Greater Blairstown Becomes the First Appalachian Trail Community in New Jersey

June 13, 2017
Steve Weissman
New York-New Jersey Trail Conference

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Greater Blairstown Becomes the First Appalachian Trail Community in New Jersey
Steve Weissman speaks at the Blairstown Appalachian Trail Community inaugural event beside Blair Falls. Photo by Peter Dolan.

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Greater Blairstown in the Delaware Water Gap area of New Jersey officially received the designation of  Appalachian Trail Community on April 22.

The Trail Conference welcomes Greater Blairstown as the first Appalachian Trail Community in New Jersey. Trail Communities promote and protect the Appalachian Trail and act as good friends and neighbors to the Trail, welcoming thru-hikers as well as day hikers and other casual users of the A.T. Greater Blairstown was approved as an A.T. Community last October, and on April 22, an inaugural ceremony was held beside Blair Falls to officially bestow the designation upon the area. Greater Blairstown joins 40 other towns and cities along the A.T. corridor from Georgia to Maine that support and promote the Trail.  Hundreds of folks turned out for the celebration, including local elected officials and legislators, generating important support for the work of the Trail Conference and its hundreds of volunteers. 

Karen Lutz, Director of the Mid-Atlantic Region for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, emceed the event, and Peter Dolan, the New Jersey Program Coordinator for the Trail Conference, led a hike on a section of the Trail from Blairstown Road to the fire tower. Trail Conference supervisors and maintainers Katie Kingsbury and John Pappas made sure the Trail was in prime condition for the special day.

The 72 miles of the Appalachian Trail through New Jersey are maintained by 40 volunteers and so many others who selflessly and collectively devote hundreds of hours to enhancing the experience of all who hike on the trail. We look forward to working with our new friends in the Greater Blairstown Trail Community on educating the public about this wonderful natural resource in New Jersey.