Great Smoky Mountains

Help your class connect elevation, biodiversity, Cherokee homeland, and conservation in the Great Smoky Mountains

This virtual field trip helps a grades 6–12 class understand Great Smoky Mountains National Park as geography, living culture, community change, and active conservation—not only forest scenery. Students follow elevation, rainfall, streams, biodiversity, Cherokee homeland, mountain communities, park creation, and wildlife restoration.

Stops include Newfound Gap and Rockefeller Memorial, Kuwohi Observation Tower, The Sinks and Little River, Oconaluftee, Mingus Mill, Cades Cove, Elkmont, and Cataloochee. Ancient mountain geography and abundant rainfall support exceptional biodiversity; conservation requires management, not just a boundary line.

Built for grades 6–12. Strong fit for ecology, environmental science, Cherokee history, Appalachian history, or national parks units.

At each stop, students explore real places on the map, view media that support comparison, listen to the stop audio, follow along with the transcript if they need support, and discuss people, place, and management choices. Plan roughly 45–65 minutes with discussion, depending on how long you pause for maps and talk.

Try the free preview of Stop 1 (Newfound Gap and Rockefeller Memorial) to see the format with your students. When you are ready for the full trip, purchase the lesson to get an unlock code. After you unlock, you can share a student link for whole-class projection or 1:1 devices. The printable teacher guide, worksheets, and answer key come with the Shopify purchase—you receive them with your order, separate from the online trip.