Triple Crown of Hiking

The Triple Crown of Hiking refers to the three major U.S. long-distance hiking trails:

• Appalachian Trail – 2,194 miles (3,531 km), between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine and traversing North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire.^[1]
• Pacific Crest Trail – 2,653 miles (4,270 km),^[2] between Mexico and Canada following the highest portion of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Range and traversing Washington, Oregon, and California.
• Continental Divide Trail – 3,028 miles (4,873 km), between Mexico and Canada following the Continental Divide along the Rocky Mountains and traversing Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico.^[3]

These three trails were the first designated National Scenic Trails in the National Trails System.^[4] Their total length is about 7,875 miles (12,674 km); vertical gain is more than 1,000,000 feet (300,000 m). A total of 22 states are visited if the three trails are completed.^[5] The American Long Distance Hiking Association – West (ALDHA–West) is the only organization that recognizes this hiking feat. At the ALDHA–West gathering, held each fall, the Triple Crown honorees are recognized and awarded plaques noting their achievement. As of the end of the application period in 2023, 665 hikers have been designated Triple Crowners by ALDHA-West since 1994.^[6]