What places along the AT have the worst reputations for crime/vehicle break-ins?
PhilOchsLives
Worst places to park?
system
#2
Route 103 Clarendon, VT (near gorge) @ the AT/LT crossing - according to “The Long Trail Guide”. In my experience there has always been a lot of broken glass in the parking lot.
Jakelina
system
#3
This one gets my vote. My car was broken into about 1 month ago. A friend went by the next day and there was a second pile of glass so they got someone else as well.
Sasquatch2014
system
#4
Vermont?! That surprises me! For whatever reason, I’d have figured the worst spot would have been here in the south. I recall that one of the reasons they finally dismantled the decrepit old Tesnatee Gap Shelter was because of vandalism and (for want of a better term) terrorism toward backpackers, since it was so accessible for automobile riding jerks.
PhilOchsLives
system
#5
I think of 19E in TN. I would not want to park a car around there the locals hate the trail. I think the really question you want to ask though is where can i safly leave a car. If you are planning on doing a section just tell use and someone will know where to park.
Youngndum
system
#6
I keep posting this one on TrailForums, but somehow it gets overlooked ever time a parking or access discussion comes up, so I’ll plug it in again on this thread.
The resource you need, Phil, for AT Parking and access, including good recent reports of parking conditions and security, is the Rohland’s Appalachian Trail Parking site. It is an extensive and easy to use resource for parking and access as well as some other useful stuff (like pictures by trail section, including a great many campsites that are not mentioned in any guides or trail manuals.)
It’s a volunteer site, maintained by Cyndi and David Rohland, who do a fantastic job but need input from other hikers, especially on sections further away from their own local in PA. They welcome all reports and pictures most graciously and are very quick to keep things updated. I’d suggest to anyone reading this, and especially those who posted above, to contribute.
This database might well provide a part of the answer you seek, Phil. I suspect that a thorough survey of vandalism and other trouble reports on the site could show where the real trouble spots are for hikers, though it would be a bit of a compilation task to pull the data together (since the database isn’t really designed for that purpose.) Combine that with other data (like local crime reports) and you’d have a pretty good picture of trouble spots.
Hope this helps.
Strategic
system
#8
About the closest thing in this regard for the PCT that I know of is the re-supply article on pcta.org. That lists access points in a large table (because they’re being used for town stops) but there’s nothing on parking and the access info is secondary to the re-supply info for the trail towns it’s covering. Some of the printed PTC guides may have more info, but I haven’t researched the PCT that way (being an east-coaster.) I don’t know of anything even similar for other trails except the access sections of their trail guides. Of course, the Rohland’s database does cover some things that pertain to other trails (the southern Long Trail is an obvious example) but only in so far as they’re on the AT.
Strategic
system
#9
well…your info isn’t overlooked this time!..in fact it’s been really helpful!..paw-ee and i are goin’ up early to gettysburg to the ALDHA gathering and were thinking about places to park and hike or camp along the way…this will help…again, thanks!
maw-ee