
Map showing location of trails in Georgia
The 'Benton MacKaye Trail' or 'BMT' is a footpath nearly 300 miles in length in the
Appalachian Mountains in the southeastern
United States and is blazed by a white diamond, 5" across by 7" tall. The hiking trail was created and is maintained by the
Benton MacKaye Trail Association and is named for
Benton MacKaye, the Massachusetts forester and regional planner who first had the idea for the
Appalachian Trail in
1921.
The BMT runs from
Springer Mountain in
Georgia (sharing the southern terminus of the
Appalachian Trail) to
Davenport Gap in
Tennessee. The trail passes through several United States
Wilderness Areas, including the
Cohutta Wilderness and
Big Frog Wilderness in Georgia, while traversing three states (
Georgia,
Tennessee and
North Carolina). The lowest elevation (765 feet) on the BMT occurs at the crossing of the
Hiwassee River in Tennessee. The highest elevation is the 5,843 foot summit of
Mt. Sterling.
Reference
★ Benton MacKaye Trail Association (2006).
"Benton MacKaye Trail Association". Retrieved March 2, 2006.