Tag: Trails Forever

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,[…]

Ceremony marks reopening of Trillium Gap Trail and FOTS donation of truck to GSMNP

December 11, 2020

by Julie Dodd A special ceremony at Trillium Gap Trail on Nov. 10, 2020, reopened the trail after after two[…]

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[…]

Volunteer with Trails Forever crew to help restore Rainbow Falls Trail

May 6, 2018

by Julie Dodd Being a Trails Forever volunteer is a great way to support hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains[…]

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.[…]

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[…]

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[…]

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[…]

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[…]

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[…]

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[…]

Summer interns value GSMNP experiences

August 30, 2016

by Linden Jones Rising Junior at Asheville School Asheville, North Carolina Our six weeks in the Smokies were eye opening.[…]

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[…]

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[…]

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[…]

Friends of the Smokies President, Board Members Named Among 100 Most Influential in Park History

April 13, 2016

In honor of the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, Great Smoky Mountains Association (GSMA) has released a list[…]

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”[…]

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[…]

Becoming a Working Part of Alum Cave Trail

August 18, 2015

by Peyton C. Proffitt “The morning, which is the most memorable season of the day, is the awakening hour. Then[…]

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[…]

Hikers celebrate Margaret Stevenson’s 103rd birthday

August 6, 2015

Avid hiker Margaret Stevenson was remembered by the Margaret Stevenson Wednesday Hikers with a celebration of what would have been[…]

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,[…]

Trails Forever crew making progress on Alum Cave Trail

June 30, 2015

by Julie Dodd If you’ve hiked the Alum Cave Trail in the last few weeks, you know that The Friends[…]

Alum Cave Trail restoration underway as part of FOTS Trails Forever project

May 12, 2015

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

2015 Evergreen Ball

February 5, 2015

January 31st was the 12th Annual Evergreen Ball to benefit Friends of the Smokies and it was a huge success![…]

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[…]

Chimney Tops Trail re-opens Dec. 12, 2014

December 12, 2014

by Julie Dodd The Chimney Tops Trail is officially re-opening on Dec. 12, 2014, after three years of trail restoration.[…]

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[…]

Friends of the Smokies Gives $2.4 Million to Fund Conservation, Preservation, and Protection in Great Smoky Mountains National Park So Far in 2014

May 7, 2014

By Holly Scott, Marketing Director Who are Friends of the Smokies? Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park a.k.a. Friends of the[…]