In what could arguably be called one of the most scenic sections of the Appalachian Trail, the Appalachian Trail Guide to New Hampshire and Vermont is an invaluable resource for anyone considering hiking the Trail through these two states.

The Appalachian Trail stretches roughly 2,100 miles from Springer Mountain in Georgia, to the summit of Mount Katahdin in Maine. The Trail itself is a National Scenic Trail and is owned by the National Park Service and managed by the Appalachian Trail Conference (ATC). ATC publishes guidebooks for each state that the Trail travels through.

In Vermont and New Hampshire the Trail not only climbs the mountain with the worst weather in the world (Mount Washington), but goes up and down an almost endless string of mountains that span the spine of Vermont and cut through the highest ranges in New Hampshire.

What do you get?

Since the ATC publishes all of the guidebooks for the Appalachian Trail, each of them are quite similar and they all provide thru-hikers (people who complete the entire Appalachian Trail on one long hike), backpackers and day-trippers an excellent resource for any size trip along the Appalachian Trail in these two states.

The Appalachian Trail covers about 330 miles between Vermont and New Hampshire. The Trail enters Vermont at its very southern end, travels up the spine of the Green Mountains and crosses over into New Hampshire where it climbs northward to cut across the Presidential Range and eventually enters into Maine.

The book includes 8 maps that cover the entire length of the Trail in the two states. Each chapter in the guidebook are indexed to these maps to make it easier to find the trail descriptions or maps of the section that you are considering hiking. The maps are printed on tear-proof and waterproof paper and are of excellent quality. In addition to a topographic map with the trail route shown, you are also given a vertical relief map of the trail route to give you an idea of how much climbing and descending you’ll be doing on a certain section (and in this part of the Trail, it’s up and down an awful lot).

Unlike some other map sets in other state guidebooks, there is no quick guide to the Trail that is broken down by the mileage from landmark to landmark directly on the map. So if you want the trail description while you are hiking, you’ll need to have both the map and the book.

Because the maps are waterproof and tear-proof, they are easy to fold up and slip into your pocket without having to worry about damaging the map. If you’re going to bring the book, it is fairly small and can easily be packed in your backpack - my guess is that it doesn’t weigh more than a few ounces.

The Trail Guide

Each Trail section in the guidebook is first introduced by an overview of the entire section that corresponds to the map. Then the descriptions for each sub-section of Trail (which are generally broken up by road crossings) are given. The book begins its descriptions at the northern Maine-New Hampshire border and moves southward to the Vermont-Massachusetts border.

The descriptions include information on the location of the section, its length, the estimated hiking time for each section, any elevation gain or loss (there’s always gain and loss in these sections!), lean-tos and campsites that are available, road access to the sections, side trails, any points of interest along that section and suggestions for further reading should you want to know more about an area.

The trail descriptions for each section of the Trail go into some basic detail about the hike you will have on that Trail. The major features that you’ll find along the Trail are described; as are steep pitches, trail junctions and more. The descriptions are fairly accurate and detailed, which make it easy to follow and give you a good idea of what to expect along your hike.

Anything else in the book?

In addition to the Trail descriptions, the guidebook includes several different chapters that cover basic information about the development and management of the Appalachian Trail as a whole, basic information on hiking, basic first aid knowledge, a look at shelters and campsites along the Trail, transportation options to get to the Appalachian Trail, suggested shorter day trips and overnight trips, a natural history of the Trail in the two states, a collection of important addresses you may need if you are hiking the Trail and a complete index to the book that makes finding the individual Trail sections easier. You’ll find a table that lists the mileage of the Trail in the two states both north to south and south to north by major landmarks along the Trail.

There's also information about the Appalachian Trail Conference and how to volunteer time, effort and money for Trail management and protection.

Who Needs This Book?

Anyone who is considering hiking different sections, or the entire section of the Appalachian Trail through New Hampshire and/or Vermont should get their hands on this book. ATC really provides the ultimate (and only) reference guide for hikers by providing quality trail descriptions and high quality maps that make planning your trip and carrying it out as easy as possible.

Final Thoughts

This book is for anyone who wants to hike the Appalachian Trail in New Hampshire and Vermont. You’ll get the best descriptions and the best maps. Simply put, you won’t be disappointed by this guidebook and its maps.


More NH & VT Hiking Info

Hikers Guide To The Mountains Of Vermont
Hiking Guide to Mount Washington & The Presidential Range
Long Trail Guide
AMC White Mountain Guide

Recommended: Yes