As part of our Centennial Celebration, SMHC will offer three Conservation History Hikes to commemorate events significant to the history of the Club.

The first of these hikes is the Ray Payne Memorial Hike—The Road to Nowhere Loop—on Sunday, May 5, 2024. The settlement of the Road to Nowhere controversy is one of the most important conservation victories in the recent history of the GSMNP, and SMHC's Ray Payne was a tireless advocate for keeping the north shore of Fontana wild by preventing the road's construction.

The second of these hikes is the Save Our Smokies Hike on Saturday, July 27, 2024, which will be a re-do of a famous hike from 1966 which successfully stopped a second trans-mountain highway through GSMNP.

The third and last Conservation History Hike commemorates the creation of GSMNP with a hike from Newfound Gap to Charlies Bunion on Sunday, September 15, 2024. Many of our early Club leaders were integral in the advocacy and planning for the creation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a history for which we have great pride!

Come join us for any of these hikes to hear more of the history, and walk in the footsteps of Club members who came before us. Registration will be available on the website the month they are offered.