Maildrops for the Appalachian Trail

Picking up a Maildrop on the Appalachian Trail

I wrote earlier on how to send a maildrop on the Appalachian Trail to any post office via General Delivery. Now that there are enough stores near the Appalachian Trail (and Pacific Crest Trail for that matter) to get buy food along the way, I typically just recommend that hikers largely dispense with maildrops for the most part unless they have specific dietary needs.

That said, there are a still a few towns you may want to consider sending a small maildrop to because of limited grocery store access. You’re likely going to have the home crew send maps and mail every once in awhile anyway, so these towns are as good as any.

Here’s the Post Offices (and their zip codes) I’d probably use if I were to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail again:

Fontana Dam, NC 28733
Harpers Ferry, WV 25425
Port Clinton, PA 19549
Delaware Water Gap, PA 18327
Glencliff, NH 03238
Monson, ME 04464

One strategy that works well is to send your maildrops directly to a hostel or motel instead of the post office. This way you avoid the need to rush into town to pick up a package before the Post Office closes. I always recommend that hikers send their packages Priority Mail, as they can be forwarded up the trail at no additional cost as long as the package has not been opened.

Speaking of resupply options, Baltimore Jack’s article on Resupplying on the Appalachian Trail is the best I’ve ever read. If you have any interest at all in thru-hiking, do yourself a favor and visit that link.

Take care,

-John