What we’re about
The ORIGINAL hiking group in Central Virginia, and still the best! The Charlottesville Chapter (<- click the link) of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (<- click the link) is the oldest trail maintenance and hiking organization in the Charlottesville area, helping and hiking trails since 1986! (Way before Meetup.) Our members are avid hikers who love the trails so much we recognize the vital need to maintain them for all to enjoy. The Chapter's hike leaders include folks who have thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, the Continental Divide Trail, all of the trails in Shenandoah National Park, and across the planet many foreign countries. Our Chapter’s leaders have combined over 350 years of hiking and 100 years of hike leader experience. The PATC uses only certified hike leaders.
We have a lot of fun exploring local trails, but trail building and maintenance is the centerpiece of the PATC's mission. The PATC maintains 240 miles of the Appalachian Trail from Rockfish Gap at the south end of Shenandoah National Park to Pine Grove Furnace in Pennsylvania and over 1000 miles of other trails in the Mid-Atlantic Region. The effort requires the contributions of hundreds of volunteers, who serve as trail maintainers, trail crew members, land management specialists, and in many other capacities. PATC volunteers log tens of thousands of service hours every year, in their efforts to keep hiking trails safe, sustainable, and accessible. The vast majority of the trails you hike are maintained by volunteers, not paid federal employees.
You do not need to be a PATC member to hike with us or do trail maintenance, though we hope that you will consider joining the club. Your dues contribute to purchasing equipment used to maintain trails, acquiring land for parking areas and buffers along the Appalachian Trail, and building/maintaining trail shelters and cabins. And membership entitles you to rent one of PATC’s 45+ cabins in the region.
So don't just HIKE the trails, HELP the trails! Come join us for some fun!
Members must have a profile picture of yourself to join the group.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Memorial Day Camping Weekend at Caroline Furnace Retreat CenterCaroline Furnace Lutheran Camp, Fort Valley, VA
Join us for camping and hiking Memorial Day weekend at Caroline Furnace Retreat Center https://www.carolinefurnace.org/ in Fort Valley, Virginia on May 22- 26 Stay as long or short a time as you like. There is lots of space for camping and many hikes in the area- Kennedy Peak, Elizabeth Furnace recreation area, Strickler Knob, Signal Knob, Buzzard Rocks to name a few. Just on the grounds of the retreat center there is much to see and do, including a lake, an old iron furnace, and miles of trails.
Tent or camper camping will be near the cabin village and provides picnic tables and access to hot showers in large men's and women's bathhouses. The fees are $10 per person per night for a tent, $25 per night for camper (no hookups) and $34 a night for cabin bunks. Please bring check or cash to pay when you arrive.
There are large fire rings we can use too! Meals will be mostly on your own with Friday and Saturday optional night group dinner.
Bring all the gear you need for a weekend of Spring camping Fun!
