Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike Cost Breakdown: What I Actually Spent in 2,190 Miles
If you’re planning an Appalachian Trail thru-hike, I guarantee the first question rattling around your head isn’t about gear weight or trail conditions — it’s about money. How much does it cost to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail? I asked the same thing before I left Springer Mountain with everything I owned on my back, and honestly, the answers I found online ranged so wildly they were almost useless.
So I did what any obsessive planner would do: I tracked every single dollar I spent over five and a half months on the AT. Every resupply box, every hostel bunk, every “I deserve this” burger in town. What follows is the most honest Appalachian Trail cost breakdown I can give you — not theoretical budgets pulled from a spreadsheet, but real numbers from real miles.
The short answer? Most thru-hikers spend between $5,000 and $8,000 for the entire trip, including gear. But that number can swing dramatically depending on how you hike. Let me show you exactly where the money goes.
Total Cost Overview: Three Budget Tiers
Before we break down individual expenses, here’s a realistic picture of what a 2025–2026 AT thru-hike costs across three spending styles. These figures include gear purchased before the hike and every expense from start to finish.
Budget Thru-Hiker ($4,000–$5,500)
You’re stealth camping most nights, cooking nearly every meal on trail, limiting town stops to resupply only, and hitchhiking everywhere. You already own some gear or buy used. You take very few zero days and avoid hotels. This is doable but requires discipline — and a willingness to say no to pizza in every trail town. I met hikers who pulled this off, and they were some of the toughest, most resourceful people on the trail.
Moderate Spender ($6,000–$8,000)
This is where most thru-hikers land. You stay at hostels or split motel rooms a couple of times per week, eat in town regularly, and replace gear that fails. You enjoy the trail towns without going overboard. This was roughly my budget, and I finished at about $6,800 total including pre-hike gear purchases.
Comfortable Hiker ($8,000–$12,000)
Private motel rooms, restaurant meals in every town, occasional gear upgrades “just because,” and maybe a few slack-packing days. You might ship resupply boxes from REI instead of buying at Dollar General. No judgment — some people have saved for years and want to enjoy every moment. The trail is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and there’s no wrong way to spend your money on it.
Now let’s dig into exactly where these dollars go.
Gear Costs: Your Biggest Pre-Trail Expense
Gear is usually the largest single expense category, and it’s the one that varies most wildly. A complete setup can cost anywhere from $1,500 to $3,500+ depending on whether you’re buying ultralight cottage gear or sticking with mainstream brands.
The Big Three (Shelter, Pack, Sleep System)
Your shelter, backpack, and sleeping bag or quilt make up the majority of both your pack weight and your gear budget.
- Backpack: $150–$350. Budget picks like the Osprey Atmos or Gregory Stout run $200–$280. Ultralight options like the ULA Circuit or Gossamer Gear Mariposa sit at $250–$310. Cottage brands like Zimmerbuilt or Pa’lante push $300+.
- Shelter: $150–$450. A budget tent like the Lanshan 2 runs $100–$150. Mid-range options like the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 or Tarptent Double Rainbow cost $300–$430. Hammock setups with tarp and underquilt range $250–$500.
- Sleep System: $150–$400. A 20°F synthetic bag starts around $150. Down quilts from Enlightened Equipment or Hammock Gear run $250–$380. You’ll also need a sleeping pad ($30–$180, depending on whether you go foam or inflatable).
Big Three total: $450–$1,200
Clothing
Don’t overthink this. You need far less than you think, and you’ll probably swap out items as the seasons change.
- Rain jacket: $80–$200
- Base layers (top/bottom): $60–$120
- Hiking shorts/pants: $40–$80
- Insulating layer (fleece or puffy): $80–$200
- Socks (3–4 pairs of Darn Tough): $75–$100
- Trail runners (first pair): $100–$140
Clothing total: $400–$850
Plan on replacing trail runners every 400–600 miles. That’s 4–5 pairs over the full trail, adding another $400–$700 to your total gear spend.
