Plan a thru-hike: permits, resupply, and gear

Compare candidate trails. Open the official trail association map or the FarOut app for each trail you are considering. Note total distance, cumulative elevation gain, typical completion time, and the published average daily mileage (AT: ~14 mi/day, PCT: ~18 mi/day, CDT: ~16 mi/day).

Choose direction. Each direction has a different weather profile and permit pool:

• NOBO — start at the southern terminus in spring. Most social; highest permit competition for the PCT and CDT.
• SOBO — start at the northern terminus in summer. Lower permit demand; requires snow travel skills for high-elevation starts.
• Flip-flop — start mid-trail, hike to one terminus, then go back to the other. Avoids peak permit crunches and extreme weather at either end.

Select route variant and alternates.

• AT — the white-blazed route is the only official route. Blue-blazed side trails such as the Pochuck Mountain boardwalk bypass are optional.
• PCT — the standard route has well-known alternates: Eagle Rock, the Crater Lake rim walk, and the Mount Whitney side trip (permit required). Decide whether to include them before you apply for permits.
• CDT — there is no single route. The CDTC “red line” is a suggested path, but you choose your own way through the Weminuche Wilderness, the Great Divide Basin, and Glacier National Park. This is the most navigationally demanding trail.

Record your decision as one sentence: “I am hiking the AT NOBO from Springer Mountain, GA, to Katahdin, ME, using the standard white-blazed route with no alternates.” This sentence goes into every permit application, resupply box label, and check-in message to your emergency contacts.