. M. (2015). Along the Appalachian Trail: West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Arcadia Publishing.

Adkins, L. (2016). Images of America: Along the Appalachian Trail, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire.  Arcadia Publishing.

Adkins, L. (2016).  Along the Appalachian Trail: Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire.  Arcadia Publishing.

Alt, J. (2007). A Walk for Sunshine, 2^nd edition. Dreams Shared Publications.

Appalachian Trail Conference. (1939). Guide to the Appalachian Trail in New England. Publication no. 13. ATC.

Appalachian Trail Conference. (1971).  Guide to the Appalachian Trail in the Great Smokies, The Nantahalas, and Georgia. Publication no. 23, 3rd edition.  ATC.

Appalachian Trail Conference. (1972).  Guide to the Appalachian Trail in Central and Southwestern Virginia. 6^th Edition. ATC.

Appalachian Trail Conservancy. (1972). Guide to the Appalachian Trail in Massachusetts and Connecticut. 2^nd Edition. ATC.

Appalachian Trail Conservancy. (1972). Guide to the Appalachian Trail in New Hampshire and Vermont. ATC.

Appalachian Trail Conference. (1987). Early Trail Builder Recalls CCC Effort. Appalachian Trailway News, page 9-10.  ATC.

Appalachian Trail Conference. (1988). Member Handbook.  ATC.

The Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association. (2025). The Appalachian Trail Thru-Hikers’ Companion. ALDHA.

Avery, M. (1931).  Appalachian Trail Middle Atlantic States. Appalachia, 13(3), 325-330.

Avery, M. (1932). Appalachian Trail, Maryland. Appalachia. 19(2), 318-319.

Avery, M. (1932). Appalachian Trail, Southern Virginia. Appalachia, 19(1), 161-165.

Avery, M. (1933). Maine and the Appalachian Trail. In the Maine Woods page 97-104 https://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/railroad_pubs/12/

Avery, M. (1935). The Appalachian Trail. Scientific American, 153(1), 5-7.

Avery, M. (1935). The Skyline Drive and the Appalachian Trail.  Potomac Appalachian Trail Club Bulletin, January 1935.

Avery, M.  (1936).  The Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania’s South Mountain. Supplement to October 1936 Bulletin of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club. Washington DC.

Avery, M. (1937).  The Silver Aisle: The Appalachian Trail in Maine. Books and Publications. 106. https://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/books_pubs/106

Avery, M. (1940). Major Relocation in Virginia.  Appalachian Trailway News.  1(5), 32-33.

Avery, M. (1948). Avery letter to Shaffer, November 27, 1948. ATC Archives.

Bacon, J.; Manning, R.; Graefe, A.; Kyle, G,; Lee, R.; Burns, R.; Hennessy, R.; Gray . (2002). Security along the Appalachian Trail. In: Todd, Sharon, comp., ed. 2002. Proceedings of the 2001 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-289. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station. 326-332.

Bates, D. (1987). Breaking trail in the central Appalachians – a narrative. Potomac Appalachian Trail Club.

Beck, L. (2020). Exploring the Social Effects of Increased Hiker Use at the Northern Terminus of the Appalachian Trail. The University of Maine.

Berkshire Hills Conference. (1939). The Berkshire Hills, Members of the Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration for Massachusetts. Funk & Wagnalls Co.

Bristow, R. S. (1988).  The Influence of Spatial Structure on Hiking Participation. Proceedings of the Ninth National Trails Symposium.  E. Gaby, ed., Athens, GA:  USDA-FS. In Helen, GA. September 1988.

Bristow, R. S. (1998). Volunteer-Based Recreation Land Management.  Parks and Recreation.  August. pp. 70-76.

Bristow, R. S. (2019). Appalachian Trail Cultural Resource Stewardship Manual prepared for the Appalachian Trail, Berkshire Chapter AT Committee, Appalachian Mountain Club.

Bristow, R. (2019). Altruistic Adventure Voluntourism: help manage the park you visit. in Jenkins, I.  Adventure Tourism (pp. 145-154). CABI. 

Bristow, R. S. (2022). Herding 6,000 Volunteers.  Chapter 9 in Holmes, K., L. Lockstone-Binney, K. Smith & R. Shipway (eds.) Handbook of Volunteering in Events, Sport and Tourism (pp. 112-121). Routledge.

