Cuisine along the Appalachian Trail is as diverse as the songbirds migrating up and down the ancient mountain range. While on-trail eating runs to well-preserved meals chosen for calorie density, town days break that pattern. In the Southern Appalachians, thru-hikers often encounter biscuits and gravy, bacon and eggs, and a cup of coffee in town. As they cross through the Mid-Atlantic, delis are commonplace for a fresh sandwich. One even crosses a railroad that can take them into New York City for a culinary zero-day. By the time they’ve reached New England, they’ve dreamed of lobster rolls and poutine, which escaped into nearby Quebec.
Food System
Food on the Appalachian Trail moves between what fits in a food bag, what can be found on a town day, and what appears unexpectedly at a road crossing.
Food bags and resupply
Firsthand · Verified
Trail days depend on carried food and resupply between towns. Food storage and hanging practices vary by section, so the local rules and conditions matter.
Town days
Firsthand · Verified
Town days interrupt the food bag with restaurant meals, grocery stops, and the chance to resupply before returning to the trail.
Trail magic
Firsthand · Verified
Trail magic is the occasional generosity of people who set up food or drinks for passing hikers, not a dependable resupply plan.
The Trail
Georgia
Amicalola Falls State Park to Fontana Dam
Barbecue, Southern breakfasts, Mexican food, breweries.
12471 Gainesville Hwy, Blairsville, GA 30512 / georgia / Try: Frozen pizza
Mountain Crossings at Neels Gap provides hiking gear, maps, and food where the Appalachian Trail passes through the building. Its food includes a frozen pizza with pepperoni, sausage, bell peppers, onions, and cheese. The outfitter also serves as an early Georgia resupply stop for thru-hikers.
Official website ->North Carolina / Tennessee
Georgia line to Virginia line
Barbecue, Southern breakfasts, burgers, breweries, distilleries.
69 Iotla St, Franklin, NC 28734 / north-carolina-tennessee / Try: Pancakes, bacon, homemade apple butter
Annual community breakfast for thru-hikers during hiking season. Unlimited pancakes and bacon, with homemade apple butter and pumpkin butter. The church leaves blank note cards on the tables for hikers to write letters home.
Official website ->13077 Hwy 19 W, Bryson City, NC 28713 / north-carolina-tennessee / Try: Eggs, potatoes, bacon
River's End Restaurant provides breakfast and other meals beside the Nantahala River at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. Its breakfast includes eggs, potatoes, and bacon. The restaurant serves hikers near the southern Appalachian Trail, after the Smokies and before the route continues north through western North Carolina.
Official website ->Virginia
North Carolina line to West Virginia line
Southern breakfasts, fried chicken, barbecue, Mexican food, breweries, Appalachian trout.
120 Kingston Dr, Daleville, VA 24083 / virginia / Try: Smoked wings, banana pudding
Three Li'l Pigs Barbeque provides smoked wings, beer, and other barbecue in Daleville near the Appalachian Trail. The restaurant serves wings with varying levels of heat, including a spicy option, and offers thru-hikers complimentary banana pudding for dessert. It also functions as a town meal stop.
Official website ->West Virginia
Harpers Ferry and the surrounding Potomac crossing
Barbecue, country ham, fried chicken, Southern breakfasts, burgers, wine, breweries.
201 Potomac St, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425 / west-virginia / Try: Eggplant Parmesan sub, jalapeño poppers
Isabella's Pizza & Subs provides casual Italian-American food in Harpers Ferry, including pizza, subs, eggplant Parmesan subs, and jalapeño poppers. The restaurant offers Appalachian Trail hikers a town meal near the route's passage through West Virginia, with familiar food suited to a stop in town.
Official website ->Maryland
West Virginia line to Pennsylvania line
Wayside burgers, blackberry milkshakes, wine.
Pennsylvania
Maryland line to Delaware Water Gap
Pennsylvania Dutch food, pizza, barbecue, burgers, ice cream, country breakfasts.
1 Bendersville Rd, Gardners, PA 17324 / pennsylvania / Try: Half-gallon ice cream challenge
The Half-Gallon Challenge at Pine Grove Furnace General Store asks thru-hikers to eat a half gallon of ice cream within thirty minutes. The store sits along the Appalachian Trail near its official midway point.
Official website ->101 Front St, Boiling Springs, PA 17007 / pennsylvania / Try: Breakfast skillet, Belgian waffle with berry puree, pancakes, éclairs, apple pastries
Caffe 101 provides brunch in Boiling Springs, including a breakfast skillet of eggs, chopped potatoes, bacon, and vegetables. The menu also includes Belgian waffles with berry puree, plate-sized pancakes, éclairs, and apple pastries. The pastries and other baked goods can extend breakfast beyond the dining room.
