Every year, over a thousand people complete the 2,192-mile (3528-kilometer) Appalachian Trail between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. Millions more follow the trail for a shorter stretch by spending time at the countless overlooks, walking along the wooded ridges, or meandering through the small town centers, making this network one of the world's most visited and widely recognized trail corridors. However, the proposal for this expansive trail corridor, originally entered in a 1921 Journal of the American Institute of Architects article by Benton MacKaye, was far from a mere recreational outdoor amenity. This "project in regional planning" was a radical critique of the industrializing modernity that sharpened the divide between expanding cities of the Eastern coast and waning towns of the Appalachian mountains.
Benton MacKaye, an avid forester and conservationist turned planner, submitted his article to speak to a wide audience of architects and planners throughout the Eastern Coast of the United States, calling on their professions to imagine a hiking trail on the spine of the Appalachian mountains that would stitch back together social aspects of American life in the twentieth century. It would combine aspirations for leisure and activity, economy and industry, conservation, and community of the Eastern coast, regardless of economic and class status. The brief article is utopian, romantic, inspiring, and acutely specific on achieving the plan.
Overall, the Appalachian trail proposal is striking and effective because MacKaye insists on including social and environmental concerns in the regional planning proposal from the beginning to its implementation and maintenance. The ambitious proposal links "campground architecture" with productive landscapes, infrastructural investment, and regional identity. Today, the project's success metrics are not measured by the number of visitors or federal funding, but by how strongly it can reconnect people with nature, revitalize rural economies, and foster a sense of collective purpose.
Trail Towns: Economic Revitalization on the Appalachian Corridor
Dotted throughout the Appalachian mountains, small and often remote towns have used the Appalachian Trail as an opportunity for economic renewal. Since the trail draws millions of visitors every year, a dependable and seasonal pattern of hikers has translated into a reliable source of income for the residents of these peripheral towns. The towns adjacent to the trail can capitalize on their local hospitality, leisure, and tourism sectors, as demonstrated by the locally-owned gear shops, bed and breakfast centers, and seasonal restaurants. The influx of tourist dollars is reinvested into the town's local economy by improving road networks, building needed infrastructure, and preserving historic buildings.
The Appalachian 'Long Lodge' proposal for residential cabins along the Appalachian Trail, recently named the Honor Award Winner of the 2018 Maine Mass Timber Design Competition, showcases the intersection of beautiful structural design and the positive benefits of hosting hikers from the Appalachian Trail. Located in the northern region of the trail, these temporary living spaces are designed to celebrate the natural beauty of the forest while showcasing sustainable construction techniques with structural timber.
Every year, local governments and businesses of the Appalachian towns collaborate on events such as festivals celebrating the Appalachian Trail, which draws even larger crowds. The residents of Damascus, Virginia host a yearly gathering titled "Trail Days," a popular festival that celebrates hiking culture and brings in significant revenue, allowing the town to further invest in their public works, parks, and trail access points. Outside of the summer and autumn peak months, many towns invest in artists, writers, and creative communities that hope for inspiration in the Appalachian foothills. For example, the Shenandoah House project by SCHAUM/SHIEH was designed as a writing retreat to unfold organically in the Allegheny Mountains of western Virginia. Visitors gather in their writing retreat every year to draw inspiration from the beauty of the natural environment. This cyclical growth enables these small towns to survive and flourish, revitalizing their local economies and sustaining their unique cultural identities amidst an evolving rural landscape.
Setting the Foundations: Infrastructure Networks within and between Towns
Beyond tourism and economic growth, the Appalachian Trail has also played a role in building, planning, and improving infrastructure within and between the towns it connects. As these towns become more popular with hikers and tourists, the residents invest in better roads, public transportation, and community services to accommodate the influx of visitors. What starts as a need to support trail-related tourism has created broader benefits for the local communities, improving both the quality of life for residents and the experience for visitors.
