How Much Does It Cost To Hike the Appalachian Trail? | Full 2024 AT Cost Breakdown

I recently completed my 2024 AT SOBO Thru Hike so in this video I will be running through all of the costs I incurred on the trip and discussing how I could've saved some money along the way.

[@ItJustDawnOnMe]

Come on Frank, you can tell us... how much of that $764 was ice cream? 😂🍦🍧🍨🍦🍧🍨 Thanks for sharing your adventure. Loved the pie chart!

[@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting]

Haha not sure exactly how much but definitely more than $100.

[@jamesadams2334]

My 1990 thru hike cost me $1800 and my 2002 thru hike cost me $2100. I think that if I was still able to backpack, I could resupply at Dollar General stores the entire way and still stay under $3000 - $3500. It took me 191 days to hike the first year but I had 79 zero days. I stayed in 2 hostels and 2 motels and the rest of my zeros were in the woods. I have a degree in Photography and I would zero just to get the right light the next day. I also explored during those zero days and I shot 16,000 frames of photos.

[@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting]

Wow that's dedication to your craft! Ya the few dollar generals I shopped at along trail had pretty good prices it seemed. But there's lots of places with no dollar generals and food is a bit more expensive.

[@swilliams2575]

Very good breakdown of the expenses. I agree with the other commenters that you were on the more frugal side, and by doing less days the total was less. I feel bad for those SOBO's who are now being slowed down by the hurricane mess in Tennessee. Thanks for sharing your trip with us.

[@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting]

Thanks! Ya a quicker trip definitely helped. And ya, I believe the bridge across the Nolichuky river in Erwin is washed out and I saw some pictures of Hot Springs which looks quite torn up.

[@jeremiahallyn4603]

It's good to see and hear from you! I got so used to watching you every evening, lol. You did a good job breaking down all your expenses. Hope to see ya soon 😃

[@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting]

Haha thank you!

[@candacejackson5044]

Even though it's a trip I know I will never take, thanks for doing the cost breakdown. If it were to be considered like a vacation, I would say for the time it took, the cost was very well spent. I hope you cherish the memories forever.

[@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting]

Ya I think it was a cost well spent too!

[@kevinmendoza4402]

Frank! You look so much younger without your beard! That must have felt great to shave it off. Thank you for the cost breakdown video. Your parents are awesome! What is your next adventure? Or back to dividends? 🚀 Keep up the videos! 🚀

[@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting]

Haha yeah I was not a fan of the beard and it wasn't a good look for me. Don't have any super big adventures planned at the moment. My big challenges right now are getting a job and getting back in shape. Although I felt strong on the AT throughout I did lose some cardiovascular fitness so I want to gain that back (will have a video out within a week or two showcasing that fitness loss).

[@KyGirl747]

That was a fabulous accounting of the expenses involved because that’s always a question. Taking into account, that you sustained your effort and reduced the commitment of time to approximately half based on what I saw from other hikers you did fabulously. Had you stayed out longer the proportion of cost for equipment which is permanent would have reduced, and the consumables would have increased, but a man’s gotta eat. Day to day we are not in tune with the amount of money we spend on incidentals, whether it be a cup of coffee, an ice cream cone, or an extra pair of socks. Can’t remember a time that I’ve ever known what it cost me every day to eat and because of you, I’m about to find out. You were incredibly responsible and the money you spent on hostels or other lodging afforded you the experiences that needed to go with that amazing adventure. The tone, as I’m hearing it, is that you might think you should have done better, but that is so unnecessary just based on your mindfulness regarding the cost. Cut yourself a little slack and be proud of that number. And think of all of the pleasure you gave us viewers. Worth every penny.

[@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting]

ya I'm pretty happy overall with how much I spent, as the trip progressed I was thinking I might end up over $4k but I didn't. I sort of always feel like I could have done better at things in hindsight but it's a lot easier to say that in hindsight for sure.

[@KyGirl747]

I’m going to say again that I think you managed the experience and the expense about as beautifully as anybody has.

[@stattravels8109]

Great to see you! Love hearing the cost breakdown!

[@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting]

Thank you!

[@richardthorne2804]

You did an outstanding job keeping costs down. I know there are different tiers for those that thru hike but Dave for example Platinum Blazed and spent twice that much money. In fact in total I think he was well over $10K.

[@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting]

thanks! Ya it's definitely not uncommon to be close to 10k. There's a SOBO that posts a lot in one of the facebook groups and she said at one point that she budgeted / saved up $15k for the trip.

[@lizo2986]

Great breakdown on costs .. my my that Ice Cream did add up !! LOL

[@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting]

Ya, was definitely more than just ice cream but ice creams not cheap. Especially at gas stations sometimes it was kinda outrageous ha.

[@KevinHaldeman-wr1ut]

Thank you for the cost breakdown...congrats on your thru...it is something you will always remember and cherish

[@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting]

Yes it certainly is, thank you!

[@patriciakkrivoshein6887]

Frank, Frank, Frank -- you had the absolute CHEAPEST AT hike of any hiker vlog that I've ever watched. Almost all of the other vloggers planned WAY more hostel/hotel visits/zeros than you had and had just as many (if not more) restaurant meals I don't know where those "normal" figures came from. You really did the Spartan version! There is no need for apologies. I'm glad you did eventually realize the need for those restaurant meals and snacks so that you didn't lose any more weight. If it was me, I'd be doing the "platinum" version, heh. By the way, we just watched our first Nobo (Molly Rose Outdoors) summit Katahdin today. It was a moving experience!