Official website ->13 Broad St, Delaware Water Gap, PA 18327 / pennsylvania / Try: Salted caramel ice cream, apple pie
Village Farmer and Bakery provides baked goods, desserts, and prepared food at the Delaware Water Gap. Its offerings include salted caramel ice cream with apple pie, cream cheese Danish, and other daily baking. The bakery gives Appalachian Trail hikers a food stop while crossing between New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Official website ->New Jersey / New York
Delaware Water Gap to Connecticut line
Pennsylvania Dutch cooking, New Jersey diners, New York pizza, burgers, barbecue, seafood, ice cream, roadside farm food.
840 Rte 9W, Highland Falls, NY 10928 / new-jersey-new-york / Try: New York pizza
Bear Mountain Pizza & Cafe provides New York pizza, local beer, and a bar-and-restaurant stop near the Bear Mountain Bridge in Fort Montgomery. The restaurant serves hikers approaching or leaving the Appalachian Trail's Hudson River crossing, with prepared food available near the route and nearby lodging.
Official website ->Connecticut
New York line to Massachusetts line
Maple products, cheddar, diner breakfasts, seafood, pizza, ice cream, craft beer.
33 Railroad St, Falls Village, CT 06031 / connecticut
Falls Village Inn provides lodging and a full restaurant in Falls Village, Connecticut, near the Appalachian Trail. The inn serves dinner to hikers moving through the New England gateway and the surrounding Housatonic Valley, offering a place to eat and stay during the route's passage through town.
Official website ->Massachusetts
Connecticut line to Vermont line
Farm food, diner breakfasts, clam chowder, burgers, pizza, ice cream, Chinese-American food, Lebanese/North African food, craft beer.
17 Railroad St, Great Barrington, MA 01230 / massachusetts / Try: Sushi, prepared seafood
Bizen Gourmet Japanese provides sushi and other Japanese dishes in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Its menu gives Appalachian Trail hikers a prepared seafood meal during a town day near the New England gateway, with a restaurant setting suited to the route's passage through the surrounding Berkshires.
Official website ->Vermont
Massachusetts line to New Hampshire line
Diner food, pizza, burgers, lobster rolls, chowder, hearty soups, baked goods, alpine lodge cooking.
1101 Cloudland Rd, Woodstock, VT 05091 / vermont / Try: Vermont cheddar, rosemary crackers
Cloudland Farm provides a farm market and on-farm restaurant in North Pomfret. The market carries natural Angus beef, local cheeses, maple syrup, Vermont teas, Vermont cheddar, and rosemary crackers. It offers Appalachian Trail hikers a food and resupply stop in the Vermont countryside.
Official website ->New Hampshire
Vermont line to Maine line
Diner food, wild blueberries, lobster rolls, poutine, barbecue, Moxie soda, craft beer, burgers.
2 W Park St, Lebanon, NH 03766 / new-hampshire / Try: Pub food, drinks
Salt Hill Pub provides pub food and drinks in Lebanon, New Hampshire, near Hanover and the Appalachian Trail. The pub takes its name from the Salt Hill, an Appalachian Trail tradition, and gives hikers a restaurant stop during the route's passage through the New England highlands.
Official website ->Maine
New Hampshire line to Millinocket, including the approach to Katahdin
Wild blueberries, poutine, diner breakfasts, barbecue, Moxie soda.
1771 US-201, West Forks, ME 04985 / maine / Try: Beer flights, local drafts, full meals
Kennebec River Pub and Brewery provides beer flights, local drafts, and full meals in Caratunk, reached by canoe ferry across the Kennebec River. The pub makes the ferry crossing part of an Appalachian Trail food stop in Maine, with drinks and prepared food after the river.
Official website ->Foraging
Ramps (Wild Leeks)
Season: April–May
Ramps are wild garlic-onion plants associated with early spring. The leaves and bulbs are pungent when raw and milder when cooked. Availability varies with season and habitat.
Wild Blueberries
Season: July–August
Lowbush blueberries ripen in midsummer. They are much smaller than cultivated blueberries and intensely sweet. Availability varies by season and habitat, and harvesting remains subject to permission and park and land-management rules.
Chanterelles
Season: Seasonal
Chanterelles are seasonal mushrooms associated with moist forest. Availability varies with habitat, and identification requires expert confirmation before any food-safety decision.
Wild Blackberries
Season: Seasonal
Wild blackberries are seasonal fruit that grow in a range of habitats. Availability varies with season and habitat, and identification requires expert confirmation before any food-safety decision.
Food Map
A food map of the Appalachian Trail: trail towns, diners, resupply towns, and memorable meals from Springer Mountain to Katahdin.
Open the Appalachian Trail food map →More from Walking to Dinner
Walking to Dinner on the Appalachian Trail
Our hosts at the church beckoned us to sample the homemade apple butter and pumpkin butter, both of which provided the pancakes with a more organic sweetness.
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