Join a retired Smokies ranger and writer on an easy and informative walking tour of one of the most fascinating areas of the Smokies--the Elkmont area. Arguably no other area in the Park’s 800 square miles has experienced as much transition from one use to another as Elkmont. The area has changed its status from a wilderness area to use by prehistoric hunters/gatherers and Caucasian settlers, to a busy lumber and railroad hub with two associated resort communities, to a work center for the CCC, and to the significant changes wrought by the acquisition of lands by Tennessee and the fledging National Park Service when Great Smoky Mountains National Park was established. The tour starts at the Appalachian Clubhouse and winds through the “ghost town” community of Elkmont.

You must be 18 or older to register for and attend a Smoky Mountain Field School course.

Note: Participants are required to sign an electronic release and assumption of risk form before attending this course.

Meet at the Jakes Creek trailhead in the Elkmont upper parking area.