Editing Appalachian Trail (section)

===Lodging and camping===
[[File:Hot Springs campsite along the Appalachian Trail.jpg|alt=A group's tents set up on a campsite near Hot Springs, North Carolina, alongside the Appalachian Trail|thumb|Tents at a campsite alongside the trail near Hot Springs, North Carolina]]
[[File:2014-08-25 10 50 03 Sign for the Appalachian Trail along Millbrook Road in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, New Jersey.JPG|thumb|Camping regulations in the [[Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area]] of New Jersey]]
Most hikers carry a lightweight tent, tent hammock or tarp.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://appalachiantrials.com/whats-pack-gear-survey-2014-appalachian-trail-thru-hikers/|title=What's In Your Pack?: A Gear Survey of the 2014 Thru-Hikers|access-date=July 2, 2016|date=July 26, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160711052948/http://appalachiantrials.com/whats-pack-gear-survey-2014-appalachian-trail-thru-hikers/|archive-date=July 11, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> The trail has more than 250 shelters and campsites available for hikers.<ref name=nickens>Nickens, T. Edward (July 2001), "Bed and Breakfast".'' Smithsonian''. '''32''' (4):24</ref> The shelters, sometimes called lean-tos (in Maine, Massachusetts, and Connecticut), huts (in Shenandoah National Park), or Adirondack shelters, are generally open, three-walled structures with a wooden floor, although some shelters are much more complex in structure. Shelters are usually spaced a day's hike or less apart, most often near a water source (which may be dry) and with a [[outhouse|privy]]. They generally have spaces for tent sites in the vicinity as the shelters may be full.<ref name=OFAQ/> The [[Appalachian Mountain Club]] (AMC) operates a [[High Huts of the White Mountains|system of eight huts]] along {{convert|56|mi|km}} of New Hampshire's White Mountains.<ref name="colorful" /> These huts are significantly larger than standard trail shelters and offer full-service lodging and meals during the summer months. The Fontana Dam Shelter in North Carolina is more commonly referred to as the Fontana Hilton because of amenities (e.g. flushable toilets) and its proximity to an all-you-can-eat buffet and post office.<ref name=nickens/><ref>[http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/dropping-in/The-Kinda-Long-March.html?page=all Appalachian Trail | Dropping In] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130402140902/http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/dropping-in/The-Kinda-Long-March.html?page=all |date=April 2, 2013 }}. OutsideOnline.com. Retrieved on<rc-c2d-number> 2013-08-02</rc-c2d-number>.</ref> Several AMC huts have an extended self-service season during the fall, with two extending self-service seasons through the winter and spring.<ref>[https://www.outdoors.org/lodging-camping/huts/ White Mountain Huts - NH Appalachian Trail Lodging - Appalachian Mountain Club] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160725071434/http://www.outdoors.org/lodging-camping/huts/ |date=July 25, 2016 }}. Outdoors.org <rc-c2d-number>(2012-04-03</rc-c2d-number>). Retrieved on July 20, 2016.</ref> The [[Potomac Appalachian Trail Club]] maintains trail cabins, shelters, and huts throughout the [[Shenandoah Valley AVA|Shenandoah region]] of Virginia.<ref name="colorful" />

Shelters are generally maintained by local volunteers. Almost all shelters have one or more pre-hung food hangers (generally consisting of a short nylon cord with an upside-down tuna can suspended halfway down its length) where hikers can hang their food bags to keep them out of the reach of rodents. In hiker lingo, these are sometimes called "mouse trapezes".<ref>[http://sectionhiker.com/sleeping-in-an-appalachan-trail-shelter/ What is it Like to Sleep in an Appalachian Trail Shelter?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160809130002/http://sectionhiker.com/sleeping-in-an-appalachan-trail-shelter/ |date=August 9, 2016 }} SectionHiker.com (accessed July 20, 2016)</ref>

Most shelters also contain "unofficial registries", which are known as shelter logs. These logs usually come in the form spiral-bound notebooks that are kept in containers in shelters all along the trail, and signing in them is not required. These logs give hikers a way to leave day-to-day messages while they are on the trail to document where they have been, where they are going, and who/what they have seen. The logs provide a space for informal writing and can also be used to keep track of people on the trail. Most of all, they provide a system of communication for a network of hikers along the trail.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kelly |first1=Mills |title=Appalachian Trail Histories |url=http://appalachiantrailhistory.org/exhibits/show/shelters/shelterlogs |publisher=Omeka |access-date=November 4, 2019 |archive-date=November 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191104003852/http://appalachiantrailhistory.org/exhibits/show/shelters/shelterlogs |url-status=live }}</ref>

Shelter logs—entries written in log books at certain shelters—can provide proof of who summits certain mountains and can warn about dangerous animals or unfriendly people in the area. Hikers may cite when a certain water source is dried up, providing crucial information to other hikers.{{cn|date=August 2024}}

In addition to official shelters, many people offer their homes, places of business, or inns to accommodate AT hikers. One example is the [[Little Lyford Pond camps]] maintained by the Appalachian Mountain Club. Inns are more common in sections of the trail that coincide with national parks, most notably Virginia's Shenandoah National Park.<ref>[http://www.appalachiantrail.org/site/c.jkLXJ8MQKtH/b.789317/k.6033/Cabins_Huts_and_Hostels.htm "Cabins, Huts, and Hostels"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061104071346/http://www.appalachiantrail.org/site/c.jkLXJ8MQKtH/b.789317/k.6033/Cabins_Huts_and_Hostels.htm |date=November 4, 2006 }} AppalachianTrail.org (accessed September 12, 2006)</ref>