What we’re about
The ORIGINAL hiking group in Central Virginia, and still the best! The Charlottesville Chapter (<- click the link) of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (<- click the link) is the oldest trail maintenance and hiking organization in the Charlottesville area, helping and hiking trails since 1986! (Way before Meetup.) Our members are avid hikers who love the trails so much we recognize the vital need to maintain them for all to enjoy. The Chapter's hike leaders include folks who have thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, the Continental Divide Trail, all of the trails in Shenandoah National Park, and across the planet many foreign countries. Our Chapter’s leaders have combined over 350 years of hiking and 100 years of hike leader experience. The PATC uses only certified hike leaders.
We have a lot of fun exploring local trails, but trail building and maintenance is the centerpiece of the PATC's mission. The PATC maintains 240 miles of the Appalachian Trail from Rockfish Gap at the south end of Shenandoah National Park to Pine Grove Furnace in Pennsylvania and over 1000 miles of other trails in the Mid-Atlantic Region. The effort requires the contributions of hundreds of volunteers, who serve as trail maintainers, trail crew members, land management specialists, and in many other capacities. PATC volunteers log tens of thousands of service hours every year, in their efforts to keep hiking trails safe, sustainable, and accessible. The vast majority of the trails you hike are maintained by volunteers, not paid federal employees.
You do not need to be a PATC member to hike with us or do trail maintenance, though we hope that you will consider joining the club. Your dues contribute to purchasing equipment used to maintain trails, acquiring land for parking areas and buffers along the Appalachian Trail, and building/maintaining trail shelters and cabins. And membership entitles you to rent one of PATC’s 45+ cabins in the region.
So don't just HIKE the trails, HELP the trails! Come join us for some fun!
Members must have a profile picture of yourself to join the group.
Upcoming events (3)
See all- Prince William Forest Camping-HikingPrince William Forest Park, Triangle, VI
An extended weekend of Camping, hiking, and other excursions at the NPS Prince William Forest Park. A woodland oasis located just off I-95 North of Fredericksburg.
We will be staying in Oak Ridge Campground. Campsites will have to be reserved in advance at Recreation.gov . I have reserved site B-16 and there seems to be some good sites near there. The campground has heated bathrooms with flush toilets and showers. You may be able to share a campsite or tent with someone else and you are welcome to camp as many nights as meets your schedule. (Or maybe find local lodging). Visit https://www.nps.gov/prwi/index.htm for Park information concerning the Park.
Thursday Nov 14th there will be a scheduled day hike of the Park followed on Friday by an excursion to Crow's Nest Natural Area Preserve. Then depending on interest there are other potential weekend activities such as visiting Arlington Cemetery, The National Mall, US Marine Museum or hikes such as Great Falls-Potomac River or Mason Neck State Park. Note each vehicle will need to have a Park Pass or pay an online entrance fee. Updates to participants as we get closer to the date.
