# Appalachian Trail Conservancy - Updates & Sections Scraper (`jungle_synthesizer/appalachiantrail-org-shelter-segment-scraper`) Actor
First ATC actor. Crawls official Appalachian Trail Conservancy trail updates (closures, bear warnings, detours, alerts) and state section pages. Authoritative free AT logistics data for thru-hiker planning — shelters, sections, closures.
- **URL**: https://apify.com/jungle\_synthesizer/appalachiantrail-org-shelter-segment-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [BowTiedRaccoon](https://apify.com/jungle_synthesizer) (community)
- **Categories:** Travel, Sports
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet
## Pricing
Pay per event
This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event
## What's an Apify Actor?
Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".
## How to integrate an Actor?
If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.
In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md):
```bash
npm install apify-client
```
In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md):
```bash
pip install apify-client
```
In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md):
````bash
# MacOS / Linux
curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash
# Windows
irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex
```bash
In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md).
If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).
For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.
For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).
# README
## Appalachian Trail Conservancy Trail Updates Scraper
Scrape official trail updates and state section pages from the [Appalachian Trail Conservancy](https://appalachiantrail.org). Returns closures, detours, bear and weather advisories, and per-state trail overviews — the authoritative free source for AT logistics, covering all 14 trail states from Georgia to Maine.
---
### ⛰️ Appalachian Trail Conservancy Scraper Features
- Extracts official trail updates — closures, detours, advisories, and alerts — straight from the ATC.
- Collects per-state section pages for all 14 AT states, with the official overview text for each.
- Filters by content type, state, and notice category, so you pull the slice you care about instead of the whole trail.
- Returns clean JSON with consistent field names. No HTML soup, no copy-paste.
- Classifies every update by category — closure, advisory, or reroute — so you can route alerts without re-reading the title.
- Pulls effective dates out of the update body when the ATC bothers to include them.
- No proxies, no login, no browser. The ATC publishes this in the open, and we read it at a polite pace.
---
### Who Uses Appalachian Trail Data?
- **Thru-hikers and section-hikers** — Check which shelters and segments are closed before you commit to a 2,000-mile walk with everything you own on your back.
- **Trail clubs and ridgerunners** — Track active closures and reroutes across the maintaining region without refreshing fourteen state pages by hand.
- **Hiking apps and trip planners** — Feed official ATC closures into your routing layer alongside FarOut and NPS data for a complete picture.
- **Outdoor researchers** — Build a longitudinal record of closures, bear activity, and weather events along the corridor.
- **Gear and guide publishers** — Pull authoritative, citable conditions data instead of paraphrasing a forum post from 2019.
---
### How the Appalachian Trail Conservancy Scraper Works
1. Pick what you want — trail updates, state sections, or both. The default pulls both.
2. Optionally narrow by state and notice category. Filters apply before the result cap, so `maxItems` counts matches, not pages fetched.
3. The scraper discovers pages from the ATC sitemap, then reads each one and extracts the fields below.
4. You get structured JSON. Run it once before a trip, or schedule it and watch closures roll in.
---
### Input
```json
{
"contentType": "both",
"states": ["North Carolina", "Tennessee"],
"categories": ["closure", "reroute"],
"maxItems": 50
}
````
| Field | Type | Default | Description |
|-------|------|---------|-------------|
| `contentType` | string | `both` | Which content to scrape: `both`, `trail_updates`, or `sections`. |
| `states` | array | *(all)* | Limit results to these states (e.g. `"Georgia"`, `"North Carolina"`). Precise for section pages; best-effort for trail updates, which use ATC's free-text region labels. |
| `categories` | array | *(all)* | Limit trail updates to these notice categories: `closure`, `advisory`, `reroute`. Applies to trail updates only. |
| `maxItems` | integer | `10` | Maximum number of matching records to return. |
Want every closure in the Smokies and nothing else? Set `contentType` to `trail_updates`, `categories` to `["closure"]`, and a state. Want a quick state-by-state overview? Set `contentType` to `sections` and skip the rest.
