Despite disagreement last year over in-town drop-off points, the Appalachian Trail hiker shuttle offered by Macon County Transit has returned in 2025.
“This influx of hikers brings a vibrant energy and a noticeable increase in business for local restaurants, lodging and retailers,” said John Hamlin of State Farm, who served as president of the Franklin Chamber of Commerce in 2023. “The hikers often seek out food, supplies, gear, and a comfortable place to rest, which means increased sales and revenue for our local businesses. The sales tax revenue generated from the lodging tax for the TDA and the TDC was significantly increased during ‘the bubble’ months.”
Hamlin, speaking “on behalf of everyone involved in the discussion,” said the Franklin Chamber of Commerce and its board had many discussions about the future of the Appalachian Trail shuttle.
The revenue can be tracked to the running of Macon County Transit’s hiker shuttle over the last nine years, Hamlin stated, thus the impetus for continuing.
The Macon County Transit hiker shuttle service will take hikers from Winding Stair Gap and Rock Gap to anywhere in Franklin, and vice versa. The shuttle leaves Franklin on weekdays at 9 a.m., 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. and runs until May 23. The cost is $5 per person.
“We will pick up or drop you off ay any location in Franklin,” Macon County Transit stated. For pickups returning to the AT, hikers are asked to call 828-349-2222 to schedule a time. There’s also a deviated fixed route service that accommodates in-town transportation at $1 per person.
After last year, it was unknown if Macon County Transit would have the Appalachian Trail shuttle in 2025. Last year, owners of Three Eagles Outfitters, which is off Siler Road near Georgia Road, said the shuttle was mainly taking hikers downtown and toward their competitor Outdoor 76, and away from their store. Three Eagles said Macon County Transit wasn’t receptive to their complaints. In June, the county commissioners said Macon County Transit would discontinue the AT shuttle.
“The conversations around bringing back the hiker shuttle were quite comprehensive and involved multiple stakeholders,” Hamlin said. “We recognized the importance of supporting the Appalachian Trail hikers, not only for their benefit but also for the positive impact on our local economy.”
Hamlin said the dialogue centered around logistics, scheduling, funding and overall benefits to the community.
“We discussed the best ways to promote the shuttle service, ensure it met the needs of hikers without impacting the local citizens and how local businesses could support and benefit from the increased foot traffic.
The Macon County Tourism Development Committee (operated through the Chamber of Commerce) allocates $6,000 each year for the Hiker Route. Macon County Transit has requested $6,000 from the Franklin Tourism Development Authority for the route; last year the TDA approved $2,000. The TDA will vote on the request at its March 10 meeting.
The Bubble approaches
Hamlin said through research that there are three phases of the Appalachian Trail hiker season in Franklin. Phase one is the 12-month attraction, covering local families to section hikers and those thru-hikers at non-peak times of the year.
Phase two, according to Hamlin, is February through May, when northbound hikers (NoBos) filter through the region.
Phase three, known as “The Bubble,” is the eight weeks of March through April when most NoBos make their way through Franklin.
Tim Lindler, president of the Nantahala Hiking Club, said hiker traffic is “a little less” in 2025 than in 2024. Lindler said many hikers postponed their start date due to the February cold snap that brought snow and ice to northern Georgia.
Late September’s Hurricane Helene impacted many trail sections, mainly along the North Carolina/Tennessee border.
In winter, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the West Virginia-based environmental nonprofit, encouraged hikers to conduct “flip-flop” hikes, where they would start at a midpoint, say in Virginia, and go north to Maine, then go back to Georgia and hike back to Virginia. This would allow time for many damaged sections to be repaired.
As of the end of February, only a 20-mile section of the trail on the Tennessee/North Carolina border north of Bakersville, over 240 trail miles north of Franklin, remains closed to hikers.
To maximize good weather days, most Appalachian Trail hikers start at Springer Mountain, Georgia, and go north (called NoBos) to Mount Katahdin in the wilderness of central Maine. The idea is to begin in the warmest area in late winter/early spring and finish in the coolest area in the summer, five or six months later. More than 80% of thru-hikers (attempting the entire trail at once) are NoBos.
Winding Stair Gap is 110.6 miles into the 2,198.4-mile Appalachian Trail, the longest hiking-only footpath in the world. It takes 10-14 days for a NoBo hiker to reach Winding Stair Gap, 11 miles west of Franklin. While most thru-hikers don’t complete their journey, most make it to Franklin.
Thaddeus Pickard, co-owner of Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub, said last year for their AT110 Fest event, zero hikers showed up, and in talking to other businesses, they didn’t see many hikers.
Jackie Sroka with Three Eagles Outfitters said numbers are way down for the season, according to what shuttle drivers in Georgia are saying.
“It is nothing like it used to be. The trail has changed dramatically and not in a positive way,” Sroka said. “Way too much goofy stuff going on that takes away from the traditional values of the AT.”
Sroka said NoBo and SoBos hikers have been coming through but stressed it’s still early in the season. Sroka and others have previously mentioned many AT hikers are ill-equipped due to utilizing social media advice and end up injured.
One big difference this season is there will be no AT110 celebration. Natasha Sebring of the Franklin Appalachian Trail Community Council said due to a lack of volunteers, they’re going to “take a step back” this year after running the AT110 celebration for the past several years.
Instead of coordinating and advertising the events at various restaurants and breweries, it’ll be up to each business.
This year, Rathskeller will offer 15% off for any hiker between March 15 and April 15. Gracious Plates on Main will give hikers a Happy Trails 10% discount from March 20 through April 22. Other local businesses, such as Three Eagles Outfitters and Outdoor 76, haven’t finalized plans.
Sandra Hagan, the taproom manager at Lazy Hiker Brewing in Franklin, said they will host their annual Hiker Chow Down on Saturday, March 29 from 12-2 p.m. This event is facilitated by the Nantahala Hiking Club. Lindler said they typically have between 30-60 hikers show up for the event.