The Appalachian Trail truly has mythic status and for many of us, hiking it is a dream. But then we look at the reality of it and find the prospect of carrying a 40-50 pound pack on our back and sleeping on the ground rather daunting. Solution? Slackpacking! We cover the same distance as backpackers, but at the end of the day we return to a comfortable hostel with beds and hot showers. In contrast to the Georgia section, this section is flatter but the terrain and footing makes it more challenging. And we end the trip with climbing Mt Katahdin, a more significant climb than any we do in Georgia. Maximum group size: 10
August 02 to August 09, 2025 |
$3495.00 - Available |
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Hiking from 7 to 17 miles a day (see the itinerary for daily mileage) with one 4,000 foot ascent, particularly on a trail with many rocks, stream crossings, and bogs - even if the terrain is flatter than most sections of the AT - requires being in excellent physical condition and prior hiking experience. If you need a down day, you can always choose to stay at the hostel and explore the town. This trip is rated 5 and requires a high degree of fitness. Adding some specific conditioning such as strength training, endurance training, and longer aerobic workouts is suggested. Rating: 1 2 3 4 [5]
This is a very challenging hiking trip on the last section of the legendary Appalachian Trail. You will be hiking in an area that was scoured by glaciers in the past; although the terrain is largely flat, the many streams, bogs, and marshes make the trail more difficult than many other sections. Please note that we will most likely not be on the Appalachian Trail for the final ascent.
We will be staying at the Appalachian Trail Hostel (appalachiantrailhostel.com) in the town of Millinocket. We will have the hostel to ourselves. There are 5 bedrooms on the 2nd floor of the lodge with 1 - 2 beds in each room, plus 3 bedrooms on the 3rd floor. None of the rooms have bunk beds. There are 2 bathrooms in the lodge. One on the 2nd floor and one on the 1st floor connected to the small apartment where the guides stay. Extra showers are available for our use in the hikers dorm area.
Below is the proposed itinerary for the trip. As is true on any adventure travel trip, plans for any specific day may be modified due to weather considerations, unforeseen circumstances, new opportunities, and group interests.
Hiking Kathadin and doing more of the AT
Everyone was so friendly.
With the patience of Andre I was able to complete Katahdin.
This trip was special to me because of the participants, the guides, and the satisfaction I got out of pushing myself to complete all the hikes that were set out for us. Reaching the summit of Katahdin was amazing and I'm so happy I did it. Our guides... Laura, Sarah, and Andre... were approachable and responsive, knowledgeable, and fun. They worked hard and I felt supported and able to ask any question I needed to. ~Karen
The guides. They were extraordinarily competent, unfailingly cheerful and both realistic about the challenging nature of the hikes AND motivational in helping us all complete them. I registered for this trip because of the Katahdin climb and the two guides for that day Sarah and Andre delivered. The slide was a steep and fun climb up and a somewhat scary descent but I felt completely supported by the two of them. Thank you to them both. Laura was also fabulous when she was guiding, especially her sense of humor. Finally, I was especially impressed with Sarah’s stamina and expertise in ensuring that one of our injured hikers got out safely in addition to the rest of us. We could not have been in better hands.
The guides and the other hikers.
Camaraderie of other like minded hikers.
Great people and guides.
Maine woods: Karen, Danya, Tori great guides; Tori's wealth of information about the mushrooms and plants; Eating our harvested mushrooms
Excellent guides, being able to complete 50 miles of the 100 mile wilderness and summitting Katahdin.
The People in the Group were very kind
The guides were great
The AGC guides were friendly and professional. The trip (and guides) set the stage for beautiful friendships to occur in one short week. The challenging hikes were safely guided and our successes were celebrated.
The Guides, Trails, Accommodations, Comradiere
Wonderful guides and participants
The guides were all amazing. Danya provided warm hospitality, Karen was a friend and so comfortable to talk with, Tori was exceptionally knowledgeable. All three were upbeat all the way through the trip, which I consider a mind-boggling accomplishment.
This trip gave me the opportunity to fulfill a long time dream of reaching the summit of Katahdin.
Making it to the top of Katahdin, with the commadrie of powerful women.