Bristow, R. S., and A. Therien. (2019). Discovering archaeological landscapes in parks and protected areas. North American Archaeologist.   (40)2: 99–115.  

Bristow, R. S., J. Judkins, and J. Schottanes. (2022). Appalachian Trail Communities: a 100 year model of regional planning. Chapter 2 in Slocum, S. L., Wiltshier, P., & Read IV, J. B. (Eds.). Transformations in Protected Area Management and Gateway Communities: Alternative Approaches to Tourism and Community Engagement (pp. 10-23). CABI.

Bristow, R. (2025).  The Real Appalachian Trail BC.  Appalachian Trail Museum

Buckley, B. (1975). Appalachian Trail Journey. Outskirts Press.

Burch Jr, W.R. (1979) Long distance trails. The Appalachian trail as a guide to future research and management needs. Long distance trails. Symposium on the Appalachian Trail, 11-13 October, 1977. Yale University, New Haven, CT. 

Carroll, R. (2014). 2,000 Miles Around the Tree of Life: A Naturalist Hikes the Appalachian Trail. Peace Corp Writers.

Carolina Mountain Club. (2003). History of the Carolina Mountain Club. Ashville, NC.

Chamberlin, S. (2010). To Ensure Permanency: Expanding and Protecting Hiking Opportunities in Twentieth-Century Pennsylvania.  Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies, 77(2), 193-216.

Chase, J. (2004). Backpacker Magazine's Guide to the Appalachian Trail. Stackpole Books.

Chew, V. C. (1988). Underfoot: A Geologic Guide to the Appalachian Trail. ATC.

Clement, J. (1974). Account Of My Hike on The Appalachian Trail From Georgia To Maine.  https://atmuseum-journals.weebly.com/1974.html

Comey, A. (1925). The Appalachian Trail Conference. Landscape Architecture Magazine. 15(3), 195.

D’Anieri, P. (2021). The Appalachian Trail: A biography. Haughton Mifflin Harcourt.

Dacey, G. (1928). The Appalachian Trail. The Mentor 16(7), 3-10.

Davis, Z. (2012). Appalachian Trials.  Self-Published.

Decker, S. (2020). The Appalachian Trail Backcountry Shelters, Lean-tos, and Huts. Rizzoli.

Eaton, WP. (1926). Guiding the Tramper: The Example of Mount Everett Reservation in the Berkshires.  Landscape Architecture Magazine. (17)1:1-7.

Eaton, WP. (1928). From a Berkshire Mountain Top: A Plea for the Planning of Holiday Regions.  Landscape Architecture Magazine.  (18)2, 93-105.

Federal Register 9 Oct 71, Vol 36, n 197, part II pp 19802-19893.

Field, David B. (2019).  History of the Appalachian Trail in Maine 1937. 6. https://digitalmaine.com/history_of_the_appalachian_trail_in_maine/6

Fisher, R. and D. Durrance. (1972). The Appalachian Trail. National Geographic Society.

Fisher, R. and S. Abell. (1988), Mountain Adventure: Exploring the Appalachian Trail.  National Geographic Society.

Flack, J and H. Flack. (1981). Ambling and Scrambling on the Appalachian Trail.  ATC.

Foster, C. H. (1987). The Appalachian National Scenic Trail: A Time to Be Bold. Appalachian Trail Conference.

Fox, J. and P. Gerhard. (1964). Non-Stop Georgia to Maine.  Appalachian Trailway News, 25(1), 9.

Fondren, K. (2016).  Walking on the Wild Side. Rutgers University Press.

Fondren, K. M., & Brinkman, R. (2022). A comparison of hiking communities on the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails. Leisure Sciences, 44(4), 403-420.

Fortunato, D. (1984).  2000 Miles on the Appalachian Trail. Self-Published.

Fulton, K. (2013). Hikers’ Stories from the Appalachian Trail. Stackpole Books.

Freeman, S., Lawhon, B., Newman, P., & Derrick Taff, B. (2021). Food storage on the Appalachian trail: A theory of planned behavior approach to understanding backpacker bear canister use. Journal of Interpretation Research, 26(2), 73-95.

