Long (cheap) walks in the US
October 8, 2021 8:42 AM Subscribe
A friend and I are planning to walk the Camino de Santiago next year. We’d like to do a 1-2 week practice walk beforehand, somewhere in the US (probably the east or midwest). We need to keep costs down, so we’d probably camp (but we’d also rather not carry a ton of food, if we can help it). We’re looking at doing one of the old canal trails (but camping seems to be pricey there), or maybe a stretch of the AT (VA looks good). Ideas?
My thoughts were the AT, the GAP/C&O trail, and the new Empire State trail that runs from NYC to Albany to Buffalo and/or Whitehall, NY.
posted by gauche at 8:53 AM on October 8, 2021
posted by gauche at 8:53 AM on October 8, 2021
Follow-up: Here are some specifics for camping along C&O, looks like most of the sites don't have a fee.
posted by sewellcm at 8:53 AM on October 8, 2021
posted by sewellcm at 8:53 AM on October 8, 2021
Not to belabor the C&O but yes all the hiker-biker campsites are free. The downside is the water spigots have been turned off for the season.
posted by Press Butt.on to Check at 9:14 AM on October 8, 2021
posted by Press Butt.on to Check at 9:14 AM on October 8, 2021
I've only biked a small portion of the Great Allegheny Passage, but I imagine walking it would be nice.
I've never explored it, but there's The Long Path extends 358 miles from the 175th Street Subway Station in New York City to John Boyd Thacher State Park near Albany in New York, the Long Path Trail is a thread connecting many of New York's parks, preserves, and state forest land.
posted by ShooBoo at 10:01 AM on October 8, 2021
I've never explored it, but there's The Long Path extends 358 miles from the 175th Street Subway Station in New York City to John Boyd Thacher State Park near Albany in New York, the Long Path Trail is a thread connecting many of New York's parks, preserves, and state forest land.
posted by ShooBoo at 10:01 AM on October 8, 2021
Nthing the C&O / GAP trail or similar. You will not be camping in the Camino and carrying all the gear that entails, but staying in "albergues" and there are plenty of places to stay along the GAP part anyways, as I remember.
You do not mention which Camino you are thinking of doing. If it is the Camino Francés, the C&O / GAP will be good training, as the CF is 80% plains walking, other than the Pyrenees at the beginning, and the Galician hills towards the end. You might also ask your question in the Camino de Santiago forum.
I am as green as this page with envy! I did the Camino de Levante and the Via de la Plata at the beginning of the century and these were the some of the best experiences of my life.
posted by garbanzilla at 10:43 AM on October 8, 2021 [1 favorite]
You do not mention which Camino you are thinking of doing. If it is the Camino Francés, the C&O / GAP will be good training, as the CF is 80% plains walking, other than the Pyrenees at the beginning, and the Galician hills towards the end. You might also ask your question in the Camino de Santiago forum.
I am as green as this page with envy! I did the Camino de Levante and the Via de la Plata at the beginning of the century and these were the some of the best experiences of my life.
posted by garbanzilla at 10:43 AM on October 8, 2021 [1 favorite]
Natchez Trace Trail
(though it looks to be more a collection of shortish walks rather than a single trail)
posted by Bron at 12:54 PM on October 8, 2021
(though it looks to be more a collection of shortish walks rather than a single trail)
posted by Bron at 12:54 PM on October 8, 2021
Well, what time of year are you going to do this prep walk? Winter can be pretty tough on the AT, and I imagine some of these other trails as well. Also, what elevation gains will you have? How many miles a day? Backpacking on the AT, with all your winter clothes and food and camping gear, strikes me as being incredibly different than a walk where you have lodging and food in (I'm guessing) the summer.
So my suggestion isn't to do one long walking trail, but to mimic the kinds of conditions you might have there. Work backwards. Find one or two places you can stay where you can do lots of day hikes, carrying about what you expect to carry on the Camino de Santiago and with similar elevation gains and similar conditions (to the extent possible). Each day you do an out-and-back hike, or perhaps you take a rest day in the middle and move to a second lodging facility. If you're someplace a bit more remote and won't have access to restaurants (or whatever you'll have on your European trip), then bring the food in advance with you.
I wonder if you could do this by staying in or near a national park. Staying near (rather than in) a national park would probably be cheaper. You could camp in a national park, but that could be super cold and uncomfortable if you're doing this over the winter. Time of year makes a huge difference in my advice. But, say you want to do this next March. Here's one way, with a place I know a bit:
You could stay near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, maybe Cherokee or Bryson City, North Carolina, which is a bit quieter than the Tennessee side, perhaps in an older hotel so it's not super expensive. If you stay in Bryson City, you could do long walks at Deep Creek (there are hiking trails but also a wide old logging road you can follow for miles through the woods), the Road to Nowhere (https://www.visitnc.com/story/SxBv/road-to-nowhere-and-waterfalls-in-the-great-smoky-mountains), and even on the Appalachian Trial near Nantahala Outdoor Center (that's a steep section because it goes up the gorge from the Nantahala River). Then you can eat in Bryson City and at NOC for dinner, and just pack lunches for the trail. Or, you could stay at Basecamp at NOC. There are lots of great places to walk and hike and explore around there, but the difference is that you'll be going back to your hotel or camp at night, and so it's a different kind of experience than going from one place to another.
posted by bluedaisy at 12:57 PM on October 8, 2021 [1 favorite]
So my suggestion isn't to do one long walking trail, but to mimic the kinds of conditions you might have there. Work backwards. Find one or two places you can stay where you can do lots of day hikes, carrying about what you expect to carry on the Camino de Santiago and with similar elevation gains and similar conditions (to the extent possible). Each day you do an out-and-back hike, or perhaps you take a rest day in the middle and move to a second lodging facility. If you're someplace a bit more remote and won't have access to restaurants (or whatever you'll have on your European trip), then bring the food in advance with you.
I wonder if you could do this by staying in or near a national park. Staying near (rather than in) a national park would probably be cheaper. You could camp in a national park, but that could be super cold and uncomfortable if you're doing this over the winter. Time of year makes a huge difference in my advice. But, say you want to do this next March. Here's one way, with a place I know a bit:
You could stay near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, maybe Cherokee or Bryson City, North Carolina, which is a bit quieter than the Tennessee side, perhaps in an older hotel so it's not super expensive. If you stay in Bryson City, you could do long walks at Deep Creek (there are hiking trails but also a wide old logging road you can follow for miles through the woods), the Road to Nowhere (https://www.visitnc.com/story/SxBv/road-to-nowhere-and-waterfalls-in-the-great-smoky-mountains), and even on the Appalachian Trial near Nantahala Outdoor Center (that's a steep section because it goes up the gorge from the Nantahala River). Then you can eat in Bryson City and at NOC for dinner, and just pack lunches for the trail. Or, you could stay at Basecamp at NOC. There are lots of great places to walk and hike and explore around there, but the difference is that you'll be going back to your hotel or camp at night, and so it's a different kind of experience than going from one place to another.
posted by bluedaisy at 12:57 PM on October 8, 2021 [1 favorite]
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posted by sewellcm at 8:49 AM on October 8, 2021 [6 favorites]