[@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting]

ya most probably do spend more and I was generally pleased with how much I spent. That's awesome, the Katahdin summit definitely is a much more exciting finish to a thru hike than Springer ha.

[@patriciakkrivoshein6887]

@@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting But at least you made yours as exciting as it could be!

[@OldManDaniel]

Thanks for the information Frank. Your cost breakdown is giving me some ideas as I plan for my 2025 SOBO attempt. Take care and hoping to hear from you again.

[@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting]

No problem! Best of luck on your 2025 hike and let me know if you have any questions! I'll be doing a live stream Q&A next tuesday at 8 pm EST. will make a community post about it and also mention it in my next video coming out this Saturday.

[@TraceyWestfall]

Congratulations! You managed your time and your expenses well. Proud of you ❤

[@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting]

Thanks!!

[@candacejackson5044]

I just read a few articles and watched a short video from Good Morning America about Tara Dower. She is a Virginia native that is an ultrarunner and just got the FKT for running the AT in just under 41 days.

[@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting]

Ya I was following her the second half of her trip! That's awesome they mentioned it on good morning america, glad it got some mainstream coverage!!

[@WalkingwithWendy]

I think you did great! So proud of you!

[@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting]

Thank you!!

[@mtadams2009]

Thanks for the breakdown. I think you did well financially and I would not over think the off trail food. I think it’s necessary. Not only for calories but for a bit of food enjoyment. I truly get sick of trail food and love restaurant food even stuff I never eat like fast food. Take care

[@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting]

ya that's definitely all true. It's easy in hindsight to say "oh I could've done all these things better" but that's not realistic and I agree that I did well financially so can't complain.

[@Fuge128]

Nice, hope you ran $50 thru the Challenger when you arrived home. 😁

[@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting]

haha have been driving it some! past few days it's been rainy though.

[@ChristopherMarshburn]

That was actually a very frugal budget. Probably one of the least expensive thru-hikes in recent memory.

[@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting]

Glad to hear it ha that was partly the goal!

[@waynebates4672]

Congratulations! Did you do any zeros at all? When I was following you along I don’t remember seeing you taking any.

[@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting]

I did not have any zeroes though some of the days I went into town for resupply I did less than 15 and even less than 10 on two or three days.

[@eddiemathis412]

I did the AT in 2006 for $2600 so today I would budget $1000 a month but of which if you got it your going to spend it, some people spend upwards around $8-10,000 and a few can do the entire trail on $1000 so it just depends on who you are and how comfortable you want to be out there.

[@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting]

Ya for sure. There was someone this year that did it on $200 (not counting gear). He didn't stay in hostels at all and he just took all the food from all the hiker boxes lol.

[@SparkyOne549]

Thanks for the breakdown. Were you calorie counting your meals? I’m sure you were burning a lot more calories than most hikers because of your average speed and length of time hiking per day.

[@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting]

In terms of my resupply that my Dad was shipping I had between 4,000 and 5,000 calories per day but I didn't count any calories of extra food I bought along the way. And I wasn't counting those resupply calories on a daily basis I had just planned before the trip what I would eat every day and knew it was between 4 and 5k calories.

[@SparkyOne549]

@@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting So you definitely went over the 4-5k calories, you sure needed the extra, you did a Herculean effort.

[@MyCatIsSmarter]

I thought the 2024 Smokies permit was $40. Then Shenandoah started a backcountry fee this year too. I did many nights there for free in the past. Overall, you did great, very low cost

[@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting]

Haha you are right the 2024 smokies thru hiker permit was $40. However, I just bought a "regular person" backcountry camping permit in the smokies since I was only planning to stay in the park 3 nights. That was $8 per night for 3 nights = $24. And Shenandoah permit was $15.

[@MyCatIsSmarter]

@@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting Just curious, do rangers ever check for backcountry passes? I will guess some hikers dont get the permits

[@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting]

@@MyCatIsSmarter Not that I've heard of. Don't think I talked to a single person that had a ranger check their permit.

[@MyCatIsSmarter]

@@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting I see it as a donation to keep the national parks running. SMNP cannot charge entrance fees

[@dannytanner8725]

did that include the 72 days of miss work

[@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting]

haha no it did not include the opportunity cost of not working. But if people were worried about the opportunity cost of hiking the AT I don't think anyone would do it.

[@blazenarihtar2108]

I thought there was a fee when you get your AT tag, before you start.

[@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting]

There's no fee for getting the AT hangtag.

[@juliecurtis4045]

I'm curious what your weight loss amount was, if any?

[@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting]

About 10 lbs. A good suggestion to talk about in my Q&A next week.

[@chuckoffcampus9738]

You forgot to include opportunity costs!

[@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting]

Haha that's technically true.

[@lauriehepinstall2636]

The food costs are less than 15 a day. That is impressive

[@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting]

That's a good point, thanks!

[@suemoore1965]

Congrats again on finishing the AT thru hike 💕🤍👣 How much weight did you lose??? 💕🤍👣

[@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting]

Thank you! About 10 lbs but I think I'm gaining some back already.