Rehab efforts begin on popular Smokies trail

The National Park Service (NPS) will begin a major rehabilitation on Laurel Falls Trail, one of the most popular trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The trail will close for 18 months starting Jan. 6, 2025, as crews make improvements to the trail and parking areas. 

Ramsey Cascades Trail closes on weekdays

The National Park Service (NPS) will close Ramsey Cascades Trail on weekdays while trail crews finish the full-scale rehabilitation work started in 2022.

Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest hikes, work projects

March brings unstable weather in the mountains, but it can also ushers in occasional springlike conditions. A pair of events at the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest will give folks an opportunity to enjoy the outdoors. 

Go the extra mile for trail maintenance

A new Carolina Mountain Club trail crew, dubbed the Extra Mile Crew, has been formed to work on trail sections likely to be missed by existing crews. 

Help maintain the Benton MacKaye Trail

The Benton MacKaye Trail Association will remove blown-down trees along the Tennessee/North Carolina line during a maintenance trip starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 27, from the Coker Creek Welcome Center in Tennessee. 

Pitch in with Panthertown

Friends of Panthertown will host a trail workday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 20, meeting at Salt Rock Gap Trailhead.

Workday planned at Jackson greenway

Help remove invasive plants on the Jackson County Greenway 1-4 p.m. Friday, Jan. 12 in Cullowhee. 

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