Our Work
ABOUT PATC
The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, formed in 1927 to build a key section of the Appalachian Trail. The over 8,000 member Club is governed by volunteer officers supported by a professional staff.
PATC maintains the 240-mile A.T. section from Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park to Pine Grove Furnace, Pennsylvania, the entire 250-mile Tuscarora Trail, and 650 miles of other trails across Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC.
PATC manages 49 rental cabins, a hostel, and 45 trail shelters. We own, manage, and protect related lands. More than 1,000 volunteers contribute over 90,000 work hours on average annually, largely in trail and facility maintenance.
PATC has regional Chapters: South Shenandoah Valley, Charlottesville, North, and Blue Ridge, as well as the Ski Touring and Mountaineering Sections which provide additional opportunities.
In addition to the A.T., PATC maintains trails in the following Parks & Forests:
Pennsylvania
• Audubon Cliff Jones Field Station
• Buchanan State Forest
• Caledonia State Park
• Cowans Gap State Park
• Florence Jones Reineman Wildlife Sanctuary
• Michaux State Forest
• Pennsylvania State Game Lands 124, 170, & 230
• Tuscarora State Forest
Maryland
• Antietam National Battlefield Park
• C&O Canal National Historic Park
• Cabin John Regional Park
• Catoctin Mountain Park
• Cunningham Falls State Park
• Gambrill State Park
• Gathland State Park
• Great Falls Park
• Greenbriar State Park
• Indian Springs Wildlife Management Area
• South Mountain State Park
• Washington Monument State Park
Virginia
• Appalachian Trail Park Office
• Bull Run Regional Park
• Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania National Battlefields
• George Washington Memorial Parkway
• George Washington National Forest
• Manassas Battlefield Park
• Turkey Run Park
• Prince William Forest Park
• Shenandoah National Park
• Sky Meadows State Park
• Thompson Wildlife Management Area
• Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
West Virginia
• Harpers Ferry National Historic Park
DC Metro Area
• C&O Canal National Historic Park
• Cabin John Regional Park
• Great Falls Park
• George Washington Memorial Parkway
• Rock Creek Park
• Turkey Run Park
• Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
Our Communities
The Appalachian Trail Community Program is designed to recognize communities that promote and protect the trail. Towns, counties, and communities along the A.T. corridor are considered assets by all that use the A.T. and many of these towns act as good friends to the trail. These communities cater to the volume of hikers that spend time with them and local business as well as provide public facilities to ensure their stay is more efficient and enjoyable.
The program serves to assist communities with sustainable economic development through tourism and outdoor recreation, while preserving and protecting the trails. For more info on this program, visit The Appalachian Trail Community official site.
PATC currently has eight A.T. Communities in our territory:
Our Partners
The PATC is fortunate to have diverse and supportive partners and affiliates, ranging from federal agencies, state and local governments to non-profit organizations and businesses.
The club has partnerships with several government agencies to conduct its trail maintenance activities. These agencies include the National Park Service’s Appalachian Trail Park Office and
Shenandoah National Park, as well as other
National Park Service
and
U.S. Forest Service units and local agencies in Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. To see the trails we maintain, visit this page.
The club’s primary non-profit partner is the
Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Our relationship with the ATC goes back to the beginnings of the club and the Appalachian Trail. The club also cooperates with other groups that promote trails and outdoor recreation.
The club has also been the beneficiary of grants from several corporate donors. The club leverages that support with the work of its many volunteers to enhance outdoor recreation in the mid-Atlantic region. The club thanks all who have supported it over the years.