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 classes in the Southern Appalachian Naturalist Certification Program, 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.
Photos by Tina Carter.
Already Registered? Check out the welcome letter for a tentative schedule, packing information, and other essential details for your Tremont program.
Meet the Instructors
Elizabeth Davis
Elizabeth is the Land Manager at Tremont Institute. She graduated from Middlebury College with a degree in Conservation Biology and Environmental Science and is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Natural Resources through Oregon State University. After college, she thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail southbound from Maine to Georgia. She is a Wilderness First Responder, has completed Permaculture Design Certification through Yestermorrow Design School, and is a C Sawyer (chainsaw certification) through the USFS. She has worked at Tremont since 2014 and enjoys exploring wild places, woodworking, growing food, and reading good books.
Logan Rosenberg
Logan Rosenberg is the Youth Programs Director at Tremont Institute. He graduated from St. Mary’s College of Maryland with degrees in English and French Literature. He also has a Master’s in Education, with a focus on Environmental Education, from Prescott College. His graduate studies focused on using naturalist skills to enhance feelings of sense of place, and he is lucky to continue that line of inquiry through his teaching at Tremont. He is an avid nature journaler, tracker, birder, and native plants enthusiast.
Meet the Instructors
Elizabeth Davis
Elizabeth is the Land Manager at Tremont Institute. She graduated from Middlebury College with a degree in Conservation Biology and Environmental Science and is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Natural Resources through Oregon State University. After college, she thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail southbound from Maine to Georgia. She is a Wilderness First Responder, has completed Permaculture Design Certification through Yestermorrow Design School, and is a C Sawyer (chainsaw certification) through the USFS. She has worked at Tremont since 2014 and enjoys exploring wild places, woodworking, growing food, and reading good books.
Logan Rosenberg
Logan Rosenberg is the Youth Programs Director at Tremont Institute. He graduated from St. Mary’s College of Maryland with degrees in English and French Literature. He also has a Master’s in Education, with a focus on Environmental Education, from Prescott College. His graduate studies focused on using naturalist skills to enhance feelings of sense of place, and he is lucky to continue that line of inquiry through his teaching at Tremont. He is an avid nature journaler, tracker, birder, and native plants enthusiast.
YOUR HOME BASE IN THE SMOKY MOUNTAINS
At Tremont, the setting is part of the experience. Nestled inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park, our Walker Valley campus is surrounded by forest, mountain streams, and opportunities for discovery around every corner. From shared meals and cozy accommodations to spaces for learning and gathering, get a feel for the place before you arrive.
YOUR HOME BASE IN THE SMOKY MOUNTAINS
At Tremont, the setting is part of the experience. Nestled inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park, our Walker Valley campus is surrounded by forest, mountain streams, and opportunities for discovery around every corner. From shared meals and cozy accommodations to spaces for learning and gathering, get a feel for the place before you arrive.
