by Jedd Ferris

What are the odds that you’ll actually get six months off to hike the Appalachian Trail? Honestly. Is your boss/spouse/dog/mother going to let you walk through the woods for six months straight, shirking all your other responsibilities? Not likely. Thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail is just plain out of reach for most of us. That middle ground between post-college freedom and relaxing retirement is the longest hike we’ll ever take, filled with an array of responsibilities that probably won’t allow for a six-month sabbatical in the woods.

Don’t fret. There are a number of other long distance trails you can thru-hike during your allotted vacation time. After all, the A.T. is not the only long trail that runs through the Blue Ridge. With our handful of shorter footpath gems, you might not get a secret trail name or a commemorative patch for your pack, but you will get the experience of tackling a beautiful mountain trail from end to end. Even better, you’ll enjoy the solitude of spectacular trail destinations that are-for now-much less traveled.

TUSCARORA TRAIL

LOCATION: Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania

DISTANCE: 252 Miles

BLAZE: Blue

BASICS: It could have been part of the A.T., but thanks to the National Scenic Trails Act, the Tuscarora gets to be a trail of its own. The Tuscarora was once divided as the 110-mile Tuscarora Trail on the northern end in Pennsylvania and Maryland, and the 140-mile Big Blue Trail in Virginia and West Virginia. The two trails were originally built to bypass development around the A. T. in Northern Virginia. If the A.T. had not received protection in 1968, the Tuscarora/Big Blue would have likely become a relocated A.T. route in Northern Virginia. Not wanting to let over 250 miles of scenic path go to waste, the Keystone Trails Association and the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC) decided to maintain the Tuscarora and Big Blue as spur trails to the A.T. In 1996, in an effort to promote the significance of a single bypass trail running parallel to the Appalachian Trail, the PATC worked with federal and state land-management partners to adopt Tuscarora as the name for the entire trail.

ON THE PATH: The Tuscarora loops from the A. T. from Hogback Overlook in Shenandoah National Park, heads west through West Virginia, and reconnects with the Appalachian Trail west of Harrisburg, Pa. Joan Johnson did the 140-mile former Big Blue section of the trail. “As far as crowds go, it’s wonderful for solitude,” she says. “It comes down to more wilderness and less people.”

Being alone on the Tuscarora is definitely the norm; fewer than 50 people thru-hike the trail annually. Some sections can be a bit thick with briar growth, and notoriously typical of many Pennsylvania footpaths, things can get very rocky on the northern end of the trail. Most thru-hikers like Johnson average around 14 miles a day. Shelters are few and far between, so a reliable tent is important. Also, in some places water can be very scarce. The trail runs through the town of Hancock. Md., near the halfway point, which is a good place to refuel.

SWEET SPOTS: The Tuscarora offers spectacular ridge hiking with some of the most scenic spots in Virginia’s Massanutten Mountains. At the southern end of the trail Overall Run has Shenandoah’s tallest waterfall at just over 90 feet. Check out the virgin forests at Pennsylvania’s Hemlocks Natural Area and the stunning views at Sugar Knob area on the Virginia/West Virginia border More information: www.patc.net.

BARTRAM TRAIL

LOCATION: Georgia, North Carolina

DISTANCE: 137 Miles

BLAZE: Yellow

BASICS: Eighteenth-century naturalist William Bartram saw the Southern Appalachians in a way that none of us ever will, but we can still follow in his footsteps. Recalled in the famous book, Travels of William Bartram, the Philadelphia-born explorer traveled from 1773-1778 by foot, horse, and canoe from the Nantahala mountains south through the southern landscape all the way to Florida. Through references in Bartram’s journal to landmarks such as waterfalls, rivers, and mountaintops, the Bartram National Recreation Trail follows as near as could be determined of Bartram’s route. In the Blue Ridge, the Bartram is a well-maintained path that covers much of the same spectacular terrain as the Appalachian Trail through 37 miles in Georgia’s Chattahoochee National Forest and 100 miles in North Carolina’s Nantahala National Forest.

