New Forever Stamps Capture the Beauty of the Appalachian Trail

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Feb 28, 2025, 10:15 ET

It Spans 14 States and Nearly 2,200 Miles

DAWSONVILLE, Ga., Feb. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A first-day-of-issue dedication ceremony for the Appalachian Trail Forever stamps was held today at Amicalola Falls State Park. The stunning images will bring a touch of the outdoors to First-Class Mail.

"The natural beauty of the Appalachian Trail has delighted millions throughout the years," said Daniel Tangherlini, a member of USPS Board of Governors. "The trail's creation is a very American story. It exists thanks to a collaboration between the government and the people. That same grassroots spirit helps preserve the trail today. Those who hike the trail have the opportunity to summit Mount Washington, the tallest peak in the northeast, walk along a peaceful creek, or follow in the footsteps of history where the trail becomes part of the towpath for the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal."

Tangherlini was joined for the ceremony by Sandra "Sandi" Marra, president and CEO of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC).

"The issuance of the Appalachian Trail Forever stamps is a marvelous way to spotlight and celebrate one of our country's most treasured places during the Appalachian Trail Conservancy's centennial year in 2025," said Marra. "The ATC works passionately to manage and protect the A.T., and these stamps wonderfully display the wild and scenic beauty of the trail and its landscape, which attracts, motivates and inspires millions of people from around the world to step foot on this beloved path and walk away transformed."

Other ceremony participants included author Jennifer Pharr Davis; Angie Johnson, director of state parks and historic sites for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources; Michelle Mitchell, director of recreation, wilderness, heritage and related programs for the U.S. Forest Service, southern region; and Hawk Metheny, vice president of regional and trail operations for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

Background

The Appalachian Mountains were created hundreds of millions of years ago as a result of tectonic events that crushed the continental plates together. These events were also responsible for creating the Atlas Mountains in northern Africa and ranges of western Europe.

The Appalachian National Scenic Trail — often called the A.T. — got its start as a footpath along its namesake mountain range and gradually grew to cover nearly 2,200 miles, spanning 14 states along the Eastern Seaboard of the United States. Millions of hikers from all walks of life and differing abilities visit the trail every year to take advantage of its beauty and peace, and to take a break from the stresses of modern life.

In 1921, visionary forester Benton MacKaye published his proposal for a footpath from one of New England's major peaks to a counterpart in the south. The proposal became a reality four years later, when the Appalachian Trail Conference was created to establish an officially maintained trail and adopted the slogan, "Maine to Georgia."

During the Great Depression, enrollees of the Civilian Conservation Corps helped to build many miles of the trail as well as a number of its semi-enclosed shelters. The trail was fully connected from Maine to Georgia in 1937.

The A.T. evolved through a unique combination of grassroots volunteerism and government cooperation on regional, state and federal levels. Although the trail has been a National Scenic Trail — a unit of the National Park Service (NPS) — since 1968, it is maintained by a network of volunteer clubs, led by the nonprofit ATC.

Federal protection of the trail was strengthened through the National Trail System Act of 1968 — legislation bolstered a decade later, when the NPS was granted authority and budget to acquire lands that preserve the trail's corridor. Conservation occurs through purchased parcels, the use of public lands and easements on private property. Overall management is provided by the ATC, the U.S. Forest Service and the NPS.

Stamp Artwork

The pane of 15 Forever stamps includes photographs taken by Dave Allen, Hanit Mizrachi Avondoglio, Justin Birt, Sandra Burm, Jenna Foster, Ed Heaton, Drew Housten, Angelo Marcialis, Brent McGuirt, Jessica Rodriguez, Kevin Rohn, Nico Schueler, Bart Smith, and Ryan Tasto.

Each stamp, except for the first, is labeled with the name of the pictured state and "USA" printed in white capital letters.

Vertically along the left side of each photograph is the title "Appalachian Trail," with an undulating typeface evoking the zigzag path of the Maine-to-Georgia trail. The word "Forever," appears twice on each stamp, sandwiching the title. The first stamp — which at its top right is labeled simply "USA"— represents an A.T. segment through a dense forest, which hikers call "the green tunnel". For the remaining stamps the corresponding state name and "USA" are separated by a slash at the top right. "The Appalachian Trail" appears atop the stamp pane's white selvage, printed in green capital letters.

On the first row, are images from the "green tunnel", the iconic Mount Katahdin in Maine, and a waterfall in Tennessee. The second row of stamps feature photos taken from Mount Washington in New Hampshire facing the Presidential Range of the White Mountains, a waterfall along the trail in Georgia, and a view of the Green Mountains in Vermont.

The third row includes an image of a creek in Pennsylvania, a sunset highlighting the fall foliage in the Hagerstown Valley section of the trail as it runs through Maryland, and a view from Jefferson Rock in historic Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.

Rhododendron blooms in the Roan Mountain highlands of western North Carolina grace the first stamp of row four, followed by a waterfall in the foothills of New York's Catskill Mountains, and a scene from the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts.

The last row begins with one of the most iconic sites along the trail, McAfee Knob in Virginia. Next is an image from part of New Jersey's portion of the A.T., a boardwalk that serves to protect a fragile wetland ecosystem. The last stamp photograph shows a footbridge in Connecticut that spans the Ten Mile River at the point where it flows into the Housatonic River.

Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS, designed the pane using existing photographs.

News of the stamps is being shared with the hashtag #AppalachianTrailStamps.

Postal Products

Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through The Postal Store, by calling 844-737-7826, by mail through USA Philatelic or at Post Office locations nationwide. For officially licensed stamp products, shop the USPS Officially Licensed Collection on Amazon. Additional information on stamps, First Day of Issue Ceremonies and stamp inspired products can be found at StampsForever.com.

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