Beneath every forest and stream in the Smokies lies a deeper story written in stone. This weekend workshop explores the geological backbone of the Southern Appalachians — how ancient seas, shifting plates, and millions of years of uplift and erosion created today’s mountains, valleys, and ridges.

Guided by experienced instructors, you’ll travel to both well-known and tucked-away sites within Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Along the way, you’ll practice basic field geology skills: examining outcrops, reading rock layers, and identifying features like folds, faults, and metamorphic changes. A mix of short, rugged, off-trail hikes and outcrops accessible from the roadside will take you to rocky exposures where the geologic story is easier to see.

What you’ll learn and experience:

• The geologic history of the Smokies, from sedimentary origins to present-day formations.
• How geology shapes biodiversity, soils, and even human history in the region.
• Field methods for studying rock types and structures.
• The connections between landscape features and the ecosystems they support.

By the end of the course, you’ll see the Smokies with new depth — understanding not just what grows and lives here, but how the land itself came to be. This course is an ideal complement to other SANCP classes, providing the “big picture” foundation for natural history in the Southern Appalachians.

Registration includes instruction, food, and lodging in our dorm inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 

This course is an elective in Tremont’s Southern Appalachian Naturalist Certification Program, which consists of eight core courses. You have the option to enroll in individual courses or complete all eight to earn certification awarded by the University of Tennessee.

Already Registered? Check out the welcome letter for required readings, a tentative itinerary, and other essential details for your stay.