***
### Appalachian Trail Conservancy Scraper Output Fields
```json
{
"record_type": "closure",
"section_name": "",
"state": "TN, NC",
"shelter_name": "Great Smoky Mtns NP: Icewater Springs Shelter Closed",
"mile_marker": null,
"latitude": null,
"longitude": null,
"water_source": "",
"capacity": null,
"notice_title": "Great Smoky Mtns NP: Icewater Springs Shelter Closed",
"notice_category": "closure",
"effective_dates": "05/01/2026; 11/01/2026",
"description": "Icewater Springs Shelter is closed for reconstruction...
",
"source_url": "https://appalachiantrail.org/trail-updates/icewater-springs-shelter-closed/"
}
```
| Field | Type | Description |
|-------|------|-------------|
| `record_type` | string | `notice`, `closure`, or `section`. |
| `section_name` | string | State section name (section records only). |
| `state` | string | State(s) referenced by the record. |
| `shelter_name` | string | Shelter named in the update title, when one is mentioned. |
| `mile_marker` | number | Mile marker. Null — the ATC does not publish structured shelter coordinates. |
| `latitude` | number | Latitude. Null — see above. |
| `longitude` | number | Longitude. Null — see above. |
| `water_source` | string | Water source. Empty — not published as structured data. |
| `capacity` | integer | Shelter capacity. Null — not published as structured data. |
| `notice_title` | string | Headline of the trail update. |
| `notice_category` | string | `advisory`, `closure`, or `reroute`. |
| `effective_dates` | string | Dates pulled from the update body, semicolon-separated. |
| `description` | string | Full HTML body of the update or section page. |
| `source_url` | string | Permanent URL to the source page. |
***
### 🔍 FAQ
#### How do I scrape Appalachian Trail closures and conditions?
Appalachian Trail Conservancy Trail Updates Scraper reads the official ATC trail-updates feed and returns closures, detours, and advisories as structured JSON. Set `categories` to `["closure"]` if closures are all you want.
#### Can I filter by state?
Yes. Pass a `states` array like `["Maine", "New Hampshire"]`. State filtering is exact for the per-state section pages and best-effort for trail updates, since the ATC labels updates with free-text region names rather than clean state codes.
#### Does this scraper return shelter coordinates or capacity?
No, and neither does the ATC. The conservancy doesn't publish dedicated shelter pages with mile markers, lat/long, water sources, or capacity, so those fields come back null. Shelters appear as mentions inside update titles and body text — useful for closures, not for mapping.
#### Does the Appalachian Trail Conservancy Scraper need proxies?
No. The ATC site is public and server-rendered, so the scraper reads it directly at a polite request rate. No proxies, no login, no browser.
#### How much does it cost to run?
Appalachian Trail Conservancy Trail Updates Scraper bills per record on a pay-per-event basis. A typical pre-trip pull of a few dozen updates costs a fraction of a cent per record.
***
### Need More Features?
Need custom fields, a different filter, or another trail org as a target? [File an issue](https://console.apify.com/actors/issues) or get in touch.
### Why Use Appalachian Trail Conservancy Trail Updates Scraper?
- **Authoritative source** — Pulls straight from the ATC, not a scraped-then-stale mirror.
- **Built-in filters** — Narrow by content type, state, and category before you pay, so you get the records you asked for instead of a haystack with your needle somewhere in it.
- **Clean JSON** — Consistent field names and classified categories, ready to drop into an app or a spreadsheet.
# Actor input Schema
## `sp_intended_usage` (type: `string`):
Please describe how you plan to use the data extracted by this crawler.
## `sp_improvement_suggestions` (type: `string`):
Provide any feedback or suggestions for improvements.
## `sp_contact` (type: `string`):
Provide your email address so we can get in touch with you.
## `contentType` (type: `string`):
Which ATC content to scrape: trail updates (closures, advisories, detours), state section pages, or both.