Cook System, Electronics & Miscellaneous
- Stove and pot: $30–$100 (a BRS stove and TOAKS pot runs about $45 total)
- Water filter (Sawyer Squeeze or BeFree): $30–$45
- Trekking poles: $30–$150
- Headlamp: $25–$40
- Power bank (10,000–20,000mAh): $25–$50
- First aid, repair kit, stuff sacks, miscellaneous: $50–$100
Miscellaneous gear total: $200–$500
Total gear estimate: $1,500–$3,500, with most hikers falling around $2,000–$2,500 after shoe replacements.
Food Costs: The Neverending Hunger
Nothing prepares you for the hiker hunger. By Virginia, you’ll be eating 4,000–5,000 calories a day and still losing weight. Food is a consistent, significant expense for the entire five to six months.
On-Trail Food
When you’re buying resupply from grocery stores and gas stations, expect to spend $5–$10 per day. Common staples include instant oatmeal, peanut butter, tortillas, tuna packets, ramen, Knorr sides, trail mix, and Pop-Tarts. If you’re buying at a small-town convenience store or outfitter (looking at you, Neel Gap), prices skew higher — sometimes double what you’d pay at a Walmart or Ingles.
Resupply points like Franklin, NC, Hot Springs, NC, Damascus, VA, Waynesboro, VA, Harpers Ferry, WV, Daleville, VA, and Hanover, NH have real grocery stores where you can stock up affordably. Other spots like Fontana Dam, Delaware Water Gap, or Monson, ME have limited and pricier options.
Town Food
This is where budgets go to die. A single town stop easily costs $20–$40 in restaurant food — breakfast at a diner, a lunch burger, maybe a pizza for dinner. Multiply that by 30+ town stops over five months, and you’re looking at $600–$1,200 just in restaurant meals.
I’ll be honest: the social pull of town food is enormous. When your trail family heads to the all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet in Waynesboro, you’re going. When someone mentions the Pine Ellis bunkhouse pancake breakfast in Andover, ME, you’re there. Budget for it.
Total food estimate over 5–6 months: $1,800–$3,500
My personal spend was about $2,400 on food over 165 days, and I wasn’t particularly frugal in town.
Town Stops: Where Your Budget Really Gets Tested
Town stops are the biggest variable in an AT thru-hike budget. Some hikers blow half their total budget in town.
Lodging
- Hostels: $25–$55/night for a bunk. Places like Mountain Harbour in Roan Mountain, TN ($45), Standing Bear Farm near the Smokies ($30), and The Doyle in Duncannon, PA ($30) are trail institutions.
- Motels: $70–$140/night, though splitting a room with 2–3 hikers brings individual costs to $25–$50. Budget motels in trail towns like Erwin, TN or Gorham, NH hover around $80–$100.
- Camping in town: Some hostels offer tent sites for $10–$20, which saves a lot over time.
Other Town Expenses
- Laundry: $5–$8 per load (you’ll do this roughly every 5–7 days in town)
- Showers (at hostels without lodging): $3–$5
- Beer/drinks: Varies wildly. Many hikers spend $10–$20 per town stop on drinks. Over the whole trail, this adds up to $200–$500 for moderate drinkers.
- Resupply box shipping (if using mail drops): $8–$15 per box, usually 8–15 boxes total
Total town costs (excluding food): $800–$2,500
Transportation: Getting There and Getting Around
The AT runs from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mount Katahdin, Maine — 2,190 miles. Getting to and from the terminuses, plus shuttles during the hike, adds up.
- Travel to Springer Mountain: Most hikers fly into Atlanta, then shuttle to Amicalola Falls or Springer. Shuttles run $75–$150 depending on the service. Flight costs vary by origin.
- Travel from Katahdin: Getting out of Baxter State Park and back to Millinocket costs $40–$75 by shuttle. From there, a bus to Bangor or Portland for a flight home runs $25–$50.
- Trail shuttles during the hike: Occasional shuttles from trailheads to town cost $10–$40 each. You might use 5–15 of these over the whole trail, depending on how much you hitchhike.
