GATLINBURG, Tenn. — A popular hiking trail is back open to the public, taking hikers through the park and into the Great Smoky Mountains seven days a week. The Ramsey Cascades Trail was only open Friday through Sunday for the last several months as crews worked on a restoration project.
A ribbon cutting was held on Monday to celebrate the project's completion. The Friends of the Smokies Trails Forever program helped with the project. Dana Soehn, the president of the nonprofit, said her memories of the trail are special.
"I first came to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 1989. This was my very first hike in these mountains. And the experience captured my heart and led me to a career dedicated to caring for this special place," she said.
Josh Shapiro, the trail supervisor, said Ramsey Cascades Trail needed some love after years of neglect and the program funded a trained crew for the restoration.
"The trail crews have been so busy over the years with cyclic maintenance. There was never a crew that was just dedicated just to rebuilding a trail, trying to get it back to how it was when it was initially built," said Shapiro.
The project was scheduled to take around two years, but delays extended the timeline an additional year.
"In 2022 when we had the flood here, it wiped out sections of the trail and then actually took out part of Greenbrier Road. So we couldn't even access the trail for about six months. We lost a lot of time that first season. So luckily we were able to add on an entirely additional season," said Shapiro.
Several avid hikers said they are excited to be able to hit the trail again.
"I frequent this trail maybe over 100 times," said Vicky Fulmer. "You're along the river the whole way, very rarely do you get away from it. It's beautiful scenery. Lots of majestic trees and rocks and then you're hiking towards the Cascades, which shows a different personality every time you're there."
Soehn said it's important to have programs like these to help preserve the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for future generations.
"This is a place that is an important part of somebody's entire Smoky Mountain experience, hiking along the Ramsey Prong River, going to the tallest waterfall and being able to have this moment in the Smokies that may lead them towards lifelong care of this place," said Soehn.
The Bullhead Trail to Mount Le Conte is the next trail to be restored through the Trails Forever program. That project will start in 2025. It is expected to take around 2 years.