## `states` (type: `array`):
Limit results to these states (e.g. "Georgia", "North Carolina"). Case-insensitive partial match — precise for state section pages; for trail updates it matches ATC free-text region labels best-effort. Leave empty to include all states.
## `categories` (type: `array`):
Limit trail-update results to these categories. Valid values: closure, advisory, reroute. Leave empty for all. Applies to trail updates only.
## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):
Maximum number of matching records to scrape
## Actor input object example
```json
{
"sp_intended_usage": "Describe your intended use...",
"sp_improvement_suggestions": "Share your suggestions here...",
"sp_contact": "Share your email here...",
"contentType": "both",
"maxItems": 10
}
```
# Actor output Schema
## `results` (type: `string`):
No description
# API
You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.
## JavaScript example
```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';
// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
token: '',
});
// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
"sp_intended_usage": "Describe your intended use...",
"sp_improvement_suggestions": "Share your suggestions here...",
"sp_contact": "Share your email here...",
"contentType": "both",
"maxItems": 10
};
// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("jungle_synthesizer/appalachiantrail-org-shelter-segment-scraper").call(input);
// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
console.dir(item);
});
// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs
```
## Python example
```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient
# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("")
# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
"sp_intended_usage": "Describe your intended use...",
"sp_improvement_suggestions": "Share your suggestions here...",
"sp_contact": "Share your email here...",
"contentType": "both",
"maxItems": 10,
}
# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("jungle_synthesizer/appalachiantrail-org-shelter-segment-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)
# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"])
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
print(item)
# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start
```
## CLI example
```bash
echo '{
"sp_intended_usage": "Describe your intended use...",
"sp_improvement_suggestions": "Share your suggestions here...",
"sp_contact": "Share your email here...",
"contentType": "both",
"maxItems": 10
}' |
apify call jungle_synthesizer/appalachiantrail-org-shelter-segment-scraper --silent --output-dataset
```
## MCP server setup
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"apify": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"mcp-remote",
"https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=jungle_synthesizer/appalachiantrail-org-shelter-segment-scraper",
"--header",
"Authorization: Bearer "
]
}
}
}
```
## OpenAPI specification
```json
{
"openapi": "3.0.1",
"info": {
"title": "Appalachian Trail Conservancy - Updates & Sections Scraper",
"description": "First ATC actor. Crawls official Appalachian Trail Conservancy trail updates (closures, bear warnings, detours, alerts) and state section pages. Authoritative free AT logistics data for thru-hiker planning — shelters, sections, closures.",
"version": "0.1",
"x-build-id": "yamnUAGASpyIQy8zQ"
},
"servers": [
{
"url": "https://api.apify.com/v2"
}
],
"paths": {
"/acts/jungle_synthesizer~appalachiantrail-org-shelter-segment-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": {
"post": {
"operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-jungle_synthesizer-appalachiantrail-org-shelter-segment-scraper",
"x-openai-isConsequential": false,
"summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.",
"tags": [
"Run Actor"
],
"requestBody": {
"required": true,
"content": {
"application/json": {
"schema": {
"$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
}
}
}
},
"parameters": [
{
"name": "token",
"in": "query",
"required": true,
"schema": {
"type": "string"
},
"description": "Enter your Apify token here"
}
],
"responses": {
"200": {
"description": "OK"
}
}
}
},
"/acts/jungle_synthesizer~appalachiantrail-org-shelter-segment-scraper/runs": {
"post": {
"operationId": "runs-sync-jungle_synthesizer-appalachiantrail-org-shelter-segment-scraper",
"x-openai-isConsequential": false,
"summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.",
"tags": [
"Run Actor"
],
"requestBody": {
"required": true,
"content": {
"application/json": {
"schema": {
"$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
}
}
}
},
"parameters": [
{
"name": "token",
"in": "query",
"required": true,
"schema": {
"type": "string"
},
"description": "Enter your Apify token here"
}
],
"responses": {
"200": {
"description": "OK",
"content": {
"application/json": {
"schema": {
"$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema"
}
}
}
}
}
}
},
"/acts/jungle_synthesizer~appalachiantrail-org-shelter-segment-scraper/run-sync": {
"post": {
"operationId": "run-sync-jungle_synthesizer-appalachiantrail-org-shelter-segment-scraper",
"x-openai-isConsequential": false,
"summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.",
"tags": [
"Run Actor"
],
"requestBody": {
"required": true,
"content": {
"application/json": {
"schema": {
"$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
}
}
}
},
"parameters": [
{
"name": "token",
"in": "query",
"required": true,
"schema": {
"type": "string"
},
"description": "Enter your Apify token here"
}
],
"responses": {
"200": {
"description": "OK"
}
}
}
}
},
"components": {
"schemas": {
"inputSchema": {
"type": "object",
"required": [
"maxItems"
],
"properties": {
"sp_intended_usage": {
"title": "What is the intended usage of this data?",
"minLength": 1,
"type": "string",
"description": "Please describe how you plan to use the data extracted by this crawler."
