Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Southern Regional Office of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Smoky Mountains Hiking Club, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park are pleased to coordinate another Annual Appalachian Trail Work Day in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on National Trails Day. They invite you to participate in helping them take care of the AT in the GSMNP. This year also marks the 100-year anniversary of the National Park Service, and the contributions to stewardship of our national parks have never been more important.

The AT Maintainers Committee of the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy are responsible for maintaining the A.T. and its facilities in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a continuing basis. With your help on National Trails Day, important trail maintenance projects are completed that otherwise would not be accomplished; these improvements make the Appalachian Trail in the Smokies safer and more enjoyable for the thousands of hikers who use the trail each year.

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American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day® (NTD) is a celebration of America’s magnificent Trail System, occurring annually on the first Saturday in June. NTD features a series of outdoor activities, designed to promote and celebrate the importance of trails in the United States. Individuals, clubs and organizations from around the country host National Trails Day® events to share their love of trails with friends, family, and their communities. NTD introduces thousands of Americans to a wide array of trail activities: hiking, biking, paddling, horseback riding, trail running, and bird watching and more. For public and private land managers alike, National Trails Day® is a great time to showcase beautiful landscapes and special or threatened locales as thousands of people will be outside looking to participate in NTD events.

National Trails Day® evolved during the late ‘80s and ‘90s from a popular ethos among trail advocates, outdoor industry leaders and political bodies who wanted to unlock the vast potential in America’s National Trails System, transforming it from a collection of local paths into a true network of interconnected trails and vested trail organizations. This collective mindset hatched the idea of a singular day where the greater trail community could band together behind the NTD moniker to show their pride and dedication to the National Trails System.

June 4, 2016 is this year’s event, the country’s largest celebration of trails. National Trails Day events will take place in every state across the country and will include hikes, biking and horseback rides, paddling trips, birdwatching, geocaching, gear demonstrations, stewardship projects and more. If you are interested in leading or organizing an event

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