Appalachian Trail Thru-Hikers' Companion (2014) Paperback – February 11, 2014

This book will get you to Maine, in style, but it perhaps should not be your first choice. During my experience on the Appalachian Trail this summer (long section hike) I used both the print and electronic version of the Thru-Hikers' Companion. The information you need is here. A mile point to mile point description of the trail, replete with a full listing of services near each road crossing, all shelters, and the distance from one shelter to the next, including miles walked on blue blaze side trails, are all included in this guide. Symbols are easy to read and interpret. Text, which follows the milepost descriptions, is clearly written and up to date. Also, new for this edition is an elevation profile for the trail that is usually easy to read (the first profile for Pennsylvania appears in the Maryland section of the trail).So, with all this going for the book, you would think that I would give it 5 stars, but I simply can't. The most common errors in the text are in the listed elevations. In some cases, these are off by more than a thousand feet, which leads to some strange results, like the summit of Bearfence Mountain being 600 feet lower than the road crossing of Skyline Drive before the climb. But the other thing I noticed on the trail was that most hikers were using the AWOL guidebook instead of this one, and this was most especially true of the Thru-Hikers. There were several reasons for this, not least of which is that the print of the text is larger in the AWOL guide. (This is why I eventually opted to use the e version, where expanding text size is easy.). But AWOL also has certain other advantages, such as listing the mileages, not just to the next shelter, but the next several shelters. And it has a more complete listing of services: friends I met on trail ordered pizza to a shelter in Maryland (and I followed their example) because the AWOL guide listed the phone number to the pizza store that delivered to the trail. My companion did not. So, the bottom line is that while this guide can be very useful for planning, I'm not sure it is currently the best.

i liked the guide, but i prefer the AT Guide for trail use. it is much easier to use. this guide does have a few good tips, like opportunities to blue blaze in bad weather, and a lot of detail and some historical insight concerning shelters and places along the trail. not a bad guide, but the organization just isnt on par with the AT Guide 2014

Funny thing, you can hike the AT without a guide. Made for a good fire starter, though. In all seriousness, if you end up using it, this is a nice, compact guide. The most important info it has is distance between locations, water sources!, and resupply points.

I have not thru-hiked the trail, but know from others who have that this is an essential reference for what to expect along the trail. Especially in those areas where support services and/or maps are not ideal, this book can give the hiker critical information on places to camp, eat or seek assistance. Clearly written and comprehensive.

Looks like a handy book, I've enjoyed it, and I may enjoy it more if I understand what all the symbols in the map/elevation stand for. I keep looking through the book to see if I can find where I have missed this information. I've guessed most of it, but I'm not 100% sure.

In August, a friend and I will be hiking 161 miles of the AT so I knew I needed a guide and some direction...no pun intended. This plus my wall map of the AT did the trick. I am able to map out my stops, find post offices and ultimately feel prepared going into this hike.

This is vital if one plans on actually hiking the trail. The information is vital to know. Do not go on the trail without it!

Used this along side A.W.O.L.s guide last week in lower PA hike of AT. The elevation maps are nice. However the details are not as comprehensive as the A.W.O.L. guide when identifying crossroads and other points of interest along the trail. Also the print is too small a font for my eyes.

Wonderfully informative. I can't wait for the real thing!