Benton MacKaye Trail
Benton MacKaye Trail — tail catalogue entry from OSM relation 1675439. Geometry and elevation are OSM/GLO-30 and provisional. No special permit known; verify locally.
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Distance 667.5 km Reported · Ascent provisional (DEM sample) · High point provisional (DEM sample) · 33d · SAC T2 · Ungraded (tail ingest)
Cite this record
The Hiking World, Benton MacKaye Trail, read 2026-10-15, https://www.thehikingworld.com/trails/benton-mackaye-trail
How we verify · last checked 2026-10-15
Byline
- The Hiking World editorial team · author

Figures marked provisional are seed data and still need verification. Source and last-checked date sit under each cited value.
Forecast at page generation, 2026-11-07T22:51:43.160Z
Representative point on Benton MacKaye Trail: 35.312°, -84.046°, about 1730 m. A forecast, not a trail-surface reading.
Source Open-Meteo. Mountain weather changes with elevation and aspect.
Life-safety notices on this page come from the issuer.
Altitude weather delta
High 1,730 m minus low 250 m is 1,480 m of relief on this record. A standard tropospheric lapse of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m implies about 9.6 °C cooler at the high point than the valley, all else equal.
That is a model (International Standard Atmosphere environmental lapse), not a forecast and not a trail-closure. Wind, snow, and storms stay in Hazards.
derived:lapse-rate · read 2026-09-10 · provisionalISA 6.5 °C / 1,000 m · wikipedia.org · 2026-09-10
Map loads when this section is on screen.
GeoJSONThis line is a schematic. The files are not a GPS track. GPX · GeoJSON
Cumulative ascent not published — stored line geometry is too coarse for a reliable DEM figure.
Catalog entry
- SAC T2
- Mountain hiking. Continuous trail, some steep ground, sure-footedness helpful.
- YDS Class 1
- Class 1. Walking on an established path; low fall risk.
Stored distance is 667.5 km. The chart axis follows the DEM sample (386.26 km), not the published line length.
Tail catalogue entry built from OpenStreetMap relation 1675439 (ODbL). The stored line is the OSM geometry, decimated; its 2-D length is provisional and not published as walking distance.
Elevation high/low and ascent/descent are Copernicus GLO-30 samples at the line vertices (copernicus-dem:glo-30) and remain provisional.
No special permit was researched for this trail. Permit is marked unverified — confirm locally before relying on it.
Water
No water sources recorded.
Permits & fees
Conditions, fees and rules change. Confirm with the issuer and local authorities before you go. This is a reference, not a substitute for local advice. Terms
Permit status is unverified.
Getting there
No sourced gateway chain yet.
Getting there car-free
- Benton MacKaye Trail (start): car-free flag unknown.
- Benton MacKaye Trail (end): car-free flag unknown.
Trailheads
- Benton MacKaye Trail (start) car-free: unknown
- Benton MacKaye Trail (end) car-free: unknown
Questions
Do I need a permit for Benton MacKaye Trail?
Permit status is unverified for Benton MacKaye Trail. This desk does not assert that a walking permit is or is not required.
How difficult is Benton MacKaye Trail?
Benton MacKaye Trail is graded SAC T2 · YDS 1.
How long is Benton MacKaye Trail?
The length on this record is 667.5 km (reported). Published figures may differ. See /guides/how-long-is-the-trail
Related trails
- John Muir Trail · United States
- The Enchantments · United States