Garvey, E. (1971). Appalachian Hiker: Adventure of a Lifetime. Appalachian Books.

Georgia Appalachian Trail Club. (1995 revised). Friendships of the Trail: The History of the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club 1930-1980. Cherokee Publishing Company.

Goldenberg, M., Hill, E., & Freidt, B. (2008). Why individuals hike the Appalachian Trail: A qualitative approach to benefits. Journal of Experiential Education, 30(3), 277-281.

Gómez, E., Freidt, B., Hill, E., Goldenberg, M., & Hill, L. (2010). Appalachian Trail hiking motivations and means-end theory: Theory, management, and practice. Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership, 2(3), 260-284.

Hare, J. (1975). Hiking the Appalachian Trail. Vol 1 & 2. Rodale Press.

Hayek, B. (1995).  Stepping back in time: a Hike through history on the crest of Maryland’s South Mountain, Appalachian Trailway News. 56(1):29-33.

Hill, E., Goldenberg, M., & Freidt, B. (2009). Benefits of hiking: A means-end approach on the Appalachian Trail. Journal of Unconventional Parks, Tourism, & Recreation Research, 2(1), 19-27

Hirsohn, D. (1986).  The Appalachian Tale: The Adventures of the Poetry Man. Canyon Publishing Company.

Hooke, D. (1987). Reaching that Peak: 75 years of the Dartmouth Outing Club.  Phoenix Publishing.

Irwin, B. and D. McCasland. (1991). Blind Courage. Ulverscroft.

Johnson, T. (2021). From Dream to Reality: History of the Appalachian Trail. ATC.

Johnson, T.  (2020). PATC History, available at https://www.patc.net/docs/About%20PATC/History-PATC-14Aug2020byTomJohnson.pdf

Joyner, L. (2015). Hiking through History: Civil War Sites on the Appalachian Trail.  ATC.

Kelly, M. (2023). Virginia’s Lost Appalachian Trail.  The History Press.

Kephart, H. (1931). Camping. National Sportsman, April 1931. 52-54, 56-57.

Keystone Trails Association. (1970). Guide to the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania. 2^nd Edition. KTA.

King, B. (2012). The Appalachian Trail: Celebrating America's Hiking Trail. Rizzoli Publications.

Kyle, G., Graefe, A., Manning, R., & Bacon, J. (2004). Predictors of behavioral loyalty among hikers along the Appalachian Trail. Leisure Sciences, 26(1), 99-118.

Kyle, G., Graefe, A., Manning, R., & Bacon, J. (2004). Effects of place attachment on users’ perceptions of social and environmental conditions in a natural setting. Journal of environmental psychology, 24(2), 213-225.

Laker, D. (1975). My Three Appalachian Trail Hikes, (pp. 64-267) in Hare, J. (ed). Hiking the Appalachian Trail.  Rodale Press.

Leonard, R. (1979). Protecting the Long Trail Resource: A Problem Analysis in Burch Jr, W. R. Long distance trails. The Appalachian trail as a guide to future research and management needs. Long distance trails.  Symposium on the Appalachian Trail, 11-13 October, 1977. Yale University.

Lillard, D. (2002). Appalachian Trail Names: Origins of the Place Names Along the AT. Stackpole.

Littlefield, J., & Siudzinski, R. A. (2012). ‘Hike your own hike’: Equipment and serious leisure along the Appalachian Trail. Leisure studies, 31(4), 465-486.

Logue, V., & Logue, F. (2004). The Appalachian Trail hiker: Trail-proven advice for hikes of any length. Menasha Ridge Press.

Luxenberg, L. (1983).  In New York, the A.T. is 60 years old.  Appalachian Trailway News. 44(1), 8-9.

Luxenberg, L. (1994). Walking the Appalachian Trail.  Stackpole Books.

MacKaye, B. (1921). An Appalachian Trail: A project in regional planning. American Institute of Architects.  9(10), 325-330.

MacKaye, B. (1927). Outdoor Culture: The Philosophy of Through Trails. Landscape Architecture Magazine. April. 17(3), 163-171.

Maine Appalachian Trail Club. (1969). Guide to the Appalachian Trail in Maine. Publication No. 4. 7^th Edition. MATC.

