Trails in the Tennessee district are in slightly poorer condition, on the average, than those in the North Carolina district, but the Appalachian Trail is more eroded than either. The most important physical factor is the slope of the trail.
Trails in virgin or mature forest tend to be in poorer condition than those in successional areas. Open grass balds and spruce-fir forest are the most erosion-sensitive plant communities, and the xeric oak and pine types are the least sensitive. Trail erosion is related to a number of environmental variables, including vegetation type, elevation, trail slope, and section of the park. All the maintained trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park were surveyed for width, depth, and a variety of types of erosion.
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