From Lois Friedland,
Your Guide to Adventure Travel.
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If you want to go hiking in the Northeast, check out the Appalachian Mountain Club. The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), which has been around since 1876, now maintains and protects more than 1,500 miles of trails in the Northeast, including 350 miles of the Appalachian Trail. The AMC offers more than 8,000 trips a year -- including some free guided hikes -- has nearly 90,000 members in 12 chapters, and 20,00 volunteers who help maintain and protect the trails that flow through America’s Northeastern mountains and alongside rivers.

AMC is offering free, downloadable "Top 10" foliage hikes itineraries, with maps and naturalist blogs. Free walk-in AMC Outdoor Explorations programs are also being offered this fall, for guests at two AMC White Mountain lodges, including one- to eight-hour guided activities including shutterbug hikes, moose-spotting forays and trail running.

Lodges, Huts, Trips, Interactive Trail Guides and More

The AMC has many lodges, huts, full-service camps, cabins, shelters and campgrounds, where you could stay during hikes along the Appalachian Trail and in other mountains around the Northeast. On the website you’ll find a full list.

AMC’s White Mountain Guide Online has descriptions of more than 500 trails in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, suggested fall foliage hikes and other information to help you plan a personalized hike. The subscription fee is $15 ($12 for AMC members) and there’s a 14-day free trail.

Volunteering to Help Maintain and Protect Hiking Trails

If you use AMC’s hiking trails, why not volunteer some sweat equity to help maintain and protect them? You could join one of the Volunteer Crews, which are stewards of specific trails. These crews join weekend Work Parties, or one-to three-week Volunteer Vacations. Yearly, AMC volunteers donate about 18,000 hours to building bridges over bogs, buildings cairns along the trails and maintaining heavily used trails in other ways.

Interactive AMC Website

To learn more about AMC, and to see if there’s a chapter near you, visit Appalachian Mountain Club.