In each of the 14 states of the Appalachian Trail, are 31 Trail Maintaining Clubs. These Trail clubs are independent organizations, many of them 501(c)3 nonprofits, that are responsible for preserving their assigned sections of the A.T. In having this task, the Trail clubs are essential contributors to the cooperative management of the A.T. Through this, the clubs are viewed as the center of the trail's partnering management, involving a Trail club, the ATC, and one or more state or federal agency, such as the National Park Service or the U.S. Forest Service. 

For more than eight decades, these Trail clubs have been the bedrocks for the creation and stewardship of the Appalachian Trail. In 1921, Benton MacKaye proposed his creation of the Appalachian Trail, and six years later, in 1927, the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club was founded. While the PATC is considered the oldest and first trail club for the A.T., other distinguished maintaining clubs, such as several chapters of the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), which was founded in 1876, maintained trails that predated the A.T. In addition, the PATC maintains 240 miles of the A.T., leading it to be one of the largest clubs with an extensive area to cover. On the other hand, the Randolph Mountain Club is the smallest trail club with only 2.2 miles of the A.T. to preserve.

Although many of the Trail clubs were formed in the 1920s and 1930s, a number of clubs received their maintenance-section assignments in the 1960s and later. These sectional assignments were made possible, by the designation of each Trail club. For this reason, the clubs are dispersed among four regions:

• New England, with 7 Trail clubs,
• Mid-Atlantic, with 12 Trail clubs,
• Virginia, with 7 Trail clubs,
• and Southern, with 5 Trail clubs.

The 31 Trail clubs are administered by people who are dedicated to nature and the perpetuation of the Appalachian Trail. These clubs are responsible for the daily work needed to keep their sections, and the entirety, of the A.T. open. Traditional duties include maintaining the trailway as well as monitoring the shelters, campsites, and sanitary systems. These clubs tackle critical priorities for the trail, any threats, and implement other land management programs needed for the A.T. or surrounding lands and resources. Without the execution of these tasks, the A.T., as a physical entity, would be lost.