ATLANTA (AP) — A river with a history of ferry boats and Civil War battles may one day provide a new route for hikers who finish the Appalachian Trail to continue south until they reach the ocean, a national conservation group says.

Leaders envision the Chattahoochee River as a way to allow Appalachian Trail hikers to reach the Gulf of Mexico either on trails along its banks or in a canoe or kayak on the river. The trail already stretches from Maine to north Georgia.