Trails Forever Program

Friends of the Smokies

A Partnership for Lasting Impact in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Trails Forever is an inspiring collaboration between Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the park's philanthrophic partner, Friends of the Smokies. Thanks to a generous matching grant from the Knoxville-based Aslan Foundation, to the Friends of the Smokies, Trails Forever funds a full-time trail crew to enhance and preserve the park’s iconic trails for generations to come.

Why Trails Forever Matters

The Trails Forever program is designed to tackle the challenges of maintaining high-use and high-priority trails throughout the Smokies. Our highly skilled trail crew focuses on complex reconstruction projects while providing invaluable opportunities for volunteers to roll up their sleeves and work alongside the crew.

Trails Forever is dedicated to:

Improving beloved park trails.

Enhancing safety for hikers and park staff during rescue operations.

Creating sustainable trails that mitigate erosion.

Limiting hiker impacts to designated paths.

Protecting natural resources through careful restoration.

A set of wooden and gravel filled strais to a large foot loog bridge crossing a rushing stream. — A huge improvement made to a stream crossing along Ramsey Cascades Trail.
NPS

Projects We’re Proud Of

Through the support of Friends of the Smokies and the hard work of the Trails Forever team, we are making significant strides towards rehabilitating iconic trails throughout the park. Since the start of the program, we've completed full rehabilitations of the following trails:

Forney Ridge (Andrews Bald to top of Trail)

Chimney Tops

Alum Cave

Rainbow Falls

Trillium Gap

Abrams Falls

Little Cataloochee

Ramsey Cascades

Volunteer chiseling rock on a trail in the backcountry. — Many tools are used in trail reconstruction.
NPS

2025-2026 Project: Bullhead Trail

Start Date: May 2025

The Bullhead Trail will undergo extensive rehabilitation, including:

Rebenching and widening narrow sections.

Repairing existing structures (retaining walls, staircases, turnpikes).

Constructing new trail structures as needed.

Improving drainage and trail surfaces.

Trimming back encroaching vegetation.

In conjunction with Bullhead Trail, the crew will also focus on repairing sections of the upper Rainbow Falls Trail. Our dedicated Trails Forever Crew, alongside Conservation Corps Crews and enthusiastic volunteers, will bring these plans to life.