- Great Eastern Trail
Infobox Hiking trail
Name=Great Eastern Trail
Photo=
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Length=~1,600 mi; 2,575 km
Start/End Points=Florida Trail North Country Trail
Use= Hiking
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Difficulty=Moderate to Strenuous
Season=Year-round
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Hazards=The Great Eastern Trail project began as an attempt to create a second long hiking route through the Appalachians west of the
Appalachian Trail in the easternUnited States . Several other names were suggested and used earlier, including the Western Appalachian Alternative.More recently, it was redefined as a potential connector in the US National Trails System, linking the
Florida National Scenic Trail in the south to theNorth Country National Scenic Trail inNew York .In between, it would connect with and overlap two other National Scenic Trails: the
Appalachian Trail and the Potomac Heritage.The project has enjoyed support from the
American Hiking Society and the Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program (http://www.nps.gov/ncrc/programs/rtca/) of the USNational Park Service but recently became an independent entity. The Great Eastern Trail Association was incorporated in Virginia on August 10, 2007 by signatories from the nine states through which the trail passes.Many sections of Great Eastern Trail are already hikeable for day use and backpackers, see the [http://www.greateasterntrail.org/maps.html summary on the official website] . The longest continuously usable sections are on the
Pinhoti National Recreation Trail , and from the Allegheny Trail at I-64 exit 1, just east of the VA/WV border, northward through portions of Virginia, West Virginia, all of Maryland, all of Pennsylvania, to Maple Street in the village of Addison, New York.External links
* [http://www.greateasterntrail.org/ Official website]
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