ON THE PATH: Six years ago John Ray tried to hike the Bartram through Georgia for the first time. After getting lost, he went to a ranger station to ask for a guide, but nothing was available.

“I asked the ranger what he thought about me writing a guide, and his response was ‘Please do!’”

Now Ray has hiked the Georgia section 20 times and the North Carolina stint half a dozen. He’s also the co-author of a guidebook on each section titled Bartram Trail: A Detailed Description of the Trail in the Chattahoochee and Nantahala National Forests.

The southern terminus is located at Highway 28, where the Russell Bridge crosses the Chattooga River. From here it follows the river for 10 miles, then turns northwest to pass through Couthouse Gap. The trail then traverses scenic mini-gorges aon its wayto Rabun Bald, Georgia’s second highest peak, just south the North Carolina border.

In North Carolina the Bartram crosses a series of summits in the Fishhawk Mountains before dropping down to Buckeye Creek. Here hikers have to take a 14-mile backcountry road walk through Franklin.

“I usually tell people to call a cab and avoid this part, but I know some of these thru-hikers are fanatics,” says Ray.

The backwoods action starts again at the Wallace Branch Trailhead, where it turns west and ascends the Nantahala Mountains to Wayah Bald, which, at 5,385 feet, is the highest point on the trail. An old stone fire tower offers breathtaking views of the southern Appalachians. The Bartram always has dense areas of wildflowers in certain areas. The south side of Rabun Bald and both Wayah and Scaley Mountain are known for azaleas.

When the trail reaches the Apple Tree Campground, some solitary loop hikes can be put together with the Apple Tree and Laurel Creek Trails. After passing the Nanthala River put-in, the trail climbs the summit of the grassy Cheoah Bald.

“If you go to the Nantahala River and hike up Cheoah Bald, nine times out of ten you’re not going to see another person,” says Ray.

SWEET SPOTS: After the scenic Chattooga River stint, the trail goes near the popular 60-foot Dick’s Creek Falls. Panoramic views are found on Wayah Bald, and from the end of the trail at Cheoah Bald northbound thru-hikers are rewarded with a grassy bald with amazing shots of Fontana Lake in the Smokies and back into the Nantahala Gorge. “On a clear day, you can look back and catch a distant view of Rabun Bald,” says Ray. More information: www.ncbartramtrail.org.

BENTON MACKAYE TRAIL

LOCATION: Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee

DISTANCE: 290 Miles

BLAZE: Blue with a White Diamond

BASICS: In 1921 a forester and federal planner named Benton MacKaye wrote a proposal that landed in a newsletter. His idea-a continuous trail that traced the ridgeline of the Appalachian Mountains.

A few years later the founding father’s vision came to fruition with the first section of the Appalachian Trail being created in New York’s Bear Mountain State Park. In 1979 a group of organizers, who eventually became the Benton MacKaye Trail Association, decided to honor the outdoor pioneer with a trail to bear his name. In 1980 construction began on a footpath along the western ridges of the Blue Ridge Mountains-a route originally proposed by Benton MacKaye for the A.T.

The Benton MacKaye Trail, which makes a figure-eight loop with the Appalachian Trail, was completed in three segments. The first segment has been open for more than a decade, but it was just in this past year that the BMT celebrated the completion of the second and third segments. Segment two, which opened in February, extends from the Ocoee River north along the Tennessee/ North Carolina line to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Deals Gap. Sharing names with existing trails, segment three of the BMT is 100 miles through Great Smoky Mountans National Park, which is longer than the portion of the A.T. through the Smokies.

ON THE PATH: The trail’s southern terminus is shared with the A.T. on the 3,782-foot Springer Mountain in Georgia. Its northern terminus is in the Smokies at Davenport Gap where it once again rejoins the A.T. Along the way the trail winds through Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina in five federally designated Wilderness Areas: Cohutta, Big Frog, Little Frog, Citico Creek, and Joyce Kilmer/Slickrock. All but about 10 miles of the primitive trail are located on existing public lands.

