In the early years of the hiking club, outings were frequently scheduled in the Dudley Creek area, but since the early 1960’s this area has been a horseback riding concession. Since the pandemic of 2020, there has been no horse use in the area, and a lot of the ecological damage caused by horses has healed making it a more desirable area for hiking. On this hike we will explore some of the history of this culturally rich area and of the people who lived here. Hike around 8 miles rated difficult due to some off-trail parts. To carpool, meet at the Cracker Barrel at Strawberry Plains exit 398 of I-40 (1510 Cracker Barrel Lane), ready to leave at 8:00 am or at the Gatlinburg Community Center (157 Mills Park Road, Gatlinburg) at 9:00am. Drive 68 miles RT @ $0.07 per mile = $4.75. The leader will meet the group at the community center, not the carpool site.

Leader: Ed Fleming

To register, contact the leaders directly. You can find contact information in the December 2023 newsletter writeup for this hike.