Rachel is an outdoor industry professional with over 15 years of experience — she started as a ski instructor in 2009 and hasn't really stopped moving since. She's completed a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, spent a year living and traveling full-time out of a van, and has logged years of sport climbing, bouldering, skiing, and backpacking across the U.S..

She writes about all of it here: gear that actually works, lessons that took miles to learn, and the kind of practical trail knowledge that doesn't talk down to you. This blog is built on the belief that getting outside is for everyone — not just the people who go hardest, fastest, or have the most expensive kit. You'll find AT journals, gear reviews, trip logs, and honest advice across all of it. No gatekeeping.

How to Register Your AT Thru-Hike (And Which Permits You Actually Need)

When I registered my 2018 AT thru-hike, the process was pretty simple — fill out a form on the ATC website, pick a start date, get a hangtag. That was it. Registration was voluntary, no fees, no permits required except in the Smokies.

A lot has changed. The registration system has been rebuilt, new paid permits have been added in Shenandoah, and the permit landscape on the AT is meaningfully more complex than it used to be. This post covers what you actually need to do before you start hiking — both the voluntary registration and the required permits — so you're not figuring it out mid-trail.

Step One: Register on ATCamp

The ATC's registration platform is now called ATCamp — it replaced the old thru-hiker registration system and is the central place for all overnight AT hiker registration.

Registration is still voluntary, but strongly encouraged. Here's what it actually does:

It helps you pick a less crowded start date. ATCamp shows how many hikers are registered for each start date, which lets you avoid starting shoulder-to-shoulder with 50 other people out of Amicalola. The trail in Georgia in late March can be genuinely congested — staggering start dates helps everyone.

It gives the ATC real trail use data. The ATC uses registration numbers to manage trail maintenance, order hangtags, and make the case for trail resources. More registrations = better data = better-funded trail management.

It gets you trail alerts. Registrants can sign up to receive urgent trail condition alerts via phone or email while hiking — weather closures, trail damage, hazards. Actually useful.

It gets you a hangtag. The AT hangtag is the small elliptical badge thru-hikers clip to their packs. It's dated to your hike year and has your registration number on the back. It's not required, but it's part of the thru-hiker culture and it's free with registration. Hangtags are available at Amicalola Falls State Park Visitor Center (GA) and the A.T. Visitor Center in Monson, ME — typically starting in early February each year.

One important thing to understand: ATCamp is not a reservation system. Registering does not hold you a shelter spot. Almost all shelters on the AT are first come, first served. The exception is the Smokies, but more on that below.

To register, create an account at atcamp.org and follow the step-by-step instructions. You'll select your hike type (thru-hike, section hike, etc.), your start date, and can optionally build out an itinerary with waypoints.

Step Two: Understand Which Permits Are Actually Required

This is where things have gotten more complicated since I hiked. ATCamp registration does not replace required permits — those are separate, paid, and mandatory in certain sections.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Required. Paid.

The Smokies cover roughly 70 miles of the AT and require a paid backcountry permit for all overnight stays. If you meet the Smokies' definition of an AT thru-hiker — beginning and ending your hike at least 50 miles outside the park and only traveling on the AT through it — you're eligible for the AT Thru-Hiker permit, which costs $40 and is valid for 38 days from the date issued, covering 8 days/7 nights through the park.

Get your permit through smokiespermits.nps.gov. The best place to print it is the NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center), which the AT passes directly through — they have a printer in the shop. Fontana Dam Lodge also has one.

Shenandoah National Park

Required. Paid. New as of January 2024.

Starting January 11, 2024, all overnight backcountry visitors in Shenandoah — including AT thru-hikers — must purchase a permit online through Recreation.gov. The permit costs $9 per person plus a $6 reservation fee — so $15 for a solo hiker, $24 for two people.

The good news for thru-hikers: you don't need to specify exact campsites each night. You can indicate a 14-day window for your passage through the park's roughly 100 miles of AT. Get your permit at recreation.gov up to 90 days in advance. This is a genuine change from when I hiked — budget for it.

