[0x0539]

There are competitors, just in terms of the major long trails of the USA, there is the Pacific Crest(PCT) and the Continental Divide (CDT) those three make up the Triple Crown of long distance hiking in the USA ( http://aldhawest.org/triple-crown/ )

And several others; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-distance_trails_in_the_Un...

I'd say the PCT is its closest competitor as the PCT is considerable well marked, but its an easier trail grade to hike(and on the other side of the country)

If you want remoteness and untouched wilderness, I went days without seeing another person (and some hikers can go weeks depending on the year) on the CDT at all though some extraordinarily beautiful locations. Of course its not as defined as the PCT or AT(compass navigation is requires as the trail doesn't always exist)

The thing about the AT is it is the most accessible of any of the major trails, I've heard that about half the US population is within a 1day drive of some point of the trail.

[GavinMcG]

You mentioned the AT being most accessible, just in terms of being nearby, but accessibility in terms of necessary skill is an important factor as well.

The Benton MacKaye Trail, for example, runs parallel to the southern part of the AT for about 300 miles, and also starts on Springer Mountain. There are lots of people that live close enough to hike on it. But the fact that it involves much more wilderness and doesn't go through a town every other day makes it a poor option for inexperienced hikers.

That makes me suspect that the only way to spread out the damage, so to speak, is to raise barriers to entry. Emphatically: not so drastically that people won't hike. I certainly want more people interested in enjoying and protecting the outdoors. But at least enough that people are comfortable in a variety of settings that aren't as "urbanized" as the AT is.