The Appalachian Trail Maintainers Committee (ATMC) of the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club (SMHC) maintains 72 miles of the Appalachian Trail (AT) in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and 30 miles in the Nantahala National Forest south of the Park. We receive major assistance from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), the National Park staff, US Forest Service staff as well as the Friends of the Smokies and other organizations.

We divide the trail into sections of one to three miles and assign Section Leaders who schedule their own maintenance trips, usually one-day outings. We also conduct one-day group work trips on the first Saturday of most months, March through November. We have a list of “Extra Crew” members who are notified when help is needed, either by a Section Leader or for the monthly one-day trips. Experienced maintainer volunteers will lead work trips and provide on-the-job training for new maintainers.

Basic maintenance includes cutting back brush and weeds to clear the trail corridor, cleaning out water drainages to reduce erosion, and filling in washed-out areas around steps. The club forms specialized volunteer crews as needed that remove large blowdowns, work on major treadway initiatives, and keep our shelters, privies, and trail signage maintained. All Park maintenance is done with hand tools because the Park is maintained as a wilderness area. Some tools are stashed at back country shelter locations, but maintainers normally expect to carry in needed tools in addition to their pack containing their personal food and gear. Any backpacking maintenance trips are made in compliance with Park requirements for permits, reservations, etc.