Press release from Friends of the Smokies:
Friends of the Smokies will offer a guided hike to Albright Grove Loop on Tuesday, September 11. Haywood County resident Steve Winchester will lead the group 6.5 miles for a moderate hike in the Cosby area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Named for Horace Albirght, second Director of the National Park Service, the Albright Grove Loop trail winds its way through old growth forest, including hemlocks, tulip poplars, fraser magnolias, maples, beech, and silverbell trees. 80% of the park is comprised of deciduous forest, and there are over 100 species of native trees and 100 species of native shrubs found in the Smokies.
The hike is a fundraiser for Trails Forever, a partnership between Friends of the Smokies and the National Park Service. Trails Forever funds a full-time trail crew to reconstruct and rehabilitate some of the park’s most impacted trails.
Meeting locations for the daylong excursion will be in Asheville, Waynesville, and at the trailhead. To learn more or register for any 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, Mission Health, Diamond Brand Outdoors, Equilibar, HomeTrust Bank, Smoky Park Supper Club, and Leap Frog Tours.
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