The Appalachian Trail passes through steep terrains, tall slopes, and river valleys, all of which are vulnerable to erosion. As foot traffic increases, these areas suffer from accelerated land degradation, necessitating erosion control, and land stabilization efforts. In areas with frequent flooding or runoff, residents and local governments are called to install sustainable solutions such as terracing, retaining walls, and vegetation planting to stabilize vulnerable areas. To manage the increase in foot traffic and vehicle movement, narrow mountain roads will require widening and resurfacing. Many towns have invested in building shuttle services, bike paths, and pedestrian-friendly streets that cater not only to hikers but also to residents and other visitors. Improved road networks also allow emergency services to reach more remote areas of the trail, addressing the safety needs of hikers and the local population. Hikers often cross streams, rivers, or valleys, making well-maintained bridges crucial for access. These investments not only protect hikers but also ensure that residents have safe access to parts of the trail for leisure and transportation.
In collaboration with Virginia Tech architecture students, the experimental design/buildLAB is a project-based learning program focused on research, design, and construction of innovative building methods and community forward engagement in the Appalachian towns of Virginia. The town of Clifton Forge is representative of many previously prosperous rail towns, now struggling to survive as the industries, that fueled their growth, continue to abandon them. Designed and constructed by the students of design/buildLAB to enhance the community connections and infrastructural needs of the town, the Smith Creek Pedestrian Bridge invites people to wander through their town and provides a direct path over the creek to the historic downtown. It is a necessary element of infrastructure that promotes the lives and wellness of the residents and the visitors who pass through, due to the town's proximity to the trail.
Defining Prosperity: Identity and Environment
One of the foundational elements of MacKaye's vision was for the trail to unite the social and cultural identities of the towns along its route. This identity, though it evolves as one travels from the southern Appalachian regions of Georgia and North Carolina to the northern reaches of Maine, is rooted in a shared appreciation for the natural landscape, self-sufficiency, and community values. Southern region towns, like Clifton Forge, Lexington, and Damascus, use the Appalachian Trail as a means to illustrate their stories to visitors, by showcasing regional folklore, craftsmanship, and traditions. Meanwhile, the towns in the northern regions offer a different flavor of Appalachian identity, steeped in the traditions of outdoor adventure, conservation techniques, and forestry.
From the first proposal by MacKaye, the Appalachian Trail plays a critical role in environmental preservation. One of the trail's greatest accomplishments is its ability to protect vast tracts of land along its corridor. As the Appalachian Trail passes through national parks, forests, and wilderness areas, it safeguards these spaces from development and overuse. In doing so, the trail preserves not only the physical beauty of the Appalachian region but also its environmental health, allowing both residents and visitors to enjoy the wilderness for generations to come. This commitment to protecting the environment is intertwined with the cultural mission of the trail as both are seen as essential to maintaining the Appalachian way of life. The trail brings attention to the need for sustainable land use, ensuring that the natural environment remains unspoiled while still being accessible to the people who depend on it for recreation, tourism, and personal connection.
Peripheral Towns: the Case for Collective Visions beyond Trailheads
The Appalachian Trail serves as a powerful example of how large-scale trail networks can be used as urban planning tools. While it's easy to consider hiking trails as a singular recreational or leisure site, they are also frameworks for connecting people, towns, and resources. The trail's success shows that large-scale trails are more than footpaths and overlooks, they are long-term investments in economic development, infrastructure, and cultural preservation of rural and remote mountain towns.
For urban planners and policymakers, the Appalachian Trail provides inspiration and valuable insights into how remote or rural areas can be connected through shared natural resources, share in tourism revenues, and invest in their local infrastructure, instead of depending on the high economic status of their town. It is a model for how natural corridors can foster sustainable development and resilience, helping small towns maintain their identity while adapting to modern challenges. As the Appalachian Trail has demonstrated, the revitalization of entire communities and revolutionary thinking in regional planning can link people and places to foster long-term growth and cultural cohesion.