I have wanted to take this trip for several years and it lived up to expectations! I've been working my way through all the AGC Slackpacking trips and getting the opportunity to summit Mt. Katahdin with this group was very special. I truly enjoyed hiking the beautiful and challenging terrain in Maine with this fantastic group of women.
Everything! Guides, group, venue, AT, Maine.
Visiting Maine. Spending a week with wonderful guides and participants. Completing the hike up to Katahdan.
The fabulous location, guides & wonderful women hikers.
I had section-hiked most of the Appalachian Trail in the past but missed several sections in Maine. The 100 Mile Wilderness was a section I missed and was very excited to have the opportunity to slackpack it.
This trip was made special by the hard-working and motivated women I met (both the guides and participants). It was moving to be around women so passionate about the outdoors and preserving nature. Loved the trails, the food, and the camaraderie!
I really appreciated the support from our group and the guides.
Loved the hiking in Maine and on the Appalachian Trail. Was very interested to hear about the history (logging & other) of the area as well as the Appalachian Trail and through-hikers. Was able to meet several though-hikers and that was very interesting bc they were finishing up their mult-month journey with lots of reflection to go with it. Finally, the summit to Mt. Katadhin was very challenging and what a great feeling to actually get there! That will never be forgotten!
Our guides were exceptionally good and supportive. They worked very hard on the trail and off the trail.
The guides, the camaraderie among the women and the challenge of the hikes were special to me.
Being part of a group that inspired us to complete some difficult hiking goals.
Hiking the AT in Maine.
I enjoyed being with my mom and my aunt. I also loved hiking in Maine
This trip was very special to me because I did it with my sister and my daughter. I love that my daughter was able to see strong women of different ages (all older than her) enjoying the outdoors and challenging themselves.
Hiking in Maine.
Hiking in Maine with old and new friends. Staying at the AT Lodge.
Beautiful country and the AT is always a wonderful combination.
In 2019 I did the slackpacking Georgia trip to complete the southern end of the AT. It was fun being able to hike some of the northern end of the AT as well.
Great guides, hostel, and hiking friends
This Maine hike trip was wonderful! We had a great group of ladies from 3 states, all ready to put in those wild and rocky Maine miles. It was a challenge at times, due to unexpected warm weather in Maine, but we thoroughly enjoyed this authentic AT experience.
I enjoyed seeing a part of the country that was new to me. The guides and participants were all very enjoyable.
It was a wonderful area for hiking, and the guides and ladies on the trip were interesting and supportive.
Hiking with a group of interesting and supportive women. Excellent trip organization.
It created a very supportive environment and I had the most perfect roommate for me.
The accomplishment.
The beautiful and daunting Maine Wilderness was wonderful to experience and staying in Millinocket, a small, remote town was wonderful.
Great group of women, excellent food, fantastic guides.
Loved the hike to the waterfalls and the hike up Mt Katahdin. I really liked having Jamie and Danya as guides since they knew so much about the trails and hiking on the AT. Loved listening to there experiences with hiking on the AT and running the AT lodge.
Camaraderie among participants, lodge hosts, & guide. Moved me closer to my goal of day hiking as much of the AT as I can.
It was as if a group of hand picked friends had signed up for this trip! Also, the knowledge of the onsite guides Danya and Jamie and their love for Maine was really cool!
The support given to one another. Tons of laughter
Guides Group Bucket list
Exceeded them. Best trip I've ever taken in my life.
Leigh and Gina were wonderful guides, our group of women were fantastic, and pushing far outside of my comfort zone and succeeding...priceless.
It exceeded my expectations.
This trip far exceeded my expectations!
This trip exceeded my already high expectations. Excellent guides and a group of fun, smart, interesting and accomplished women who love adventure and the outdoors, plus my most physically challenging AGC experience to date in the extraordinary beauty of the 100 Mile Wilderness and Baxter State Park. That boulder scramble up Mt. Katahdin was really something!
Highlights - Guides were fantastic. The AT trail was beautiful and Mt Katahdin summit was a real accomplishment. Failures: There was no physical recovery day within the 6 days and 80 or so miles of hiking. I am very fit at 64 years old but a down day to recover would have made my post recovery from the hike shorter.