},
"sp_improvement_suggestions": {
"title": "How can we improve this crawler for you?",
"minLength": 1,
"type": "string",
"description": "Provide any feedback or suggestions for improvements."
},
"sp_contact": {
"title": "Contact Email",
"minLength": 1,
"type": "string",
"description": "Provide your email address so we can get in touch with you."
},
"contentType": {
"title": "Content Type",
"enum": [
"both",
"trail_updates",
"sections"
],
"type": "string",
"description": "Which ATC content to scrape: trail updates (closures, advisories, detours), state section pages, or both."
},
"states": {
"title": "States",
"type": "array",
"description": "Limit results to these states (e.g. \"Georgia\", \"North Carolina\"). Case-insensitive partial match — precise for state section pages; for trail updates it matches ATC free-text region labels best-effort. Leave empty to include all states.",
"items": {
"type": "string"
}
},
"categories": {
"title": "Notice Categories",
"type": "array",
"description": "Limit trail-update results to these categories. Valid values: closure, advisory, reroute. Leave empty for all. Applies to trail updates only.",
"items": {
"type": "string"
}
},
"maxItems": {
"title": "Max Items",
"type": "integer",
"description": "Maximum number of matching records to scrape"
}
}
},
"runsResponseSchema": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"data": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"id": {
"type": "string"
},
"actId": {
"type": "string"
},
"userId": {
"type": "string"
},
"startedAt": {
"type": "string",
"format": "date-time",
"example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z"
},
"finishedAt": {
"type": "string",
"format": "date-time",
"example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z"
},
"status": {
"type": "string",
"example": "READY"
},
"meta": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"origin": {
"type": "string",
"example": "API"
},
"userAgent": {
"type": "string"
}
}
},
"stats": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"inputBodyLen": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 2000
},
"rebootCount": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"restartCount": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"resurrectCount": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"computeUnits": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
}
}
},
"options": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"build": {
"type": "string",
"example": "latest"
},
"timeoutSecs": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 300
},
"memoryMbytes": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 1024
},
"diskMbytes": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 2048
}
}
},
"buildId": {
"type": "string"
},
"defaultKeyValueStoreId": {
"type": "string"
},
"defaultDatasetId": {
"type": "string"
},
"defaultRequestQueueId": {
"type": "string"
},
"buildNumber": {
"type": "string",
"example": "1.0.0"
},
"containerUrl": {
"type": "string"
},
"usage": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"DATASET_READS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"DATASET_WRITES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 1
},
"KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"PROXY_SERPS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
}
}
},
"usageTotalUsd": {
"type": "number",
"example": 0.00005
},
"usageUsd": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"DATASET_READS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"DATASET_WRITES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": {
"type": "number",
"example": 0.00005
},
"KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"PROXY_SERPS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
```