The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC) is a volunteer organization that works to maintain hiking
trails
A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. ...
in the
Washington, D.C. area
The Washington metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the National Capital Region, is the metropolitan area centered on Washington, D.C. The metropolitan area includes all of Washington, D.C. and parts of the U.S. state, states of Maryl ...
of the United States. PATC was founded in 1927 to protect and develop the local section of the then new
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tr ...
. It has expanded its mission to oversee over of trails, 47 shelters and 39 cabins in
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
,
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
,
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
and Washington, D.C.
Appalachian Trail
PATC maintains of the Appalachian Trail, allocated to PATC by the
Appalachian Trail Conservancy
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) (formerly Appalachian Trail Conference) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of the Appalachian Trail, a route in the eastern United States that runs from Maine to Georgia. Founded in ...
, which manages all day-to-day trail and land management activities under agreement with the
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...
. PATC's area of responsibility begins at the southern end of
Shenandoah National Park
Shenandoah National Park (often ) is an American national park that encompasses part of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The park is long and narrow, with the Shenandoah River and its broad valley to the west, and the ...
in Virginia and reaches north to Pine Grove Furnace in Pennsylvania. General trail maintenance is the responsibility of volunteer trail overseers, while trail construction and repair from serious damage, as well as larger projects, are managed by volunteer work crews, such as th Blue and White Crew.
Other trails
In addition to the Appalachian Trail responsibilities, PATC also maintains several hundred miles of trails in Virginia, West Virginia, the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. These trails are found in state and national parks, national forests, and occasionally through land held by municipalities, private owners, or the club itself. One such trail is the
Tuscarora Trail
The Tuscarora Trail is a hiking trail in the eastern United States, following the Appalachian Mountains through portions of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Its route is roughly parallel to, and to the west of, the Appalachia ...
. Other examples are the
Massanutten Trail
The Massanutten Trail is a National Recreation Trail located in George Washington National Forest in Central Virginia. Much of the path is steep and rugged terrain, and presents many mountain vistas. The trail traverses the Massanutten Range ...
, the
Bull Run-Occoquan Trail
The Bull Run-Occoquan Trail (BROT) is a hiking trail in the U.S. state of Virginia. Designated in 2006 as a National Recreation Trail,Great North Mountain area that lead to the
Big Schloss
Big Schloss is a peak in the Great North Mountain range of the Ridge and Valley Appalachians, with an elevation of . The peak is located in George Washington National Forest on the border of Virginia and West Virginia, though according to Topoz ...
peak.
Other activities
The club also has separate sections for climbing and mountaineering, ski touring, wilderness search and rescue (SMRG/ASRC), and trail patrol. PATC operates a number of primitive cabins for rent to members and non-members (one such cabin is
Corbin Cabin
The Corbin Cabin is a log structure built by George T. Corbin in 1909 in the Nicholson Hollow area of what is now Shenandoah National Park. Corbin was forced to vacate the land on which the cabin sits in 1938, when the land was added to Shenandoa ...
).Shenandoah National Park - PATC Cabins (U.S. National Park Service) Retrieved from the NPS website February 12, 2008. In addition, the club publishes maps and guidebooks for the Appalachian Trail and other trails the club maintains, publishes a monthly newsletter, the ''Potomac Appalachian'', and organizes hikes throughout the club's area of operations.
References
;Notes
*''The Potomac Appalachian'', The Newsletter of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club.
*''The Bulletin'', The original newsletter of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (early years).