MacKaye, Benton, 1879-1975, American forester and regional planner, b. Stamford, Conn., grad. Harvard (B.A., 1900; M.A. School of Forestry, 1905); son of Steele MacKaye. He was a research forester of the U.S. Forest Service; he planned and helped in the construction of the Appalachian Trail (1921) and served on the regional planning staff of the Tennessee Valley Authority (1934-36) and on the staff of the Rural Electrification Administration (1942-45). MacKaye's philosophy of regional planning is given in The New Exploration (1928).

The Benton MacKaye Trail or BMT is a footpath nearly 300 miles in length in the Appalachian Mountains in the southeastern United States and is blazed by a white diamond, 5" across by 7" tall. The hiking trail was created and is maintained by the Benton MacKaye Trail Association and is named for Benton MacKaye, the Massachusetts forester and regional planner who first had the idea for the Appalachian Trail in 1921.

The BMT runs from Springer Mountain in Georgia (sharing the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail) to Davenport Gap in Tennessee. The trail passes through eight United States Wilderness Areas and Wilderness Study Areas, while traversing three states (Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina). The lowest elevation (765 feet) on the BMT occurs at the crossing of the Hiwassee River in Tennessee. The highest elevation is the summit of Mt. Sterling in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina.

References

• Benton MacKaye Trail Association (2006). "Benton MacKaye Trail Association" Retrieved March 2, 2006.