Trail work resumes on Rainbow Falls Trail
The first phase of the project last year resulted in stonework to replace a washed-out and eroded trail section. NPS photo
The second phase of a two-year trail rehabilitation project in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will begin Monday, April 16, on the popular Rainbow Falls Trail.
The trail will be closed from 7 a.m. Mondays through 5:30 p.m. Thursdays, April 16 through Nov. 15, federal holidays excluded. The Mount LeConte backcountry shelter will be closed for eight seven-night periods between July 18 and Oct. 24 to accommodate American Conservation Experience trail crewmembers working on the project.
“I encourage everyone to hike the trail this season on the open days to see the transformation taking place firsthand,” said Park Superintendent Cassius Cash. “It is truly inspiring to see the craftsmanship our Trails Forever crew brings into the design of trail improvements. The rehabilitated sections are not only more sustainable and safer for hikers, but they also blend naturally into the landscape.”
The project will focus on targeted areas of the 6-mile trail to improve visitor safety and stabilize eroding trail sections. Rainbow Falls is one of the park’s most popular trails, leading hikers to Rainbow Falls and Mount LeConte. Hikers can still reach Mount LeConte by using any of the four open trails to the summit: Alum Cave, Boulevard, Trillium Gap and Brushy Mountain. The Mount LeConte Lodge will remain open.
Trails Forever is a partnership between the park and Friends of the Smokies, with Friends donating more than $1.5 million to support the program, in part through the Knoxville-based Aslan Foundation. The program pays for highly skilled crews to reconstruct high-use and high-priority park trails. Rainbow Falls will be the fourth trail benefiting from Trails Forever.
For information about volunteering, visit friendsofthesmokies.org/trailsforever/volunteer/.
