Fewer people hiked the AT in 2025. Is the trail’s popularity declining?

tThe Appalachian Trail might be the most popular hike in the US, but data from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) suggests that significantly fewer people hiked in 2025 compared to last year.

As we approach the end of the AT hiking season, ATC charts report that 3,641 hikers have logged hikes through the organization’s voluntary ATCamp system by 2025, marking a roughly 15% decrease from 2024. (The ATC asks hikers to log their hikes and posts Hiker Crowd Charts to help potential hikers plan their start dates around the bubble).

ATC Communications Director Ann Simonelli confirms that the shore hiker count is down this year compared to 2024. “The post-Covid peak seems to level off a little each year,” Simonelli says in an email to The Trek.

Although 2024 saw an increase in ATCamp registrations over previous years, the number of shore hikers was already declining, and that trend appears to have continued into 2025.

Lingering damage from Hurricane Helene

The Covid-19 pandemic caused a surge in outdoor recreation that included an increase in AT through hiking; In the years since the pandemic, that sudden wave of interest has leveled off, likely contributing to the recent decline in thru-hiking participation.

The severe and highly publicized damage inflicted on the trail and nearby communities last fall by Hurricane Helene may also have discouraged some aspiring 2025 hikers. Helene affected numerous segments of the trail in 2024, causing unprecedented landslides, flooding, and closures that required extensive effort by the ATC and its maintenance clubs.

The lingering damage and resulting trail warnings may have led would-be 2025 hikers to postpone their attempts or choose a different long trail entirely.

Record versus reality

Since the start of the traditional post-pandemic hiking season in 2022, we have not seen a clear trend in hiker registration numbers. These numbers fell in 2023, increased again in 2024, and appear to have decreased once again in 2025.

It is important to note that the ATCam system is a voluntary registration process. These numbers indicate a trend in intentions and planning, but do not directly translate to the actual number of hikers on the trail. Some people hike without registering and others register to hike but never make it to the trail.

Last year, for example, there was a notable discrepancy between the number of people who signed up to hike (more than usual) and the number of hikers actually seen on the trail (fewer than usual). «Each year we see more evidence that ATCamp sign-ups do not equal outings, and we use on-the-ground counts to get a more accurate picture of how many hikers are on the trail,» Simonelli told The Trek at the time.

On-the-ground counts show up to 25% fewer hikers this year

In 2025, registration numbers and on-the-ground counts are at least trending in the same direction and indicate that the number of people hiking the AT has continued to decline. Simonelli reports that Baxter State Park, home to the AT’s northern terminus, counted 1,198 hikers in 2025 compared to 1,592 the year before, a 25% drop.

All AT hikers, regardless of whether they are northbound, southbound, or in flip flops, must appear in person at Baxter State Park to acquire a long-distance hiker permit to reach the summit of Katahdin, so these numbers are probably relatively accurate.

ATC also noted a 17% decrease in the number of hikers using the Kennebec River Ferry in Maine this year (1,144, compared to 1,372 in 2024).

By contrast, at the opposite end of the trail, the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club saw a total of 2,187 hikers participate in Basecamp (a voluntary hiker orientation program) at Amicalola Falls State Park in 2025, a relatively similar number to the 2,252 participants in 2024. But Basecamp is voluntary and does not distinguish between section and section hikers, making these numbers a little less definitive.

The small increase in 2022 likely dates back to hikers rescheduling their plans after the pandemic.

Neville Harris of the popular Woods Hole hiking lodge in Virginia says fewer hikers stayed with her this year compared to 2024, which she said had been a relatively busy season for Woods Hole. “When there are not so many (hikers) “I continued to be sad,” Harris tells The Trek via email. «For some reason I wanted a super busy hiking season, like 2024. We just weren’t getting it.»

Registrations 2026

The 2026 hiking season is quickly approaching, and there are already nearly 700 hikers registered to begin between February 1 and April 30. It remains to be seen whether the number of hikers will continue to decline next year.

If you are planning to hike the Appalachian Trail in 2026, be sure to record your walk with ATC to help others stagger start dates to avoid crowding on the road.