- Hitchhiking: Extremely common on the AT and free. Most trail towns are within a few miles of the trail, and drivers are accustomed to picking up hikers. This single practice can save hundreds.
Total transportation estimate: $200–$600 (excluding flights to/from home)
Permits & Fees
The AT is remarkably cheap from a permitting standpoint compared to trails out west, but there are a few required fees.
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park backcountry permit: Free for AT thru-hikers as of 2025, but registration is required. You must stay at designated shelters through the park.
- Baxter State Park (Katahdin): No overnight fee for AT thru-hikers staying at The Birches campsite, but you need to register at the Katahdin Stream ranger station. Day-use parking for non-hikers is $15.
- Shenandoah National Park backcountry permit: Free, self-register at the boundary.
- ATC thru-hiker registration: Voluntary, free.
- Car parking at trailheads (if leaving a vehicle): $5–$15/day at some trailheads, or arrange for long-term parking at a nearby outfitter or hostel.
Total permits & fees: $0–$50
Hidden Costs Most Hikers Forget
This is the section I wish someone had written for me before I started. These “invisible” expenses can add $1,000–$3,000+ to your total Appalachian Trail expenses.
Gear Replacement & Repair
Gear breaks. It just does. I replaced a sleeping pad ($130), a rain jacket ($150), and my water filter twice ($70). Others on the trail replaced trekking poles, pack hip belts, and stove systems. Budget at least $200–$500 for mid-trail gear replacement beyond shoes.
Phone Bill & Connectivity
You’ll want cell service for navigation (Guthook/FarOut app, $20–$30), weather, and staying in touch with family. Monthly phone bill: $40–$80/month × 6 months = $240–$480.
Health Insurance
If you’re quitting a job to hike, you might need to secure your own health coverage. ACA marketplace plans or short-term health insurance runs $200–$500/month. Some hikers risk going without, which I strongly advise against — a broken ankle or Lyme disease diagnosis in the backcountry is no joke.
Storage Unit
If you’re giving up your apartment, a small storage unit for your stuff costs $50–$150/month. Over six months, that’s $300–$900.
Lost Income
The elephant in the room. Five to six months off work is the biggest financial cost for most people. I won’t put a dollar figure here because it varies enormously, but it deserves honest consideration in your planning. Some hikers save for two or three years specifically to cover both trail expenses and lost wages.
Pre-Trail & Post-Trail Costs
Shakedown hikes, last-minute gear purchases, travel to the trailhead, and post-trail expenses (first month’s rent, a new wardrobe after losing 30 pounds) all add up. Budget an extra $500–$1,000 for the transition periods on either end.
Money-Saving Tips From the Trail
Plenty of hikers finish the AT for under $5,000. Here’s how they do it.
Stealth Camping & Free Shelters
The AT has over 260 shelters along the trail, all free. Stealth camping (dispersed camping near the trail) is legal along most of the AT outside of national parks. If you never pay for lodging, you’ll save $1,000+ easily.
Hitchhiking Instead of Shuttles
Hitching is a core part of AT culture. Most hikers stick out a thumb rather than paying for shuttles, and it works remarkably well on the AT. You’ll save $100–$400 over the course of the trail.
Trail Angels & Trail Magic
The AT has the most generous trail angel community of any long trail. Free food, drinks, and even rides appear regularly, especially in the South and mid-Atlantic. Don’t count on it for budgeting, but it does meaningfully offset costs — I estimate trail magic saved me $200–$300 in food alone.
Buy Resupply Locally, Skip Mail Drops
Conventional wisdom used to favor shipping resupply boxes to yourself, but most experienced hikers now recommend buying food as you go. It’s more flexible, often cheaper (no shipping costs of $8–$15/box), and lets you adapt to your changing appetite and preferences. The exception: remote sections where resupply options are limited or expensive, like the Hundred-Mile Wilderness in Maine.
