Brand New!
Hike the Historic Appalachian Trail and Learn Backpacking Skills
- United States
- 2 nights
Hike a section of one of the world's greatest long distance trails while learning backcountry and backpacking skills
What's Included?
- Maximum group size: 9Join small n’ sociable groups of like-minded, active and outdoorsy people – designed to be solo-friendly
From…excluding flights
Highlights
Learn backcountry and backpacking skills including navigation, bear safety, backcountry cooking and leave no trace
Hike picturesque scenery along New York State's section of the famous Appalachian Trail
Spend your evenings eating and sharing stories around the campfire and enjoying a spot of stargazing before bedding down in your backcountry camp
Itinerary
Day 1
Head to the trail
Hiking3 hours · 4km · 500m upCampsiteTwin tentLunch and dinner includedShow Day 1 detailHide detail
We will start with a short drive from New York City to Harriman State Park. You will start learning backpacking skills right away. Before getting on the trail, you will take out all your gear and learn how to properly fit and pack a backpack to maximize comfort and efficiency on the trail. We will then start on a short hike past a lake, arriving at a shelter on the Appalachian Trail. You will set up camp, get water, prepare dinner, and get a good night's sleep for the next day. Throughout the trip, you will be learning and practicing the following backpacking skills:
- What to Pack, What to Wear, Packing a Pack, Fitting a Pack, Leave No Trace, Navigation, Water Treating, Choosing a Campsite and Setting up Camp, Backcountry Nutrition, Backcountry Cooking, Backcountry Cleaning, Bear Safety, Fire Safety, Backcountry Hygiene, Staying Warm and Dry in a Tent.
Day 2
A day on the trail
Hiking6 hours · 7km · 1000m up · 1000m downCampsiteTwin tentAll meals includedShow Day 2 detailHide detail
After waking up, getting water, preparing breakfast, and breaking down camp, you will set out for a beautiful hike on the Appalachian Trail. You will hike a picturesque section of the trail, going over Black Mountain and West Mountain, with views of the Hudson Valley opening up to your left and right. After a challenging 7-mile day on the trail, you will arrive at the West Mountain shelter, set up camp, get water, prepare dinner, and get a good night sleep after spending the evening around the campfire.
Day 3
Day 3
Hiking3 hours · 4km · 500m upBreakfast and lunch includedShow Day 3 detailHide detail
On the final day, the group will break down camp one last time, as you prepare for a hike back out of the mountains. After a 5-mile hike, you will leave the trails behind, having gained the outdoor and backpacking skills to set you up for success in your future adventures. We will then drive back to New York City.
Practical Stuff
Getting There
- Nearest airport
- John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
- Pick up
- Central Manhattan
0645 on Day 1 - Drop off
- Central Manhattan
Around 18:00 on Day 3 (depending on traffic)
What is and isn't Included?
What's included
Expert, certified guides with wilderness first responder training
2 nights in backcountry campsites
All meals are taken care of
Transport between Central Manhattan and Harriman State Park
All group camping kit including tents and sleeping mats
All entry fees and permits
What's not included
Optional Extras
Equipment / Kit Hire
- Sleeping Bag Hire
- …/per person
To request any extras, message your host via your Much Better Adventures account once you have booked your trip.
All extras must be paid before your trip starts.
Ratings & Reviews
This trip is brand new!
So new, in fact, that it's not got any reviews yet. But rest assured, it's been designed with the same care, quality and attention to detail as all of our highly rated adventures.
4.8
Our average trip score5000+ reviews
Before You Travel
What to Pack
Know before you go! Some stuff we'll provide, other things you'll need to bring.
FAQs
How much should I tip?
Tips are not included in the trip cost. The amount to tip is entirely at your discretion but there is an expectation to tip in the USA; your guides will rely on tips for a considerable portion of their income.
We suggest to budget for 10%-20% of the trip cost as a guideline.
Of course, you are free to tip more or less, and the amount should be reflective of your perception of service and quality - a tip is not compulsory and should only be given when you receive excellent service.
What do I do about drinking water?
You will learn how to treat water in the backcountry, and get all your water from natural sources.
Can I leave my excess luggage somewhere?
You are able to leave one small bag in the vehicle but space is limited
Can I book on my own?
Sure can! Over 70% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.
Who is running the trip?
Our team of Adventure Hunters co-create exclusive adventures which are run by highly vetted, specialist hosts. The trip is run by our trusted host partner in the destination. We only work with independent, local, in-destination experts who know the very best places to explore and how to stay safe. Read more information about the local teams we partner with. You’ll be introduced to the host straight after making a booking via the Much Better Adventures platform.
What is the official travel advice?
Much Better Adventures refer to the UK Government’s official travel advice when designing trips and monitoring trip operations. We recommend that all customers are familiar with the practical information provided on the Government’s FCDO website, where current travel advice can be found by searching for the applicable destination(s).
For customers joining this trip from other international destinations – please also read the official travel advice applicable to your country of residence/origin, as this may differ.
What vaccinations do I need?
We recommend checking out the country-specific information and also talking to a travel nurse.
How are the trips priced?
We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.
If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.
Why are your adventures only for adults?
All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. You must be over 18 to join one of our trips.
Who else will be on my trip?
You're always in good company on one of our adventures.
Our trips are typically made up of a mixture of solo travellers and small groups of 2 or 3 friends, with most in their 30s-50s.
Our sociable adventures are solo-friendly by design and naturally attract outdoorsy people with a shared mindset; a love for adventure, a desire to push themselves and meet awesome, like-minded people along the way. Check out our Community Values – a shared code to make sure that everyone's experience is safe, inclusive and brilliantly unforgettable.
It’s this camaraderie that has so often turned a great adventure into a life-changing one.
Don't just take our word for it:
- 95% of people rate the group dynamics on our trips 5/5
- 90% of people recommend joining a trip to make new friends
- 75% of people have met people on our trips that they would now consider friends
See here for more info about the Much Better Adventures tribe.
What's the carbon footprint for this trip?
We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity.
What's the number?
It works out on average at 35kg of CO2 emissions per person, including all local transport, accommodation, food, activities, guides, staff and office operations.
The only thing it doesn’t include right now is flights and travel to the destination. We do make an overall estimate across all our customers separately, but as we don’t book flights, have customers from all corners of the world, and no way of reliably knowing their travel plans, we simply can’t include an individual number in the figure on display here. We’ve got a goal to fix that, so that when you book, there is a way to measure and mitigate the carbon emitted by your flight too.
But what does the number mean?
Yep, hard to picture eh? To give you an idea:
- Driving 1000 miles/1609km would be approximately 281kg of CO2 in an average car (or 140.5kg per person, if there were two of you in it).
- A return economy class flight between London and New York would be approximately 1619kg (1.66 tonnes) per person.
- 10 trees in a temperate forest are estimated to remove approximately 250kg of CO2 from the air in a period of 5-10 years.
What are we doing about it?
Our trips are relatively low-carbon by design, and we're working with all our hosts to develop long term carbon reduction plans. We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity, ensuring the protection of the reserve and its wildlife.
Want to know more?
Amazingly, no international travel company has ever publicly published their carbon measurements before, as far as we know. We believe that must change, quickly. So we’re openly sharing the method we used in the hope that other companies will be able to more easily follow suit and build on what we've done so far. You'll find it all here.
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