About George Masa
“More walk, less talk.”
GEORGE MASA
Masa, a native of Japan, scouted and mapped miles of trails that would become the NC/TN section of the Appalachian Trail, was an important early member of the Carolina Mountain Club (celebrating 100 years in 2023), and his photos are credited with helping to convince John D. Rockefeller Jr. to contribute millions of dollars to help purchase the land that would become Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Masa died of tuberculosis in 1933, though his memory lives on at the 5,685-foot peak in Great Smoky Mountains National Park that bears his name: Masa Knob.
Watch the documentary
The Mystery of George Masa by Bonesteel Films was originally released in 2003, with festival and theatrical screenings and broadcast on PBS stations across the United States.