Manning, R. E., Valliere, W., Bacon, J. J., Graefe, A., Kyle, G., & Hennessy, R. (2000). Use and users of the Appalachian Trail: a source book. Harper’s Ferry, WV: The National Park Service.

Manning, R. E., Valliere, W., Bacon, J., Graefe, A., Kyle, G., & Hennessy, R. (2001). Use and users of the Appalachian Trail: A geographic study. In In: Kyle, Gerard, comp., ed. 2001. Proceedings of the 2000 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-276. Newtown Square, PA: US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station. 115-120 (Vol. 276).

Marx, K. (2020). Blogging Wildlife: The Perception of Animals by Hikers on the Appalachian Trail. Routledge.

Mittlefehldt, S. (2013). Tangled roots: the Appalachian trail and American environmental politics. University of Washington Press.

Molyneaux, P. (2013). A Child’s Walk in the Wilderness.  Stackpole Books.

Montgomery, B. (2014). Grandma Gatewood's walk: The inspiring story of the woman who saved the Appalachian Trail. Chicago Review Press.

Mueser, R. (1998). Long-Distance Hiking:  Lessons from the Appalachian Trail. Ragged Mountain Press.

Newman, P., Manning, R., Bacon, J., Graefe, A., & Kyle, G. (2002). An evaluation of Appalachian Trail hikers' knowledge of minimum impact skills and practices. In In: Todd, Sharon, comp., ed. 2002. Proceedings of the 2001 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-289. Newtown Square, PA: US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station. 163-167. (Vol. 289).

Nickell, R. (1990). Megalopolis Spawns dedicated Trail Volunteers.  Appalachian Trailway News, 51(2),11-18.

Niedzaliek, C. (2003). A Footpath in the Wilderness: The Early Days of PATC.  Potomac Appalachian Trail Club.

NY-NJTC. (1938). Guide to the Appalachian Trail in New York and New Jersey.  Publication No. 2. 2nd Edition. Shenandoah Publishing.

NY-NJTC. (1972). Guide to the Appalachian Trail in New York and New Jersey.  Publication No. 2. 7^th Edition. Walker and Company.

NY-NJTC (1995). Vistas & Vision – A History of the New York – New Jersey Trail Conference, Available from https://www.nynjtc.org/content/trail-conference-history

New England Trail Conference. (1933).  Guide to the Appalachian Trail in New England.  Publication 21. Boston.

National Park Service. (2015). Foundation Document, Appalachian National Scenic Trail,  USDI, NPS.  Retrieved from https://www.nps.gov/appa/getinvolved/upload/APPA-Foundation-Document-2015.pdf

New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources.  (nd).  White Mountain National Forest Shelter System.  Material for National Register of Historic Places.  USDA-FS Website https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd649771.pdf

Olson, Big Bob. (2018). Hiking the Appalachian trail – One section at a time. MLE Press.

Ozmer Report (1930). PATC Bulletin No. 23. Washington DC. Potomac Appalachian Trail Club.

Poff, R., Cleinmark, J., Stenger-Ramsey, T., Ramsing, R., & Gibson, F. (2013). Outdoor ethics and Appalachian trail hikers: An investigation of leave no trace practices. Kentucky Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, 155.

Potomac Appalachian Trail Club. (1960). Guide to the Appalachian Trail: Susquehanna River to the Shenandoah National Park. 5^th Edition. PATC.

Potomac Appalachian Trail Club. (1972). Guide to the Appalachian Trail: Susquehanna River to the Shenandoah National Park. 8^th Edition. PATC.

Potomac Appalachian Trail Club. (1970). Guide to the Appalachian Trail and Side Trails in the Shenandoah National Park. 7^th Edition. PATC.

Pray, J. (1923). Beauty in Trails, An Address Before the New England Trail Conference. January 19, 1923, NETC Publication no. 9.

Rogers, A. G., & Leung, Y. F. (2020). Smarter long-distance hike: How smartphones shape information use and spatial decisions on the Appalachian Trail. International Journal of Wilderness, 26(2), 88-103.

Ross, C. (1982).  A Woman’s Journal, with 120 illustrations. ATC.

