Pinhoti National Recreation Trail


The Pinhoti Trail is a Southern Appalachian Mountains long-distance trail, in length, located in the United States within the states of Alabama and Georgia. The trail's southern terminus is on Flagg Mountain, near Weogufka, Alabama, the southernmost peak in the state that rises over. The trail's northern terminus is where it joins the Benton MacKaye Trail. The trail's highest point is Buddy Cove Gap, with an elevation of
3164 feet near the Cohutta Wilderness. Its lowest point above sea level is close to Weogufka Creek near Weogufka State Forest at 545 feet.
The Pinhoti Trail is a part of the Eastern Continental Trail and the Great Eastern Trail, both very long-distance US hiking trails connecting multiple states.

Geographic characteristics

The north terminus is approximately northwest of Springer Mountain, which is the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.
Georgia has about of the trail, and Alabama contains the other of the trail.

History

From the . The PTA Facebook account has the most history and current trail conditions online.
"The Pinhoti Trail is considered the realization of forester Benton MacKaye's original 1921 vision of a trail extending the length of the Appalachian Mountain chain, connecting several existing trails, and sprinkled with permanent camps and constructed to "stimulate every line of outdoor non-industrial endeavor," including recreation, recuperation, agriculture and study. He hoped to spark a "back to the land" movement to relieve the ills of urban industrial life."
From the Georgia Pinhoti Trail Association website:
Construction of the Alabama Pinhoti Trail began in 1970 within the Talladega National Forest in east central and northeast Alabama. In 1977, the Talledega National Forest portions of the trail were designated a National Recreation Trail. By 1983, of trail had been constructed and Mike Leonard of the Alabama Wilderness Coalition along with Al Shumaker, Richard Lindsey, Pete Conroy and Bruce Hutchinson proposed connecting the Pinhoti to the Appalachian Trail in Georgia. The U.S. Forest Service and Alabama's Forever Wild land trust aided in the acquisition of major wilderness tracts. The Pinhoti Trail currently travels through some of those acquired lands and others in which it is planned to go through.
The Pinhoti Trail was initially completed in February 2008, and officially opened to the public on March 16, 2008. Efforts continue to improve the trail, mainly involving moving road walk sections of the trail onto trails away from the road. A new southern terminus of the trail at the base of Flagg Mountain, opened in March 2015.

Appalachian Trail designation

Occasionally, a small but vocal group of Alabama hiking groups have been advocating to officially designate the Pinhoti Trail as a part of the Appalachian Trail — a move that would make Flagg Mountain the southern terminus of the AT. However, these attempts have garnered a significant amount of backlash from Facebook communities dedicated to the Alabama Pinhoti Trail, though the effort has extensive support among Alabama citizens and Alabama State Government.

Trails used in the system