Tag: Danny Bernstein

Hikers Train To Lead ‘Trails Forever Hikes’ in 2025

February 21, 2025

by Danny Bernstein In 2011, Holly Demuth was the North Carolina director of Friends of the Smokies and wanted to[…]

Trails Forever Hikes Recap: Appalachian Trail and Mountains-to-Sea Trail at Clingmans Dome (Aug. 13, 2024)

August 22, 2024

by Danny Bernstein The August “challenging” Trails Forever Hike was a twofer around Clingmans Dome. Continuing the flexible theme for[…]

Trails Forever Hikes recap: Noland Creek Trail

July 16, 2024

by Danny Bernstein There are several reasons to love the Noland Creek Trail. It is an easy trail on an[…]

Meet the Trails Forever Hike Advisory Team

June 25, 2024

Meet our hike advisory team! These volunteers make the Trails Forever Hikes happen by helping lead and sweep the hikes.[…]

Trails Forever Hikes recap: Mountains-to-Sea Trail

May 20, 2024

by Danny Bernstein When hiking in the Smokies, flexibility is almost as important as hiking ability. The Trails Forever Hike[…]

Trails Forever Hikes recap: Porters Creek in the rain

April 12, 2024

by Danny Bernstein April showers bring May flowers. But first they bring a lot of rain. The first hike in[…]

‘Trails Forever Hikes’ Hiking Program

March 15, 2024

by Danny Bernstein Spring is almost here and so is the Friends of the Smokies (FOTS) hiking program. This year,[…]

Goldmine Loop Trail and holiday gathering features for December Classic Hike of the Smokies

December 4, 2019

by Julie Dodd Join Friends of the Smokies to hike the Goldmine Loop Trail on Tuesday, Dec. 10, followed by[…]

2019 Classic Hikes of the Smokies

January 12, 2019

by Julie Dodd Start planning now to join the 2019 Classic Hikes of the Smokies. The hikes are each Tuesday[…]

Snow changes December Classic Hike destination

December 21, 2018

by Julie Dodd Snow closed US 441 through the Smokies, but that didn’t keep FOTS hikers from getting in a[…]

2018 Classic Hikes of the Smokies

February 16, 2018

by Julie Dodd The Classic Hikes of the Smokies series, starting its eighth year, offers a way to hike trails[…]

Hikers explore Elkmont area for December Classic Hike

January 2, 2018

by Julie Dodd The Classic Hikes of the Smokies wrapped up 2017 with a hike in Elkmont on Dec. 14.[…]

November Classic Hike includes tunnel on ‘Road to Nowhere’

December 1, 2017

The November Classic Hike of the Smokies was led by Gracia Slater, who lacks just three short hikes to complete[…]

FOTS hikers explore historic Lakeshore Trail area

November 9, 2017

by Julie Dodd Friends of the Smokies hikers had the opportunity to explore trails in the Fontana Lake area and[…]

Alum Cave Trail improvements highlight July Classic Hike of the Smokies

July 25, 2017

Steve Pierce was the hike leader for the July Classic Hike of the Smokies to Mt. Le Conte. Steve has[…]

Mingus Creek Trail launches 2017 Classic Hikes of the Smokies

April 1, 2017

by Julie Dodd A hike on the Mingus Creek Trail launched the 2017 Classic Hikes of the Smokies. Thirty-two hikers[…]

Classic Hikes of Smokies 2017 schedule

February 21, 2017

by Julie Dodd The Classic Hikes of the Smokies 2017 hiking season begins on March 14 March 28, with a hike[…]

Noland Creek Trail — November’s Classic Hike

November 18, 2016

by Julie Dodd The November Classic Hike of the Smokies was on a beautiful fall day — ten miles on[…]

Classic Hikes of Smokies help hikers add miles toward Hike 100 Challenge

October 25, 2016

by Julie Dodd Hikers can add 10 miles toward the Hike 100 Challenge by joining the Friends of the Smokies Classic[…]

Mt. Cammerer provides view for Classic Hike of the Smokies

September 21, 2016

Mt. Cammerer was the goal for the FOTS Classic Hike of the Smokies on Sept. 13, with the Mt. Cammerer[…]

Classic Hikes of the Smokies – Charlies Bunion and Mt. Sterling

July 25, 2016

by Julie Dodd Hikers of the Classic Hikes of the Smokies for June and July added 15.4 miles toward the[…]

Welcome to the team, Marielle!

June 6, 2016

As you may know from our previous blog posts, we have had some exciting staffing changes in our North Carolina[…]

Hyatt Ridge Trail provides challenge

May 23, 2016

by Julie Dodd Challenge was the key theme for the May Classic Hike of the Smokies to Hyatt Ridge. The hike[…]

Porters Creek Trail provides view of spring wildflowers

April 27, 2016

by Julie Dodd The April Classic Hike of the Smokies was the Porters Creek Trail in the Greenbrier, Tennessee, section of[…]

Little Cataloochee Trail: March’s Classic Hike of the Smokies

April 6, 2016

by Julie Dodd The Classic Hike of the Smokies hikers logged 6.6 miles on the Little Cataloochee Trail on March 8,[…]

Hike 100 challenge encourages you to hike 100 miles of trails in GSMNP during 2016

February 2, 2016

by Julie Dodd A great way to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service is by taking the “Hike 100”[…]

Classic Hikes of the Smokies December hike: Deep Creek loop trail

January 4, 2016

The Classic Hikes of the Smokies series for 2015 ended the year with a hike of the Deep Creek loop[…]

FOTS Classic Hike to Chimney Tops provides views and insights on trail restoration

November 12, 2015

by Julie Dodd Trail renovation, mountain-top views, and life in the area before the establishment of the GSMNP were[…]

Mt. LeConte hike provides memorable experience

August 15, 2015

Sixty hikers took part in a special FOTS overnight hike to Mt. LeConte, July 20-21. The group departed from the[…]

Group hikes and hiking workshop provide support for Smokies hiking

March 24, 2015

by Julie Dodd Now is a great time of year for hiking in the Smokies. If you are new to[…]

Restoring trails and supporting wildlife — FOTS highlights in 2014

December 30, 2014

by Julie Dodd This post shares highlights of some of the Friends of the Smokies projects for the Great Smoky[…]

This Week at Friends of the Smokies

December 5, 2014

It’s been a busy week here at Friends of the Smokies! Time to find a nice branch, up high out[…]

Classic Hike along Pretty Hollow Gap Trail

October 22, 2014

By Anna Lee Zanetti The October Classic Hike along Pretty Hollow Gap Trail in Cataloochee Valley was the first hike[…]

Group hiking opportunities: ‘Get on the Trail with Missy and Friends’ and Danny Bernstein’s ‘Classic Hikes of the Smokies’

March 31, 2014

by Julie Dodd If you are just getting into hiking or if you are looking for a more social hiking[…]