Green River Preserve's Linville Gorge Expedition

Green River Preserve presents the Linville Gorge/ Roan Mountain Experience

The Adventure Plus program at Green River Preserve has been created to provide campers in grades 10-12 the opportunity to step into bigger spaces outside of our property. The Linville/Roan Experience, specifically, takes campers to the Linville Gorge, the Grand Canyon of the East. Here, campers will play in the Linville River, climb Table Rock, and camp on a ridge overlooking this great chasm, and to the majestic Roan Highlands as guests of the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (SAHC).

This collaboration with two accomplished stewards of Western North Carolina wild spaces will give campers a unique opportunity to engage the landscape as both recreationalists and preservationists. Pisgah Climbing School is the region’s most credentialed collection of climbing guides, and is active in educating the climbing community on both safety and responsible access. Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy manages wild lands across several State and National Forests and Parks, and exists to ensure these spaces remain wild in perpetuity.

Rock climbing in the Linville Gorge will be facilitated by our partners at Pisgah Climbing School (PCS). Their American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) certified instructors will provide education and leadership for campers, and assist them in climbing single and multi-pitch routes on the wild prominence of Table Rock. Our friends at PCS will be there to help beginners and experienced campers enjoy some spectacular views on some beautiful rock.

The second part of this trip is with our friends at the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy. SAHC will introduce us to the flora and fauna of the Roan Highlands. As guests, we will shake off the dust of the trail and stay in a cabin, where we rest up for our tour and service project with one of SAHC’s stewards. We will learn about trail building, the ecological systems that create unique environments like the Highlands, and what it takes to protect them. Once we’ve absorbed the how and the where, we will launch into an overnight backpack to immerse ourselves into this exceptional landscape. This is where we begin to truly understand the why behind these conservation plans.

So, help us send a big Welcome! to these two fantastic partners helping Green River Preserve expand our programs into these wonderful spaces.

Written by Bryan Deel, GRP Adventure Coordinator