The Chimney Tops Trail is one of the iconic trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This 2.0 mile trail is one of the most popular trails in the park because of its length and the spectacular views from the top. This trail will be the primary project for the 2012 Trails Forever Crew. This trail rehabilitation project will stabilize and improve the trail conditions to protect the resources and enhance the visitor's experience.
The Chimney Tops Trail will be closed Mondays through Thursdays from April 30th through October 18th while this work is in progress. The volunteer workdays for this project will begin in May.
Check out the "Volunteering Tab" and join us for a workday on the trail! Volunteers will work to complete a variety of trail rehabilitation tasks. There will be a limit of the number of volunteers for each of the workdays and you must sign up in advance to volunteer with the crew. Once you sign up and secure a spot for one of the workdays, you will receive more details. To sign up, contact Christine Hoyer, Trails & Facilities Volunteer Coordinator at 828-497-1949 or chrisitne_hoyer@nps.gov.
Wednesday Workdays Scheduled
| May 23rd |
August 15th |
| May 30th |
August 22nd |
| June 6th |
August 29th |
| June 13th |
September 5th |
| June 20th |
September 12th |
| June 27th |
September 19th |
| July 11th |
September 26th |
| July 18th |
October 3rd |
| July 25th |
October 10th |
| August 1st |
October 17th |
| August 8th |
October 24th |
There will also be a workdays in honor of
National Public Lands Day (Saturday, September 29th).
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The first 1.8 miles of Forney Ridge Trail is a popular route out to Andrews Bald. During the 2009 Trails Forever season the trail crew reconstructed about 1.2 miles of the trail from Andrews Bald back towards Clingmans Dome parking lot. The reconstruction made a dramatic change to the trail, but there is still work to be done.
Completing the work that remains on the Forney Ridge Trail will be the primary project for the 2011 Trails Forever Trail Crew.
Check out the "Volunteering Tab" and join us for a worday out on the trail! Volunteers will work to complete a variety of trail maintenance and trail rehabilitation work from cleaning drains, modifying structures, constructing additional drainage features, and adding fill material to structures as needed. There will be a limit of 5 volunteers for each of the Forney Ridge Workdays and you must sign up at least one week in advance to volunteer with the crew! Once you sign up and secure a spot for one of the workdays, we will provide you with more details. To sign up, contact Christine Hoyer, Trails & Facilities Volunteer Coordinator at 828-497-1949 or
christine_hoyer@nps.gov.
Scheduled Volunteer Opportunities on the Forney Ridge Trail
| Friday, May 20 |
Monday, June 27 |
Saturday, August 6 |
Monday, September 12 |
| Saturday, May 21 |
Friday, July 8 |
Sunday, August 7 |
Friday, September 16 |
| Sunday, May 22 |
Saturday, July 9 |
Monday, August 8 |
Saturday, September 17 |
| Monday, May 23 |
Sunday, July 10 |
Friday August, 12 |
Sunday, September 18 |
| Friday, June 3 |
Monday, July 11 |
Saturday, August 13 |
Monday, September 19 |
| Sunday, June 5 |
Friday, July 15 |
Sunday, August 14 |
Friday, September 23 |
| Monday, June 6 |
Saturday, July 16 |
Monday, August 15 |
Sunday, September 25 |
| Friday, June 10 |
Sunday, July 17 |
Friday, August 19 |
Monday, September 26 |
| Saturday, June 11 |
Monday, July 18 |
Saturday, August 20 |
Friday, September 30 |
| Sunday, June 12 |
Friday, July 22 |
Sunday, August 21 |
Saturday, October 1 |
| Monday, June 13 |
Saturday, July 23 |
Monday, August 22 |
Sunday, October 2 |
| Friday, June 17 |
Sunday, July 24 |
Friday, August 26 |
Monday, October 3 |
| Saturday, June 18 |
Monday, July 25 |
Saturday, August 27 |
Friday, October 7 |
| Sunday, June 19 |
Friday, July 29 |
Sunday, August 28 |
Saturday, October 8 |
| Monday, June 20 |
Saturday, July 30 |
Monday, August 29 |
Sunday, October 9 |
| Friday, June 24 |
Sunday, July 31 |
Friday, September 9 |
Friday, October 14 |
| Saturday, June 25 |
Monday, August 1 |
Saturday, September 10 |
Saturday, October 15 |
| Sunday, June 26 |
Friday, August 5 |
Sunday, September 11 |
Sunday, October 16 |
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There are 848 miles of trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and many of them could benefit from a day of trail work. The "Saturday in the Smokies" Workdays provide volunteers the opportunity to work with NPS trail crew staff for a day to make lasting improvements on trails parkwide.
Check out the "Volunteering Tab" and join us for a "Saturday in the Smokies" Workday out on the trail! Volunteers will work to complete a variety of trail maintenance and trail rehabilitation work from building and maintaining drainage structures as well as trail tread improvements - the project sites vary widely as well as the projects. There is a limit to the number of volunteers that can participate in each workday and you must sign up at least one week ahead of time. Once you sign up and secure a spot for one of the wokdays, we will provide more details. To sign up, contact Christine Hoyer, Trails & Facilities Volunteer Coordinator at 828-497-1949 or christine_hoyer@nps.gov.
To date, we have scheduled two "Saturday in the Smokies" workdays to celebrate special days!
Saturday, June 4 - National Trails Day (trail project location TBD)
Saturday, Septmeber 24 - National Public Lands Day (trail project location TBD)
Saturday, October 22 - Make A Difference Day (trail project location TBD)