Great Smokies Experience

The Great Smokies Experience is a one-of-a-kind college class experience for high school students entering their junior and senior years, as well as recent high school graduates. Created and administered by professional educators from Maryville College, Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, and the Mountain Challenge Program, this is an eleven-day program where you will experience the great outdoors through the lens of resource management while developing a deeper sense of place.   

Participants who successfully complete this program will earn credit for a three-hour Introduction to Environmental Issues and Sustainability Studies (ENV/SUS 101) class from Maryville College, a high-quality, student-friendly liberal arts college with a family-like environment, just a short drive away from Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Students will spend most of the class living on Tremont’s campus inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with the remaining time on campus at Maryville College and at other important sites in southern Appalachia. Students will go on breathtaking hikes, take a canoe trip to the Tellico Reservoir, take scientific species surveys, explore the national park at night, climb up Mt. LeConte, investigate the Maryville College Woods, and spend time in a classroom tackling big questions about the environment and our relationship to the earth.

Applications will open in early 2027. Sign up for emails to be notified when applications open.