Baxter State Park (Katahdin)

Required. Free (for thru-hikers using the Birches).

Northbound AT hikers who have hiked to Baxter through the 100 Mile Wilderness without leaving the Trail corridor are eligible to stay at the Birches, Baxter's long-distance hiker campsite. The Birches is first come, first served and costs $10. All other Baxter campgrounds must be reserved in advance and cost more. Katahdin itself requires a day-use parking reservation if you're arriving by car — $5 through the park's website.

White Mountains (New Hampshire)

Fees, not permits.

The White Mountains don't require AT permits, but the AMC (Appalachian Mountain Club) charges fees at some of its maintained campsites — roughly $10/night per person at high-use backcountry sites. Thru-hikers are eligible for the AMC Thru-Hiker Pass, which offers discounts on campsites and food at AMC facilities. Worth getting before you hit New Hampshire.

The Full Picture: What You Need Before You Start

Here's a quick reference of what to do before you leave for the trailhead:

For everyone:

• Register on ATCamp — voluntary but genuinely useful
• Pick up your hangtag at Amicalola or Monson (available from early February)

Required permits — get these before or during your hike:

• Smokies: AT Thru-Hiker permit, $40, via smokiespermits.nps.gov — get this before you leave Georgia
• Shenandoah: Backcountry permit, $15 for solo hiker, via recreation.gov — get this before or during your hike, up to 90 days in advance
• Baxter State Park: No advance permit needed for the Birches if you've come through the 100 Mile Wilderness — but confirm current policy at baxterstateparkauthority.com

Optional but helpful:

• AMC Thru-Hiker Pass for White Mountains fee discounts

Why Bother Registering When It's Not Required?

Honest answer: the trail's overcrowding problem is real, and voluntary registration is one of the few tools the ATC has to manage it. Start date data directly influences trail maintenance funding, hangtag orders, and resource allocation.

When I started in 2018, Georgia in late March was already packed. More people are hiking the AT every year, and the infrastructure — shelters, privies, water sources — was built for significantly lighter traffic. Staggering start dates doesn't solve that, but it helps at the margins.

It also takes about ten minutes and gets you trail alerts and a hangtag. There's not a great argument for skipping it.

FAQs

Is ATCamp registration required to thru-hike the AT? No — it's voluntary. But it's free, takes ten minutes, and the trail use data it generates genuinely helps the ATC manage the trail. Do it.

What happens if my desired start date is at capacity on ATCamp? ATCamp sets capacity thresholds based on available campsites and resource protection. If your preferred date is full, the ATC strongly encourages you to choose a different date. You can still register for a full date, but the point is to spread out trail traffic.

Does ATCamp registration reserve me a shelter spot? No. Almost all AT shelters are first come, first served. ATCamp is a voluntary registration platform, not a reservation system. The Smokies are a partial exception — you'll need a paid permit there that specifies your general camping locations.

Do I need all these permits before I leave home? The Smokies permit is worth getting before you start, since you'll hit the park within the first few hundred miles. The Shenandoah permit can be gotten up to 90 days in advance, so you'll have time to sort it out while hiking through Virginia. Baxter State Park arrangements are typically made closer to your arrival in Maine.

Has the permit situation on the AT changed recently? Yes. The biggest change is Shenandoah's paid backcountry permit requirement, which went into effect January 2024. Before that, a free paper permit was available on-site. Budget $15 per solo hiker for Shenandoah now — it's a real cost that didn't exist when most older thru-hike guides were written.

Where do I pick up my AT hangtag? At Amicalola Falls State Park Visitor Center in Georgia (for NOBOs) or the A.T. Visitor Center in Monson, ME (for SOBOs). Hangtags are typically available from early February. If you're starting in January, you can get yours in Damascus, VA when you reach that point. Leftover tags from prior years are sometimes available for purchase through the ATC Trail Store.