by Julie Dodd
Trail work is underway to complete the restoration of Bullhead Trail, a 6.8-mile trail that is one of five routes to Mount Le Conte in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Bullhead Trail remains open to hikers on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and federal holidays but is closed Monday through Thursday through Nov. 19, 2026, for trail work.
Bullhead Trail, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, will be the eighth park trail restored by the Trails Forever Crew, funded by Friends of the Smokies.
Bullhead Trail improvements
Restoration work on Bullhead Trail includes repairing the trail surface, improving trail drainage, constructing staircases and retaining walls, and removing exposed rocks and roots that are tripping hazards.
In addition to restoring Bullhead Trail, the Trails Forever Crew is improving sections of the other trails around the top of Mount Le Conte.
Those trail improvements accomplish three goals – improve hiker safety, reduce erosion, and make hiker rescues less difficult.
“Without the support provided from Friends of the Smokies, the Bullhead Trail restoration project would not be possible,” said Josh Shapiro, Trails Forever Crew supervisor.
Friends of the Smokies funds the Trails Forever Crew of National Park Service staff and the American Conservation Corps and Southeastern Conservation Corps members who work on the trail. Friends also funds equipment and materials used for trail work — tools and supplies, locust logs used to build staircases and retaining walls, the leasing of crew vehicles, and helicopter delivery of materials.
Shapiro assesses the trail to determine what restoration work and materials are needed and makes arrangements to have materials and tools delivered to trail sites. He supervises and works alongside the crews.
“Bullhead Trail is steep, rugged and was heavily impacted by the 2016 Chimney Tops 2 Wildfire,” Shapiro said. “The sections of the trail most affected by the burn are the areas where the crew had to build the most staircases and retention walls to improve hiker safety and control erosion.”
Teamwork of Trails Forever Crew and conservation corps crews
The 7-person Trails Forever Crew is assisted by youth crews from the American Conservation Experience (ACE) and Southeast Conservation Corps (SECC).
Shapiro praised the skills of Trails Forever Crew members in their trail work and their ability to train and lead the conservation corps members and volunteers.
Due to the length of Bullhead Trail and the amount of work being done on trails atop Mount Le Conte, the crews are divided into frontcountry and backcountry crews. The frontcountry crew works the lower section of the trail, and the backcountry crew works the upper section of the trail. The backcountry crew – including members of the Trails Forever Crew and the SECC and ACE crews — stay atop Mount Le Conte during the work week.
Trail work atop Mount Le Conte
A major project for members of the backcountry crew was making improvements to eliminate water runoff from trails that affected the LeConte Lodge area — Rainbow Falls, Trillum Gap and Cliff Top trails.
During heavy rains, water flowed down the locust log staircase from Rainbow Falls Trail to the Lodge area. Water entered the dining hall and damaged the foundations of buildings.
The crew widened and deepened the existing drains alongside the trails to divert the water from the trails. Earth berms were built to prevent water from overflowing the drains. The crew also built log structures to divert the water away from the trails and the Lodge area.
A raised platform was installed at the top of the staircase from the Rainbow Falls Trail leading into the Lodge area to reroute water from flowing down the stairs.
The crew spent approximately three months on the project.
Volunteers assist on Wednesdays
Volunteers play an important part of trail restoration, Shapiro said.
“Volunteers have always had a very important role in Trails Forever projects,” he said. “Currently, volunteers are completing tasks on lower Bullhead Trail, including cutting back encroaching vegetation — including nettle, briars and rhododendron — to keep the trail corridor open. The volunteers also clear and improve trail drains, and peel locust logs that are used to build staircases and retaining walls.”
The volunteer crews, typically of four to seven volunteers, work on the trail on Wednesdays, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Shapiro complimented the work of “a very dedicated group” of volunteers that work almost every Wednesday — Jim Rugh, Connie and Ronnie Cogdill, and George Shuflat.
Volunteers must be at least 16 years old. Those under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Contact Shapiro to sign up for a workday and receive meeting place information. Email Josh_Shapiro@nps.gov or call 828-508-7516.
You can support Trails Forever restoration projects
Friends of the Smokies has spent $4 million to restore trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park since Trails Forever program began in 2012.
The Friends of the Smokies Trails Forever Crew has restored Abrams Falls Trail, Alum Cave Trail, Chimney Tops Trail, Forney Ridge Trail, Rainbow Falls Trail, Ramsey Cascades Trail and Trillium Gap Trail. You can learn about each trail restoration project by clicking on the links.
Friends of the Smokies is the official nonprofit partner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Through private donations, fundraising events, and specialty license plates in North Carolina and Tennessee, Friends of the Smokies raises money to fund needed projects and programs in the national park that would otherwise go unfunded.
Learn more about how to get a Friends of the Smokies license plate at BearPlate.org. You can make a direct tax-deductible donation at our website. We also are grateful for those who contribute at our donation boxes throughout the park. Every gift makes a significant difference.
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