High elevation hike with Friends of the Smokies

Friends of the Smokies will offer a 7.2 mile hike on the Appalachian Trail and Mountains-to-Sea Trail on Tuesday, July 10.

The 1,600-foot ascent will take the group to Clingmans Dome, the highest point in the park, and to Andrews Bald.  

Beth Ransom, accomplished hiker and Smokies supporter, will lead the hike. Beth has hiked many trails both inside and outside the park, and recently completed the Camino del Norte, a pilgrimage to Santiago, Spain, that travels several hundred miles.

The hike is a fundraiser for Trails Forever, a partnership between Friends of the Smokies and the National Park Service. Trails Forever funds a full-time trail crew to reconstruct and rehabilitate some of the park’s most impacted trails.

Meeting locations for the daylong excursion will be in Asheville, Waynesville, and at the trailhead. To learn more or register for any Classic Hike visit Hike.FriendsOfTheSmokies.org. Individual hikes are $20 for current Friends of the Smokies members and $35 for new and renewing members. The Classic Hikes of the Smokies series is sponsored by Smoky Mountain Living, Mission Health, Diamond Brand Outdoors, Equilibar, HomeTrust Bank, Smoky Park Supper Club, and Leap Frog Tours.

Friends of the Smokies is an official nonprofit partner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and has raised more than $60 million to support critical park programs and maintain the Smokies as a crown jewel of the National Park Service.