“Right now this is a trail where you can go a week in the woods without seeing any other people,” says Diana Ristom, who with her husband has done the first two phases of the BMT multiple times.

The BMT only has two shelters, one 50 miles from Springer Mountain in Georgia on private property (don’t worry-the owner is very hiker friendly). The other is the Laurel Creek Shelter, 13 miles south of the northern terminus at Davenport Gap.

The trail also has created many new long distance opportunities in combination with the A.T., including the Lower BMT-A.T. Loop of 364 miles, the Upper Smokies Loop of 158 miles, and an entire Loop-a grand circuit hike of over 525 miles with the A.T. The BMT is also part of the infamously difficult 60-mile Georgia Loop, which follows the BMT, A.T., and Duncan Ridge Trail.

SWEET SPOTS: Hikers find the idyllic Long Creek Falls where the Benton MacKaye and A.T. meet for the last time in Georgia. Some of the sweetest summits on the BMT include Georgia’s Wallalah, Ridge, Rhodes, and Tipton Mountains, but the highest point on the trail is Mt. Sterling in the Smokies at 5,843 feet. From the peak of Garland Mountain hikers are treated to an expansive look at the Toccoa River Valley. The trail also offers its share of river fording and side strolling from the Toccoa, which becomes the world-class Ocoee in Tennessee, and the Jacks Fork in Georgia. Another popular site to cross is the 260-foot Toccoa River suspension bridge. More information: www.bmta.org

MOUNTAINS TO SEA TRAIL

LOCATION: North Carolina

DISTANCE: 935 Miles

BLAZE: White Dot

BASICS: A trail that features craggy summits and sandy beaches? Sounds like paradise. The only catch is that there are over 900 miles in between the two. The Mountains to Sea Trail stretches across the entire Tarheel State from the Tennessee state line at Clingmans Dome in Great Smoky Mountains National Park to the Atlantic Ocean, ending at Jockey’s Ridge State Park in the Outer Banks. Along the way it offers a sampler of North Carolina’s varied terrain-from Appalachian peaks to foothills to piedmont to sandy coast.

The idea for the trail originated in 1973 when the North Carolina general Assembly passed the North Carolina Trails System Act. The route selected has created one of the most diverse trails in the country, crossing big cities, small towns, three national parks and forests, two wilderness areas, and six state parks.

Some sections are still under construction, and other portions of the trail traverse rivers and follow roads.

ON THE PATH: Hikers cross the highest point east of the Mississippi-the 6,684-foot summit of Mt. Mitchell-and conclude on the East Coast’s tallest sand dune in Jockey’s Ridge State Park. The trail parallels the Blue Ridge Parkway for almost 200 miles, crossing four peaks over 6,000 feet and six over 5,000, before heading into the piedmont at Stone Mountain State Park. From there, it connects to the greenways of Greensboro and Raleigh.

The trail is still a work in progress (only about half complete), although temporary routes are in place, so it already has hosted many thru-hikers. New developments are constantly being made, like the recent addition of a 220-foot bridge across the north fork of the Catawba River near Marion.

The MST is also setting precedent. The Sauratown Trail section is the only trail in the state that connects two state parks, Pilot Mountain to Hanging Rock, on private property. Volunteers have been able to obtain access and land leases.

“It’s a unique hiking experience,” says 2003 thru-hiker Jeff Brewer. “You get to see all of North Carolina as a true agricultural state.”

Right now options for getting across the MST include a hiking/biking option, because the route currently has some sections, mainly in the piedmont, on backcountry roads. Brewer hiked the entire trail in 55 days.

A key tip is to enter the Croatan National forest in late fall, winter, or early spring, because the mosquitoes can be killer. “I lost a gallon of blood going through that area in October,” says Brewer.

The coast is not necessarily a breeze, either. “The beach section can be brutal,” says Brewer. “Carrying a full pack on the sloped surfaces of the sand with no sun protection is a different kind of strenuous activity on the legs. But the sunrises are amazing and keep you going.”

