Hike to see old-growth forests

Friends of the Smokies will offer a guided hike to Albright Grove Loop on Tuesday, September 11. Haywood County resident Steve Winchester will lead the 6.5 mile moderate hike in the Cosby area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Named for Horace Albright, second director of the National Park Service, the trail winds its way through old growth forest, including hemlocks, tulip poplars, fraser magnolias, maples, beech, and silverbell trees. There are over 100 species of native trees and 100 species of native shrubs found in the Smokies, and 80 percent of the park is comprised of deciduous forest.

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.

Friends of the Smokies is an official nonprofit partner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and has raised more than $63 million to support critical park programs and maintain the Smokies.