Appalachian Trail Motorcycle Route (AT)

I had another sleepless night and another bright idea. I downloaded a Gps file of all the shelters along the Appalachian Hiking Trail (AT). In my neck of the woods some of the best motorcycle roads intersect with the AT. So, in the spirit of my Trans New Jersey Trail I decided to trace the roads between the shelters along the AT from ME to GA picking what I think looks like the best motorcycle roads and of course picking as many dirt roads along the way as possible.

So, attached is the route I came up with. 14 States, 2,000 Miles. I doubt many people will ride the entire thing in one shot so I picked as many back roads as possible while avoiding as many highways as possible. So, you can pick up the route in your neck of the woods and check it out or ride the whole damn thing.

Feel free to improve or update the trail. Just be sure to post your changes.

p.s. Navigate the route in Off-Road mode going from Waypoint to Waypoint, turn off Auto-Calc

Gdb File: http://www.motorcyclecompetitioninc.com/GPS/AT_v1.gdb

I was afraid this was going to say that you had found an awesome 2000 mile single track.

What program do you need to run this file? I saved it to the computer and tried to open it with Mapsource but no dice.

Thanks,
Biggus

This looks Great!

Thanks!

Opens fine in Mapsource. Save the file, (make sure it is saved as a .gpx file) Open Mapsource and open file from within Mapsource. (If you try to launch the .gpx file, Windoze might not know what it is...)

I couldn't get it to work either. I tried opening it in mapsource and I get an error saying it isn't a valid mapsource file.

Or, right click on it and select "Open With" and then select MapSource.

You'll need the latest version of mapsource. I used CityNavigator to build the route. I'll upload the GDB file to my webserver soon.

Or you could download Google Earth for free and view it in there. Make sure your looking for File Of Type .GPX.

Great job!

I had to download the file twice. First time the download truncated at 467kb.

I had to delete the file from my computer, and then re-download it.

The file you download should be 917kb.

Nice job Rob!

Here's another idea, ease up with the internet porn while your woman's away.

Rob23, I have also been working on a MotoAT route, starting from the south end. I laid out a variety of alternate routes from Dahlonega to the north end of the Smoky Mountains.

My focus is the Appalachain Mountains, more than limiting myself to the Appalachian Trail, and I have gone where the dirt takes me. For example, several routes swing west to pick up Cohutta Wilderness and Tellico Plains. I also have a route that swings east by Highlands.

Some routes are more practical than others. For example, a route through Cades Cove might have limited appeal. I would love to hear from others more familiar with some of these roads.

My mapping strategy is slightly different than yours. My routes are set up for auto-routing. Your method might be better, although the best would be actual track logs from people who have run the routes.

It would be great if people would ride these sections and post their comments.
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My GPX file is larger than Advrider will allow. Send a PM if you are interested and I can send a GPX or a GDB file.

I've learned from Jack Splash and others that the waypoint to waypoint method works best because you can combine roads and trail that aren't on the map.

Your right, if guys ride a section(s) and post their tracks we can see what works and what doesn't. I don't know these areas or roads except through parts of NY, NJ, PA and some in VT. So, I was just picking out what looked good to me on the map. The idea of tracing the AT was so you could use their shelters for camping and it made the job easier for creating routes through areas I know nothing about.

I'll send you my email for the files.

I think I may ride the PA section this Sunday or part of.

here's the gdb file:

http://www.motorcyclecompetitioninc.com/GPS/AT_v1.gdb

Yep, same for me. Once the full file downloaded, it opened fine.

Nice work, rob23. Fun idea!

The green line is my tweak to the your route north of Linden,VA. Blue Mountain Rd. is a fun little dirt road that climbs up from the Shenandoah River to the top of the ridge where the AT is.



In my area, due to DC suburban sprawl, some of the best dirt roads and paved twisties parallel the Tuscarora Trail. I'll work on a .gpx to post...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuscarora_Trail

yeah, I figured the locals would know the roads best. So, feel free to add an additional route to the source file. The more options the better. Post the gpx file as AT_v2.gpx when your done.

The route I created is more of a guide which will require some improve to see all the good sites along the way.

Like with the hiking trail I doubt many people will ride the entire route at once but they could. It'd be good to see some loops created in combination with the route.

Nice project Rob !
2k is too much though ? Come with me my friend on one of my annual Adventure trips !
2k miles is just the warm up! We will ride close to 6k this Sept. with any luck. Out to the Rockies and back via the TAT and an all dirt/backroad route. 2 week+ timeframe.

Being a longtime backpacker and having used the A.T. many times, it is misguided thinking that you will be using the A.T. lean-to's or cabins/hostels for your camping needs. These sleeping areas are intended for those hiking the A.T., and are usually far from usable roads, high on the trail, away from easy access. It is bad form to use one of these camping spots if you are not hiking the trail. And in highly used areas, there is rarely space for the hikers overnight. There are plenty of public/private campgrounds a short distance from most points on the trail. So forget about using the A.T. overnight spots, something tells me that no one posting has actually hiked the A.T. for more than a day hike, if at all from the comments.
I think RichardU has the idea, focus on the Appalachian range rather than the trail, opens up the possibilities. The trail limits you to the "trail", which doesn't mean it's better than other routes, it's just a continuous line from Me. to Ga. that is designed for hikers, not necessarily the best route for vehicles to follow.

I didn't get the idea anyone wanted to actually sleep in the shelters, and I have hiked a good bit of the AT in late winter, but this is a small portion of my backpacking because of the designated camping. I'd just as soon stay in the Walmart Parking lot as an AT shelter.

Some of the shelters are pretty cool and road accessible like at Mount Greylock in MA. Some are just shelters like at the top of Sunrise Mountain (also road accessible) in NJ. So, if you needed a shelter they're there. I doubt anyone would care if you used them or not and half the time they are vacant at least the ones I've seen. Before I got back into motorcycles I spent a lot of time hiking the AT. The trail also covers some nice vistas which are all pretty munch road accessible like Mt. Greylock, High Point NJ, Bear Mountain just to name a few.

I have noticed in our area a lot of great roads run along the AT so I disagree with you there (Tots Gap Rd. in PA to name one). If you look at the file you'll actually see some of the good roads we often ride. Going towards NC the roads I choose look ideal for riding.

However, this is a work in progress so if there's an alternate or better route I put it to the riders to make the changes and improve the route so we finally have a north to south route in the east. I've seen the question posted on this board just about every week "does anyone know a good route from ME to FL. Well, now we have something to work with..

Frank, I'd love to join you maybe next year when I have more time off. Keep me posted with your plans.