[5] Created in 1876 to explore and preserve the White Mountains in New Hampshire, it has expanded throughout the northeastern U.S., with 12 chapters stretching from Maine to Washington, D.C.

The AMC's 90,000 members, its advocates, and supporters (as of 2023[update])[6] mix outdoor recreation, particularly hiking and backpacking, with environmental activism.

[7][9] The group helped map the White Mountains and in 1888 built the first of eight High Huts in the range, modeled on Alpine shelters.

[14] In September 2016, the Appalachian Mountain Club sold their Joy Street headquarters to a group of real estate investors for $15 million, who planned to turn the 22,000 square feet of office space on Beacon Hill into residential units.

[15] In December 2016, The Appalachian Mountain Club purchased Roughan Hall in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston,[16] and moved their headquarters there in September 2017.

[3] Appalachian Mountain Club has twelve chapters located in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Washington, D.C.

The huts' 30-year special use permits were renewed by the U.S. Forest Service in 1999 following a four-year process that included an environmental impact statement.

The majority of the AMC's activities are conducted by its members who volunteer to lead trips throughout the northeast, from Maine to DC.

Activities include hiking, backpacking, paddling, biking, rock climbing, camping, skiing, and snowshoeing, ranging in duration from a day to a week.