Split Costs With Your Trail Family
Splitting motel rooms, sharing Uber rides to Walmart for resupply, and cooking group meals at hostels all reduce per-person costs significantly. The social nature of the AT makes this easy and natural.
Use Gear You Already Own
You don’t need the latest ultralight everything. If you already have a serviceable backpack, sleeping bag, and tent, use them — at least to start. You can always upgrade on trail if something isn’t working. Plenty of hikers finish with budget gear that’s heavier than optimal but perfectly functional.
AT Thru-Hike Cost Comparison Table
Here’s a comprehensive AT hike cost breakdown across three budget levels. All figures are estimated for a 2025–2026 northbound thru-hike.
| Expense Category | Budget ($) | Moderate ($) | Comfortable ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gear (initial purchase) | 1,500 | 2,200 | 3,200 |
| Shoe replacements (4–5 pairs) | 400 | 500 | 650 |
| On-trail food (5–6 months) | 1,000 | 1,500 | 2,000 |
| Town food (restaurants/cafes) | 400 | 900 | 1,500 |
| Lodging (hostels/motels) | 200 | 800 | 1,800 |
| Transportation & shuttles | 200 | 350 | 600 |
| Gear replacement/repair | 150 | 350 | 500 |
| Town expenses (laundry, drinks, misc) | 150 | 400 | 750 |
| Phone/connectivity | 250 | 300 | 350 |
| Permits & fees | 0 | 15 | 50 |
| Total | 4,250 | 7,315 | 11,400 |
Note: These totals exclude health insurance, storage, lost income, and travel flights to/from the trail — costs that vary enormously by individual situation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much money should I save before hiking the Appalachian Trail?
For the trail itself, save a minimum of $5,000–$6,000. But I’d strongly recommend saving $8,000–$10,000 total to cover the hike plus one to two months of post-trail expenses while you settle back into life, find housing, and resume employment. Having a financial cushion removes an enormous amount of stress from the trail experience. The last thing you want is to be counting pennies in New Hampshire when the hardest terrain is still ahead.
What is the biggest expense on an AT thru-hike?
For most hikers, food and town stops combined represent the largest expense category, typically $2,500–$4,500 over the full trail. Gear is usually the biggest single pre-trail purchase, but the cumulative daily spending on food and lodging overtakes it quickly. The hikers who blow their budgets almost always do so in town, not on trail.
Can I thru-hike the AT for under $3,000?
It’s been done, but it’s extremely difficult and generally not recommended, especially for first-time thru-hikers. You’d need to already own all your gear, cook every single meal, never stay in a hostel or motel, hitchhike everywhere, and take virtually no zero days. The social and physical toll of being that restrictive often leads to quitting. A more realistic bare-minimum budget is $4,000–$4,500.
Should I use mail drop resupply boxes or buy food as I go?
Buy as you go for most sections. Mail drops lock you into food choices you made months earlier (and your appetite and cravings change dramatically on trail), they cost $8–$15 each to ship, and you have to deal with post office hours. The main exceptions where mail drops make sense are remote sections with limited resupply — the Hundred-Mile Wilderness, parts of southern Virginia, and some sections of New Hampshire and Maine where the nearest grocery store requires a long hitch.
How do thru-hikers carry and access money on the trail?
Most hikers use a debit card and a credit card, stored in a small wallet or Ziploc bag. ATMs are available in most trail towns, and nearly all hostels, outfitters, and restaurants accept cards. I carried about $50–$100 in cash for emergencies, small-town situations where cards weren’t accepted, and splitting costs with other hikers. Some hikers also use Venmo or similar apps for splitting motel rooms and group resupply runs. Notify your bank before you leave that you’ll be making purchases across 14 states over six months.
The Appalachian Trail will cost you more than you budget and less than you fear. The truth is, no amount of spreadsheet planning fully prepares you for the weird financial rhythms of thru-hiking — three days of spending nothing followed by a $200 town explosion. But with realistic expectations and honest budgeting, the financial side of the AT is entirely manageable. The real cost of not going is measured in something no spreadsheet can capture.
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