The Pinhoti Trail is a long-distance trail, 335 miles (540 km) long, located in the United States within the states Alabama and Georgia. The trail's southern terminus is on Flagg Mountain (the southernmost Appalachian peak that rises over 1,000 feet (300 m), located near Weogufka, Alabama. The trail's northern terminus is where it joins the Benton MacKaye Trail.

The Pinhoti Trail is a part of the Eastern Continental Trail and the Great Eastern Trail, both very long-distance US hiking trails connecting multiple states.

Geographic characteristics
The north terminus is approximately 70 miles (110 km) west of Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.

Georgia has about 164 miles (260 km) of the trail, and Alabama contains the other 171 miles (280 km) of the 335-mile-long (540 km) trail.

History
From the Georgia Pinhoti Trail Association website:

"The original plan for the Appalachian Trail was laid out in 1925 at the first Appalachian Trail Conference. This plan showed a main trail running from Cohutta Mountain in north Georgia to Mount Washington in New Hampshire. This plan also proposed a spur trail from Mt. Washington to Mount Katahdin in Maine and one from the Georgia Mountains into Northern Alabama. The spur in Maine was completed in 1940, while the spur into Alabama has yet to be blazed. However, the effort to make this Alabama spur trail a reality is underway and is the result of persistent work of many groups, individuals, agencies and organizations."

Construction of the Alabama Pinhoti Trail began in 1970 within the Talladega National Forest in east central and northeast Alabama. In 1977, the Talledega National Forest portions of the trail were designated a National Recreation Trail. By 1983, 60 miles (100 km) of trail had been constructed and Mike Leonard of the Alabama Wilderness Coalition proposed connecting the Pinhoti to the Appalachian Trail in Georgia. The U.S. Forest Service and Alabama's Forever Wild land trust aided in the acquisition of major wilderness tracts. The Pinhoti Trail currently travels through some of those acquired lands and others in which it is planned to go through.

The Pinhoti Trail was completed in February 2008, and officially opened to the public on March 16, 2008. Even though the trail is completed, there are still efforts to improve the trail, mainly involving moving road walk sections of the trail onto trails away from the road.


Appalachian Trail designation
For many years, Alabama and Georgia hiking groups have been advocating for U.S. Congress to officially designate the Pinhoti Trail as a part of the Appalachian Trail—a move that would make Flagg Mountain the southern terminus of the AT.

One of the best resources for info on the PNRT
pinhotitrailalliance.org/home-1.html

Blazes to be removed from Duggar Mountain and Cheaha Wildernesses
I wanted to share it here as well.
Based on what I have read this will apply to the Wilderness Areas only. I
believe the numbers below are correct.

Cheaha
Pinhoti Section 6, mile
67.9-77.8

Dugger Mountain
Pinhoti Section 11, mile 136.2-144.8

pinhotitrailalliance.org/...ck-~-2-19.html


"One of the things that we are trying to accomplish in our Wilderness Areas is to
leave them as natural as possible, for the appearance of being part of the
wilderness area setting, to meet the scenic integrity objectives established for
wilderness areas and to protect the wilderness character of the
area.

In keeping with this theme, we are going to be removing the
blazing *from the Pinhoti Trail sections that cross through both Dugger Mountain
and Cheaha Wilderness Areas.* Forest Service policy states that there will be no
blazing in wilderness areas, not even if it is a National Scenic Trail. These
should not be there, the trail is well defined in most areas, in the rock
outcrop areas we will leave the blazes until we can either put directional signs
where needed or the preferred, build up one side with a rock ledge leading
through these areas.

I know we have a lot of volunteers who love to
get out and do projects for us, if you would like to help with this, please let
me know, our Wild South Volunteer Wilderness Rangers will also be working on
this …thanks for all that you do for the National Forests to make it a nicer
place for visitors, please help spread the word …thanks Mary

Mary
Humphries*
Wilderness, Special Uses, Lands Technician
Forest
Service*
Talladega National Forest, Talladega and Shoal Creek Ranger
Districts
p: 256-463-2272 x109*
c: 256-761-7600*
f: 256-463-5385*
mhumphries@fs.fed.us
45 Highway
281
Heflin, AL 36264
fs.fed.us*"

Kinda defeating the purpose.

You probably know more about these 2 trails at this time than I do Astro. I do know that the connection between the Florida Trail (FNST) and the Pinhoti Trail (PNRT) needs connecting. I've been out of touch with the group(s) that have been working on this. Primarily the AHTS - Alabama Hiking Trail Society. The FTA - Florida Trail Association that I work with is in the South Central Region mainly around Lake Okeechobee and a spur trail from there to the ocean. I was only posting some info that had been forwarded to me and creating a Pinhoti thread since we didn't have one. I am fairly familiar with the Alabama portion. I've hiked all of it except the first 20 miles of road walk. Have helped build portions of it, maintained portions of it and blazed parts of it. I have not hiked any of the Georgia portion except for where it crosses over the Alabama line into Georgia and from there into Cave Springs, GA. The complete connection of the GET from Alabama to New York I seriously doubt we will see in our lifetime. Too bad because the dream and vision seems pretty amazing.

5.3 mile Extension of the Pinhoti Trail opens in Coosa County, Alabama
adecablog.tumblr.com/post/1144…hoti-trail-opens-in-coosa