Every year, from the state of Georgia in the South to Maine in the North, the Appalachian Trail attracts over 3 million trekkers to forested areas.
Most trekkers spend one or two days hiking the trail. However, every year, a thousand intrepid trekkers complete the entire 3,500-kilometer route. During a typical journey lasting five to seven months, these individuals 
face an altitude change equivalent to climbing Mount Everest 16 times.
The idea for creating the trail originated from a regional planner named Benton MacKaye in 1921. However, it was only in 1937 that the entire route was constructed. In 2019, nature lovers celebrated the 82nd anniversary of the trail that takes visitors through forests and mountains.
It is the trail composed of the longest areas dedicated solely to mountaineering and hiking in the world, according to the organization that coordinates the maintenance of the route and cares for the trail: the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.
Black bears, salamanders, deer, porcupines, and moose have their habitat in the forest along the trails, depending on the 
location and the season. While hiking the trail, trekkers encounter spectacular views at the tops of mountains and peaks along the Appalachians, a mountain range located on the East Coast of the U.S.
Thirty-one local clubs spend an equivalent of 10,000 days maintaining the trail, which is affectionately called the “A.T.” (the English acronym for Appalachian Trail).
The U.S. National Park Service has placed the lands of the Appalachian Trail under federal protection since 1968.
The trail has helped inspire similar projects, such as the Transcaucasian Trail, which is being developed in Armenia and Georgia; and the Via Dinarica Trek, which connects the countries of the Balkans along a scenic mountaineering route.
Source: Share.america.gov