Josh Shapiro
The trailhead after renovation and repair.
Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park will offer a guided day hike on Trillium Gap Trail On Tuesday, September 10. The group will travel up one of the five trails leading to historic LeConte Lodge, for a strenuous 13.1 mile out-and-back hike that climbs 3,300 feet.
Trillium Gap trail is currently undergoing a full restoration through Trails Forever, a partnership between the National Park Service and Friends of the Smokies. Trails Forever funds a full-time trail crew dedicated to restoring and rehabilitating some of Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s most-impacted trails. All proceeds from the Classic Hikes of the Smokies support Trails Forever.
Hike Leader Dolly McLean, winner of REI's Anderson Award, has covered hundreds of Smokies miles and other trails across the Southeast's public lands. She is a longtime Friend of the Smokies, a horticulturist, and trail runner. Dolly has made the trek up Mt. Le Conte many times, and previously volunteered with the Trails Forever crew on the Alum Cave and Rainbow Falls rehabilitation projects.
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. 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.