To celebrate National Trails Day June 2, get your heart pumping, lungs expanding and muscles working in support of local trails and the organizations that work to maintain them.
Whether you want to visit a trail to volunteer and do maintenance work or go as an appreciative user, here are four places and activities perfect for celebrating the day.
About the event
The only nationwide celebration of trails, National Trails Day was launched by The American Hiking Society in 1993 to increase awareness about trails and those who maintain and create them, as well as to garner support from partners and volunteers for future trail-building projects.
National Trails Day - Celebration with Tennessee Trails Association
The Soddy-Daisy Chapter of the Tennessee Trails Association will host a hiking event from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Greenway Farm, 5051 Gann Rd. in Chattanooga, that will also feature opportunities for flora and fauna observation, photography and identification.
The venue has multiple trails with varying degrees of distance and difficulty, with organization members available to lead hikes for those unfamiliar with the trails. The theme of the event will be "an introduction to organized hiking and trail conservation." Light snacks will be served from noon to 1 p.m. at the registration kiosk/ log cabin. For more information, call 423-667-2960.
Chattanooga Hiking Club trail maintenance
The Chattanooga Hiking Club hosts trail maintenance every year in honor of National Trails Day. The location and time of the trail maintenance is TBD. Check for the announcement of the trail maintenance event on www.chatthiking.com/index.html under the Upcoming Events section.
More Events
For more National Trails Day events in the area, visit americanhiking.org/NTD/Events/
Snorkel Citico - Creek for National Trails Day with Tennessee Wild
Tennessee Wild will host its first snorkel trip of 2012 on Saturday, June 2. Participants will be able to explore the underwater world of Citico Creek - a tiny body of water that contains more species of fish than the entire Colorado River watershed. A $20 fee is required, which will get you a wetsuit, snorkel, mask and a guide for the day. Ages 12 and up are invited to sign up for the event which is limited to 20 participants. For more information or to register, visit www.meetup.com/Tennessee-Wild.
16th annual Appalachian Trail Workday in the Smokies
The 16th annual Appalachian Trail Workday in the Smokies will be held Northeast and Southwest of Newfound Gap in Gatlinburg from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Participants will convene in the bus parking lot of Sugarlands Visitors Center in Great Smoky Mountains National Park at Hwy. 441/ Newfound Gap Road. Registration is $17 and will be used for ongoing maintenance on the A.T. For more information, visit www.friendsofthesmokies.org. To register, contact Holly Scott at fotshb@bellsouth.net or 865-932-4794.