TOWNSEND, Tenn. — The great outdoors is only great if you can get to it. Many sites in the Great Smoky Mountains are too rugged to reach if you have a physical disability.
But it's not just the steepest cliffs that are impossible to explore in a wheelchair. On the popular Cades Cove loop, the historic John Oliver cabin is within sight from the paved road but remains out of reach across a relatively flat meadow.
"It is a very rocky trail. It's difficult for anyone who doesn't walk well," said Sarah Herron, spokesperson for the non-profit Friends of the Smokies.
For Giving Tuesday, the Friends of the Smokies is directing all contributions to fund a new trail surface to the John Oliver cabin.
"One-hundred percent of the donations from Giving Tuesday will benefit this project to make the John Oliver cabin trail accessible to visitors with disabilities," said Herron. "The park comes to Friends with projects it would like to complete that would otherwise go unfulfilled. They just don't have the budget for it."
Throughout 2019, Friends of the Smokies has already raised more than $150,000 toward the construction of the new trail. It hopes a push on Giving Tuesday can get the project to the finish line with an additional $20,000.
"If we reach our goal, any additional donations will go towards restoration of historic structures in the park," said Herron. "The park wants to hopefully start construction on the path in 2020."
GSMNP spokesperson Dana Soehn said the park is in the early stages of exploring the trail design. She said whatever is chosen, it will use modern materials that allow water to penetrate and drain through the paved surface. The park will also consider different options for the color of the surface to possibly have it blend with the environment as much as possible.
Above all, the paved path would make a popular site in the Great Smoky Mountains a destination that is great for everyone.
"It would just be a really great benefit for visitors of all levels of ability to go down that trail and experience the cabin," said Herron.
Anyone wishing to support this Giving Tuesday project can donate online at friendsofthesmokies.org, on Facebook at the @SmokiesFriends page, or by mailing a check to the following address:
Friends of the Smokies
P.O. Box 1660
Kodak, TN 37764
Friends of the Smokies is a nonprofit partner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and has raised more than $68 million to support park programs and maintain the Smokies.