Our mission is to promote completing
the Appalachian Trail by building a new trail segment in Alabama and establishing Cheaha State Park as the Southern Terminus.
In 1925, the participants in the first Appalachian Trail Conference envisioned a nature trail that stretched the full length of the Appalachian Mountains, from Maine to Alabama.
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We want to fulfill that dream by promoting Cheaha State Park as the Southern Terminus and building a new trail segment for the Appalachian Trail in Alabama.
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The new route through Alabama will maximize accessibility to the Appalachian Trail for residents of Alabama and bring economic benefits to towns on the Trail like Anniston, Heflin, Jacksonville, Oxford, and Piedmont.
ENVISION
You can envision how your town and constituents could benefit from building the Appalachian Trail in Alabama.
CONNECT
You can connect us to the stakeholders and influencers who can help make this project a reality, like leaders from your town's Chamber of Commerce, City Council and county commissions, Parks and Recreation department, and notable businesses.
WRITE
You can write a testimonial in support of this project! Your town is unique, and so is your story about how the Appalachian Trail could change the lives of your friends, family, and neighbors. Share your story with us and the media to help promote the project.
ADVOCATE
You can advocate for this project by reaching out to your elected representatives. Extending the Appalachian Trail to Alabama is in large part a political effort that will require Congressional action to amend the National Trails Act to declare Cheaha State Park as the new Southern Terminus of the Appalachian Trail.
JEFF HAYES
HOMETOWN: BIRMINGHAM, AL
Jeff, an avid backpacker for 45 years, has hiked all of the Appalachian Trail, the Camino de Santiago, and the Alabama Pinhoti Trail. He earned his doctorate at Princeton Seminary where he studied systemic analysis, a process that informs the strategy behind AT2AL.
GREG LEIN
HOMETOWN: HUNTSVILLE, AL
Greg, director of the Alabama State Parks, completed the Appalachian Trail in 1991. As the former Assistant Director of the State Lands Division, Greg played a lead role in the 2012 re-authorization of the Forever Wild program, which acquired significant portions of the corridor for the Pinhoti Trail.
Want to join our team of committed, passionate volunteers?