Friends of the Smokies will offer a guided hike through history in Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s Cataloochee Valley, Thursday, Oct. 18, on the Caldwell Fork Loop. Hiking enthusiast and author Danny Bernstein (“Hiking North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains”) will lead this 9-mile hike. The hike is moderate in difficulty and has a total elevation gain of 1,650 feet.

Attendees will see old home-sites, graves, and end with the Steve Woody House. In 2001, elk were reintroduced to the Park in Cataloochee. Hikers will see the holding pens where the elk were acclimated to the park and learn about one of the backcountry campsites, which are found throughout the Park. Hikers are asked to bring a trail map for a lesson in trail map reading.

Participants may gather for the all day excursion at ...