Competition for use of trail shelters along popular trails is great in the peak season. But you can pick and choose from among many uncrowded trails that offer trailside campsites. All water obtained in the backcountry should be boiled or chemically treated. The Appalachian Trail Of all the distance the Appalachian Trail spans between Maine and Georgia, perhaps no sustained portion is as virtually untouched by humanity as the 110 kilometers (70 miles) threading the crest of the Smokies. And this despite the fact that the overall trail is 3,244 kilometers (2,015 miles) long. You can park your car in the Newfound Gap Parking Area and walk the AT north or south for a pleasant walk—or day-long hike—along the Smokies crest. A popular destination to the north is Charlies Bunion. There, because of unrecovered fire openings on extremely steep mountain slopes, you achieve a real alpine sense and literal “peak” experience. You can also park below Clingmans Dome, a short spur drive south of Newfound Gap, and experience the AT. About every 10-16 kilometers (8 to 10 miles) there are overnight shelters providing primitive bunks. These three-sided shelters are closed in on the fourth side with chainlink fence as bear-proofing. To stay in these shelters requires a backcountry use permit/reservation. Stays are limited to one night at a given shelter. [Illustration: _The Appalachian Trail traces 110 kilometers (70 miles) along the crest of the range. Overnight shelters are screened against bears. Shelter use requires a backcountry use permit (see text). Through-hikers on the Appalachian Trail must also write ahead for permit information._] [Illustration: _Most park trails are well defined and well marked. They offer backpackers ready—if not easy—access to some of the East’s finest wildlands._] If you are hiking the Appalachian Trail from outside the park you can stop at the Twentymile Ranger Station (on the south) or the Big Creek Ranger Station (on the north) to get your permit and reserve shelter space. You can also write ahead for a permit and reservation up to 30 days in advance (see above). For through-hikers—those hiking the entire AT between Maine and Georgia—the situation is different. You can obtain a “through permit” in advance of your trip. Write to Backcountry Permits at the park address and explain your trip. Because it follows the Smokies crest the AT acts as backbone to a network of trails within the park. With such spur trails, many with their own pleasant waterfall, creek, or other natural feature as an attraction, you have access to the AT from numerous trailheads. Such AT sections are much less crowded than those near Newfound Gap and Clingmans Dome. You get the same sense of walking the crest of eastern America and participating in the trail experience that began as a dream of a pioneering land-use planner, Benton MacKaye, early in this century.