Great guides! They were knowledgeable, compassionate, and fun! Great ladies to travel with. The Katahdin hike was definitely something I’ll never forget.
Summiting Katahdin!
Walking in the Maine woods. Swimming in the lakes. Climbing katahdin. Experiencing the Appalachian trail cult. Meeting interesting people.
summiting Katahdin! hearing more about AT life and experiences camaraderie with my trail mates little stops during our hiking days and the FOOD!!! ok, all of it!
These were the highlights of my trip: the wonderful gals and guides who were on the trip; having either Leigh or Gina stick with me in the rear, since my pace was considerably slower than the younger gals'; seeing moose at Sandy Stream Pond and bear and cub on trail into Roaring Brook from Chimney Pond; beautiful trails and scenery every day; accomplishing a significant section of the ME 100 mi; Slackpacking as opposed to backpacking presents a bit of a time problem in that the hiking starts later and ends perhaps earlier in the day, and thus puts pressure on one to hike at a faster pace. Would that there were a hot air balloon to carry our overnight gear that would float above us as we hike! To be honest, I was not conscientious about specific training during the winter, such as indoor bike riding, which has helped me in the past. It would have in retrospect been very helpful.
lodging was nicer than I expected, everything else was as described in a good way!
Far exceeded my expectations. Six really great days of hiking. A perfect itinerary. Beautiful scenery. And I made it to the top! I'd wanted to do this trip for several years now and I'm so glad I finally did.
Summitting Katahdin. Could not have done it without Leigh and Gina's expert guidance. The entire itinerary was well organized and planned. The meals were delicious, wholesome and fresh. The accommodations were very comfortable. Everyone was friendly and welcoming. Met some wonderful people and had a memorable time.
Hiking to the top of Katahdin, the beauty of the 100 mile Wilderness, the great mix of people on the trip along with our aweome guides.
Some of it was out of your control - eg excellent weather. Beyond that just very well crafted access to 100 Mile Wilderness which is not easy to slack pack at all.
The highlight was a successul climb to the Baxter Peak summit on Katahdin and completing the entire mileage of this 5-rated trip. I was personally disappointed that the Applachian trail was so similar to hiking in the woods that I do at home. I expected more vista points out into the mountains. I would have been happy with a shorter trip focused on the Katahdin hike, along with a 7 mile warm-up hike day and the Pollywog hike to get a view of Katahdin from a distance. The Baxter State Park hike at the base of Katahdin would be a nice warm-up hike if the trip was shortened; ponds and waterfalls were nice to see. The extra days of the week-long trip are useful as insurance for good weather for the Katahdin hike; I suggest being very upfront about switching the Katahdin day to earlier in the trip for good weather.
The highlight was making the top of Katahdin! Just the daily wonderful hiking in the Maine Woods was wonderful.
Long hikes, scrambling,lively conversations
In no way should my comments be seen as negative. The trip, as always, was perfectly executed. The guides were amazing. The location was great and all the women were friendly. Having said all this, this trip was the most difficult and painful of any i have taken.
I guess the highlight for me was that I was able to do the hike and enjoy it. I went back and forth as to whether to proceed given a knee ailment and was uncertain that I was ready to do the hike. I modified my participation but I think every day was a successful one for me.
Great hikes, great food, great company
Loved the morning rituals of early coffee and breakfast and then getting in the van..... The dinners were nutritious and healthy . The overall organization of the whole week was great. There was no hick up
I realize that to some degree the lengths of the days was dependent on forest access roads, but I felt that the easy-hard-easy-harder-easy-tough sequence was great. We were ready for Katahdin when it came. I expected a tough trip and was worried about whether I could complete all of it -- but the pre-trip and day-to-day coaching once on the trip made it not only manageable, but fun to achieve. The guides took genuine pleasure in our efforts. Encouragement is always good, no matter our age : )
guides, activity, scenery, food, etc resided on third floor, which was OK but steps a bit tricky and trek to bathroom "eye-opening" at 2am
Meeting new women and hering/sharingstories
Excellent guides