Tag: hiking

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[…]

December 2024 Friends of the Smokies Newsletter

December 3, 2024

by Jim Matheny Hello, Friends! To have this monthly newsletter delivered directly to your inbox, please sign up! We want[…]

November 2024 Friends of the Smokies Newsletter

November 5, 2024

by Jim Matheny Hello, Friends! To have this monthly newsletter delivered directly to your inbox, please sign up! We want[…]

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,[…]

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[…]

Cades Cove provides special hikes & views for Classic Hike of Smokies two-day event

July 10, 2018

by Julie Dodd Friends of the Smokies held a special Classic Hikes of the Smokies two-day event, June 11-12, in[…]

My Volunteer Experience with FOTS

June 3, 2018

Guest blog post courtesy of Mary Duggan, University of Tennessee ’18 My name is Mary Duggan and for the past[…]

“Everybody’s National Parks” explores the Smokies

May 9, 2018

Everybody’s National Parks is a podcast dedicated to family adventure in our national parks and a few weeks ago, I[…]

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[…]

Trails Forever restores Rainbow Falls Trail

December 14, 2017

by Josh Shapiro Trails Forever Crew Supervisor 2017 was a productive year on Rainbow Falls Trail. The NPS Trails Forever[…]

Rainbow Falls restoration work underway

August 30, 2017

by Julie Dodd The Trails Forever crew is hard at work restoring the Rainbow Falls Trail, one of the popular[…]

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[…]

Great views from Charlies Bunion highlight June Classic Hike

June 27, 2017

Steve Winchester was the hike leader for the June Classic Hike of the Smokies. Steve and his wife, Judy, both[…]

Alum Cave Trail restoration improves hiking experience

June 15, 2017

by Julie Dodd An added bonus of a recent hike to Mt. Le Conte was being able to see the[…]

Wildflowers on Big Creek Trail for April Classic Hike of the Smokies

April 25, 2017

by Julie Dodd The April Classic Hike of the Smokies, on April 11, was Big Creek Trail and provided the[…]

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[…]

Smokies Centennial Hike 100 Challenge inspires & promotes service to park

March 10, 2017

by Julie Dodd More than 2,275 hikers completed the Smokies Centennial Hike 100 Challenge to celebrate the 100th anniversary of[…]

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[…]

Alum Cave Trail restoration work nears completion

October 7, 2016

by Julie Dodd Restoration work on the Alum Cave Trail, one of the most popular trails in the Smokies, will[…]

Hikers celebrate Margaret Stevenson’s 104th birthday

September 24, 2016

by Julie Dodd Hikers recognized Margaret Stevenson and her influence on hiking when they met to celebrate what would have[…]

Volunteer with Trails Forever Crew on Alum Cave Trail

June 26, 2016

by Julie Dodd Being a Trails Forever crew volunteer is a great way to be a part of restoring some of the[…]

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[…]

Spring is a time for new beginnings…

March 28, 2016

It’s not too often that our small organization has staffing changes, but we have some happy and sad news to[…]

Centennial logo captures diversity of GSMNP experience

February 29, 2016

by Julie Dodd When I saw the new Centennial logo for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, I was interested[…]

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”[…]

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[…]

Don’t Move Rocks!

October 10, 2015

by Brent McDaniel, Director of Marketing Drive down any of the roads in Great Smoky Mountains National Park that follow[…]

3 Ways to Leaf Peep in the Smokies

September 25, 2015

Expedia teamed up with Friends of the Smokies to provide tips for witnessing the fall foliage in the Smoky Mountains[…]

5 Summer Hikes You’ll Love

July 8, 2015

By Holly Scott Jones, Marketing Director Summer is the perfect time to take a hike! From beginners to expert backpackers,[…]

Avent Cabin provides hiking treasure hunt and history lesson

June 19, 2015

by Julie Dodd If you’re looking for a Smokies hike that includes a treasure hunt, a trip back in time,[…]

Trail Review: Abrams Falls Trail

May 5, 2015

Jennfier Karrasch shared her review of Abrams Falls Trail with us for National Park Week. Thanks to everyone who entered[…]

Trailcams capture Chimney Tops Trail restoration work

January 28, 2015

by Julie Dodd Thanks to the photo planning and editing skills of Tobias Miller, Smokies Trail Crew Supervisor, you can[…]

Rich Mountain Loop in Cades Cove Is Great Winter Smokies Hike

January 21, 2015

By Holly Jones, Director of Community Outreach and Strategy The wildly popular mountain valley of Cades Cove inside 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[…]

Welcome our newest Friend, Anna Lee Zanetti

August 20, 2014

Friends of the Smokies is pleased to welcome another addition to its staff, Anna Lee Zanetti as the new Outreach &[…]

Volunteer with Trails Forever Crew on Chimney Tops Trail

July 10, 2014

By Holly Scott Jones, former Marketing Director of Friends of the Smokies A Brief Look Back at Smokies Trails[…]

Hike to Rocky Top High Above Cades Cove

November 8, 2013

by Holly Scott, Marketing Director The days immediately following the much-celebrated reopening of Great Smoky Mountains National Park were glorious.[…]

Camping in the Smokies Today (Oct. 16) – What You Need to Know

October 16, 2013

by Holly Scott, Marketing Director Camping in the Smokies Today (Oct. 16th) – Edited This post was written on October[…]

5 Things You Can Do While Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s Shutdown

October 2, 2013

By Holly Scott, Marketing Director As you may have heard, due to the government shut-down, Great Smoky Mountains National Park[…]

Get Your Banff On in Knoxville

February 27, 2013

by Holly Scott Friends of the Smokies Marketing Director Four years ago on a warm spring evening, my colleague Sarah[…]

The Impact of Your “Friends”

February 8, 2013

by Meridith Powell, Board of Directors, Friends of the Smokies Today, I had a great reminder of why Friends of[…]

Holiday Happenings with Friends of the Smokies

December 7, 2012

It doesn’t feel a whole lot like a white Christmas is imminent for us here in the Great Smoky Mountains. […]