SWEET SPOTS: A rugged, but amazingly scenic section of the trail is the 110-mile stretch from Mt. Mitchell to Blowing Rock. Along the way the trail passes Bald Knob, drops down into Linville Gorge and Wilson Creek, and comes out at the expansive views of Beacon Heights near Grandfather Mountain before entering the small high country town of Blowing Rock. The section through Asheville is a popular spot for day-hikers and runners-especially near Craven Gap and Rattlesnake Lodge.

The last section of the trail is an 85-mile beach walk up the Cape Hatteras National Seashore from Ocracoke to Jockey’s Ridge State Park. This was the first section of the trail dedicated in 1975. More information: www.ncmst.org

CUMBERLAND TRAIL

LOCATION: Tennessee, Kentucky

DISTANCE: 165 Miles (eventually 300)

BLAZE: White on brown

BASICS: It’s not ready yet, but the good folks at the Cumberland Trail Conference are serious in creating a trail “by hikers, for hikers.” The Cumberland Trail was a concept of the late Evan Means, an outdoor writer from Oak Ridge, Tenn., whose vision was a trail from the Cumberland Gap to his hometown. After sharing ideas with members of the Tennessee Trails Association, the project expanded to reach from the Gap all the way to Chattanooga. After 35 years, the CTC is a little more than halfway there with 165 miles completed in sporadic sections. When the trail is completed, it will run from the Cumberland Gap National Park at the Kentucky border to its completed southern terminus in Signal Point National Historic Park just north of Chattanooga.

Work on the trail fizzled in the 80s, but was revived in the mid-90s. Now a Tennessee State Scenic Hiking Trail, it became Tennessee’s 53rd state park in 1998. Since the state of Tennessee may not use the right of imminent domain to acquire property, land acquisition for the trail has been tough in many places, but persistent volunteers are committed to seeing the project finished.

This year alone, the trail has seen 20,000 hours of volunteer work. About 20 additional miles of trail will be completed this fall. The trail is projected to be finished by 2011.

ON THE PATH: Cumberland Trail is also Tennessee’s first linear park, following a line of high ridges and deep gorges along the rugged eastern escarpment of the Cumberland Plateau. The Cumberland creators have divided the southwesterly trail into eight segments.

The steep, rugged sections through Frozen Head State Park is followed by a gentle waterside section on the Obed Wild and Scenic River. After traversing the Bowater Laurel-Snow Wilderness, it drops into a series of gorges. The last 40 miles pass through Prentice Cooper State Forest before ending at Signal Point.

SWEET SPOTS: The completed sections are nothing less than spectacular-a preview for long distance of hikers of what’s to come and an incentive to come out and lend a hand. A strenuous 23-mile completed section runs through the heart of the Cumberland Mountains, including a crossing of the geological anomaly, Devil’s Racetrack. In the southern section, check out the completed 34-mile loop in Signal Point, which offers overlook views of the Tennessee River Gorge. More information: www.cumberlandtrail.org.

MORE LONG-DISTANCE TRAILS IN THE MOUNTAINS

Foothills Trail: The Foothills Trail is a 76-mile hiking trail located in upstate South Carolina and North Carolina’s escarpment. The rugged, remote trail sections near Lake Jocassee feature some of the most scenic waterfalls in the region.

Palmetto Trail: The work-in-progress Palmetto Trail will eventually be a 425-mile recreational trail that traverses the state of South Carolina, beginning at Oconee State Park in the upstate and ending north of Charleston on the coast. Currently more than 200 miles are open in sections.

C&O Towpath: The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal follows the route of the Potomac River for 184.5 miles from Fletcher’s Boathouse in Washington, D.C. to Cumberland, Md. The canal’s 186-mile dirt-road towpath provides a mainly level, continuous trail through the spectacular scenery of the Potomac River Valley.‑The section close to D.C. is heavily used by outdoor urbanites for running and biking in the capitol.

John Muir Trail: Tennessee’s JMT is a 50-mile jaunt along the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River in the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. The national historic trail commemorates the 1867 journey that Muir, the famous naturalist, made through the Cumberland Mountains, which took place before his famous stints in the California Sierras.