Ryan, J. (2019). Hermit The Mysterious Life of Jim Whyte.  Maine Authors Publishing.

Ryan, J. H. (2017). Blazing ahead: Benton MacKaye, Myron Avery, and the rivalry that built the Appalachian trail. Appalachian Mountain Club Books.

Sands, M. (2000). Appalachian Trail in Bits and Pieces.  ATC.

Satterthwaite, A. (1974).  An Appalachian Greenway: Purposes, Prospects and Program.  Prepared for the Appalachian Trail Conference.

Shaffer, D. (2016). Connecting Humans and Nature: The Appalachian Trail Landscape Conservation Initiative. The George Wright Forum, 33(2), 175-184.

Shaffer, E. V. (2000). Walking with spring: The first thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. Appalachian Trail Conference.

Shaffer, E. (1948). Earl Shaffer’s Appalachian Trail Hike Diary.  Smithsonian Institution, Archives Center.

Sherman, S. and J. Older. (1977). Appalachian Odyssey: Walking the Trail from Georgia to Maine. Open Road Distribution.

Slayton, T. (Ed.). (2009). A Century in the Mountains: Celebrating Vermont's Long Trail. Green Mountain Club.

Sternberg. R. (1987). Groups unite to restore White Cap summit. Appalachian Trailway News. July/August, p18-19.

Strackeljahn, A. (2023).  All in One Roll: An Historical Account of Thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail in 1983.  The Appalachian Trail Museum.

Strain, P. M. (1993). The Blue Hills of Maryland: History Along the Appalachian Trail on South Mountain and the Catoctins. Potomac Appalachian Trail Club.

Sutton, A. and M. Sutton. (1967). The Appalachian Trail: Wilderness on the Doorstep.  Lippencott Co.

Walker, B. (2008). Skywalker: Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail. Indigo Publishing.

Warren, M. and S. Kocher (1979).  The Appalachian Trail.  Graphic Arts Center Publishing Co.

Waterman, L., and G. Waterman. (2019). Forest and crag: a history of hiking, trail blazing, and adventure in the Northeast Mountains. SUNY Press.

Yahner, T. G., Korostoff, N., Johnson, T. P., Battaglia, A. M., & Jones, D. R. (1995). Cultural landscapes and landscape ecology in contemporary greenway planning, design and management: a case study. Landscape and urban planning. 33(1-3), 295-316.

Zarnoch, S. J., Bowker, J. M., & Cordell, H. K. (2011). A mixed-modes approach for estimating hiking on trails through diverse forest landscapes: the case of the Appalachian Trail. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 41(12), 2346-2358.

 

Miscellaneous

 

Memorandum of Agreement Between the National Park Service and The United States Forest Service for the protection of the Appalachian Trailway.  15 October 1938.  ATC Archives.

University of Maine Raymond H. Fogler Library Special Collections Department. Transcript of a sound recording in MS 608, WLBZ Radio Station Records, Bangor, Maine, 1931-1973.

 

Backpacking Books

Clawson, M., and J.L. Knetsch. (1966). Economics of Outdoor Recreation. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press.

Douglas, W. (1961). My Wilderness: East to Katahdin.  Doubleday & Co.

Fletcher, C. (1964). The Thousand Mile Summer in Desert and High Sierra.  Howell-North.

Fletcher, C.  (1968). The Complete Walker: The Joys and Techniques of Hiking and Backpacking. Knopf.

Hawthorne, N. (1882). The Great Stone Face and Other Tales of the White Mountains. Houghton, Mifflin & Co.

Lacy, D. and K. Roenke. (1998). Walking through time: heritage resources within the Appalachian Trail corridor. In: H. Vogelsong, (Ed.) Proceedings of the 1997 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium; 1997 April 6 - 9; Bolton Landing, NY. (pp. 171-173). Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-241. Radnor, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station.

Roenke, K. & Lacy, D. (1998). Our wilderness heritage: a study of the compatibility of cultural and natural resource management. In: Vogelsong, Hans G., comp, ed. Proceedings of the 1997 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium; 1997 April 6 - 9; Bolton Landing, NY. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-241. Radnor, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 199-200.

Sands, S. (1971).  The Backpacking Boom. The New York Times. May 9, 1971.