While some towns are accessible simply by way of walking into them, others are too far that walking wouldn’t be enjoyable. Let’s face it, you walk all the time in the woods, you don’t want to have to walk in and out of town, too. One of the most common ways to get to town is to hitchhike to and from the trailhead and town. Yes, that’s right, hitchhiking is extremely common on the Appalachian Trail (don’t tell your mom). The back of pickup trucks are quite common given they can fit lots of hikers and we smell disgusting from days without showering on the trail. Of course hitchhiking can be dangerous, though most towns on the trail are very accustomed to it. That being said, it’s certainly always recommended to hitchhike with a partner or in groups.

Though there are lots of road crossings on the AT, not all of them are highly trafficked. There can also be some times where people don’t want to pick you up despite the road being highly trafficked, and you end up not getting a ride (which has happened to me). It’s always good to research this ahead of time if you’re planning to stop in that town. Generally, your guidebook does a good job telling you whether or not the town is an easy hitch.