Kickoff fall hiking with remote trek

Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park will offer a guided day hike on Hyatt Ridge and Beech Gap trails on Tuesday, October 8. This strenuous 9.4 mile ‘lollipop’ hike climbs 2,200 feet through tracts of beautiful old growth forest and rugged terrain.

Hike leader Steve Winchester lives on his family's farm in Waynesville, North Carolina. He and his wife, Judy, raise pygmy goats, bees, and chickens. After a 15-year career with the Air Force, Steve joined a government contracting firm based in northern Virginia and works out of his home as a system engineer. Having grown up in WNC, he has had the opportunity to explore and hike these hills his whole live, and especially enjoys time in the Smokies. 

Guided hikes are held on the second Tuesday of each month, March-December. To learn more and register for an upcoming 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, Equilibar, HomeTrust Bank.

Friends of the Smokies is an official nonprofit partner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and has raised more than $65 million to support critical park programs and maintain the Smokies as a crown jewel of the National Park Service.