24 More Appalachian Trail-Inspired Tattoos We Can’t Stop Looking At

doCompleting a hike is a monumental feat that deserves to be commemorated. How can you sum up a life-changing journey? When words fall short, many hikers turn to art.

Tattoos look like wearable trail souvenirs. They are also the perfect excuse to talk about the trail when people stop you to ask about them.

We’re excited to highlight some of the beautiful and unique trail-inspired inks our readers are sporting.

Christopher Flow
Trail Name: Kaleidoscope (AT)
@christopherflujo

Courtney Hans
Trail name: La Condesa Coco (AT)
@lacondesscoco

Amanda Williams
Trail Name: Stealth Mode (AT, Benton McKaye TrailPCT)
@amanda23may

John Williams
Trail Name: Side Trail (AT)
@sidetrail

Story behind the tattoo: It contains year, mileage for that year, name of the trail and total time traveled (168 days, 2 hours, 43 minutes and 49 seconds).

Ricardo Luna
Trail Name: Airbud (AT)
@ricky1luna

Story behind the tattoo: I just wanted something to remember the trip.

joe reynolds
Path Name: Guru (AT)
@jrenzie

Story behind the tattoo: I took a photo of that tree in a field in Virginia and incorporated it into the design. The store says «AT Guru». Artist credit goes to @jesserix, a tattoo artist in Keene, NH.

Stephen
Route Name: Muppet (AT)
@muppethikes

Story behind the tattoo: Magic Cat Tattoo has done all my trail tattoos. I send you photos that highlight my favorite moments and views. Take the logo creatively and add personal character to it. Being from Jersey, of course, I had to show the famous boardwalk front and center in my AT tattoo.

Stephen
Route Name: Muppet (AT)
@muppethikes

Story behind the tattoo: My trail name tattoo: Muppet animal as a hiker, holding my colorful Lite AF pack.

Kristy Bernardo
Trail Name: Telephone Call (AT)
@kristybernard25

Story behind the tattoo: Becoming a hiker has changed my identity as a person and now also as a mother. Mother Nature is there for us to explore, learn and grow. The AT started that for me.

Gabby Rumney
Trail Name: Vortex (AT, Colorado Trail)
@gibby_not_gabby

Story behind the tattoo: The bright orange newts found along the AT meant a lot to me. Often when I walked alone I would look down and see the little ones and remember that I am never truly alone.

yvette
Trail Name: Detour (AT, Colorado Trail, CDT, Walkers Haute Route)
@hikeoftheday

Story behind the tattoo: My first time was the AT (2019) and I wanted to capture the things I remembered most: ferns, mushrooms, evergreen branches, and blueberries.

Ethan Legler
Trail Name: Power Finger (AT, CDT)
@ethleg

Story behind the tattoo: The loons always remind me of the northern section of the trail, listening to them as you fall asleep next to a lake in Maine. I had never heard one before until the OT.

Willy Callahan
Trail Name: Catchup (AT)
@wolfewanderer

Story behind the tattoo: I grew up near the Potomac River in Virginia, where there are a lot of blue herons. I saw them along the way, especially when things got tougher.

Rick Faulkner
Trail Name: Flex (AT, Long Trail, Foothills Trail)
@thruhikinsc

Story behind the tattoo: Patchwork sleeve tattoo representing our AT hike. The manga took 4 years to complete.

William Zyckowski
Route Name: BigWillyDawg (AT)
@bigwillydawg_13

Story behind the tattoo: Mainly creation of my tattoo artist. I just sent the AT logo and he did the rest.

caroline and tucker
Trail Name: Roly Poly and Dodger (AT)
@cegener, @tucker_emmons

Story behind the tattoo: Tucker and I met on the trail and hiked from the Smokies to Katahdin and got matching tattoos to celebrate!

Niki Reitz
Path Name: Fibonacci (AT)
@nikidosuno

Story behind the tattoo: My favorite alpine vegetation: everything you shouldn’t step on! Artist: @noelle_adrienne.

Claire Ather
Trail name: Bee (AT, PCT)
@claire.damon

Story behind the tattoo: I love bugs and knew I wanted my AT tag and an animal or insect. I saw a snake every day on the AT from Hot Springs, NC to Great Barrington, MA, and most commonly saw black rat snakes…hence the black rat snake tattoo!

Malcolm MacGregor
Trail Name: CoolTree & Stranger (AT)
@fotomalcolm

Story behind the tattoo: Father and son walked together and got similar tattoos.

Christina Todd
Trail Name: Nemophilist (Foothills Trail, AT, Colorado Trail, Long Trail, Northville Placid Trail, Monadnock Supanee Trail, Bartram Trail, Camino de Costa Rica)
@cristinatoddster

Story behind the tattoo: It took me 40 years to realize my dream of completing the AT, which then opened up a life of hiking for me. I wanted a permanent reminder of this achievement and got the tattoo on a whim a few days after finishing it.

John McGivern
Trail Name: Libertad (AT)

Story behind the tattoo: The AT: the trail, the trees and the mountains. As well as hanging trail labels and names. Sweet memories of 2024.

ben white
Trail Name: Safari (AT, Long Trail, Great Allegany Passage, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, Hills to Sea)
@yeahbub.cussguy

Story behind the tattoo: I thought about it a few hundred miles on my AT NOBO in the ’22.

Erin Tuesson
Route Name: Bookmaker (AT)
@bookie_and_no_shame

Story behind the tattoo: They are flowers/plants along the AT from south to north, all branching from a single stem and wrapping around to reconnect, as my trip included a jump.

Caleb Sowell
Trail Name: Skinny Kid (AT, Foothills Trail)
@skinnykid_sowell

Story behind the tattoo: I wanted something simple. This tattoo has sparked many conversations about my hike.

Thanks to those who shared their trail-inspired tattoos! If you have any sick trace inks you would like us to feature, click the link below. We’re wrapping up our tattoo series, so this is your last chance to show off your trail-inspired tattoo!

Last Call: Send Your Thru-Hiker Tattoo Photos

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