Adventure Plus Expeditions
ApplyTwo Signature Expeditions for High School Adventurers
Bigger, farther, building on the skills your child already loves.
Adventure Plus expeditions take experienced campers into some of Western North Carolina’s most inspiring wild places. Under the guidance of highly certified expedition staff, your child will explore beyond GRP’s home valley to discover the cultural heritage and natural wonders that make this region extraordinary.
These are advanced programs designed for rising 10th–12th graders who are ready for the next level of challenge, leadership, and independence in the backcountry.
Are you ready for an Adventure?
Smoky Mountains Expedition
Cultural History Meets Wilderness Challenge
Trip Details
Dates: June 21 – July 2, 2026
Length: 12 days
Grades: Rising 10th – 12th
Cost: $4,550
Begins & Ends: GRP Base Camp back field, 11:00 – 11:30 AM
Airports: Asheville, NC (AVL) or Greenville/Spartanburg, SC (GSP)
Intensity Rating: 4 out of 5 boots 🥾🥾🥾🥾
This expedition includes 2-3 days of sustained uphill hiking with full backpacks. Your child should be comfortable with physical challenge and ready for long trail days.
Why This Program is Special
Starting in the town of Cherokee, your child will visit the old village and museum to build a sense of place and understand the cultural history of the region. Using Cherokee as a gateway to the area, expeditioners will enter the Smokys, exploring high country, caves and grottoes, before embarking on a 5-day backpacking experience that melds cultural immersion with the natural wonders of the park.
Some of the places your child will visit are hundreds of years old. Some of the traditions and lore are much older. And the vistas that will take their breath away have been inspiring people for thousands of years.
This is an opportunity for your child to connect with both the land and the people who have called it home – to understand that the wilderness we cherish today has always been cared for, valued, and celebrated by those who came before us.
What Your Child Will Learn
- Cultural Understanding – Who the Cherokee are, past and present, and their enduring connection to this landscape
- Unique Ecology – The Smoky Mountains’ temperate rainforest ecosystem and what makes it unlike anywhere else
- Natural History – How geological forces created this special place over millions of years
- Backcountry Skills – How to travel responsibly and joyfully through rugged terrain
- Self-Reliance – What it means to carry your home on your back and work as a team in the wilderness
Focus Areas
Hiking | First Peoples’ History | Backpacking | Natural History | Smokies Ecology
Smoky Mountains Expedition FAQs
All guides hold Wilderness First Aid (WFA) or Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certifications. Guides use navigation apps as well as traditional maps, carry satellite communications linking to GRP and emergency organizations in the area, and maintain emergency action plans that all campers can access. Each staff member carries a backcountry first aid kit and backup chargers for communication devices.
Lizzy Markman will be the lead guide for the Smoky Mountains expedition. Lizzy grew up exploring New Hampshire’s White Mountains, where she fell in love with the outdoors. Her passion for adventure led her to backpack through Mexico, join an archaeological dig in New Mexico, and serve as a Park Ranger at Grand Canyon National Park. For the past five years, she has been exploring the trails, history, and plants in the Appalachian mountains she now calls home. Wilderness First Aid (WFA) Certified
Join us for the Smoky Mountains Expedition!
Linville Gorge Expedition
Rock Climbing + Wilderness Immersion
Trip Details
Dates: July 7 – July 17, 2026
Length: 10 days
Grades: Rising 10th – 12th
Cost: $5,000
Begins & Ends: GRP Base Camp back field, 11:00 – 11:30 AM
Airports: Asheville, NC (AVL) or Greenville/Spartanburg, SC (GSP)
Intensity Rating: 5 out of 5 boots 🥾🥾🥾🥾🥾
This is our most physically demanding expedition. Expect difficult trail sections (some up to ¼ mile of steep, technical terrain) and pack weights around 35 lbs. Your child should be an experienced backpacker ready for serious challenge.
Why This Program is Special
The Linville Gorge Immersion combines rugged backpacking, 2 days of professional rock climbing instruction from Pisgah Climbing School, river play in the wild Linville River, and an opportunity to witness the fabled Brown Mountain Lights.
Your child will start the adventure by circumnavigating the central part of the Gorge, experiencing firsthand the breathtaking topography, diverse flora and fauna, and the powerful river that carved this chasm through quartzite mountains over millennia. After a couple of days getting familiar with the landscape, campers will meet their climbing guides and tackle objectives on the monolithic Table Rock, which stands tall over the Gorge.
This is one of the Southeast’s premier climbing destinations – and your child will have the chance to summit it with expert instruction, proper safety systems, and the confidence that comes from mastering a new skill in a stunning place.
What Your Child Will Learn
- Advanced Backpacking – How to pack efficiently for extended backcountry travel and manage heavier loads
- Plant Identification – How to recognize (and avoid) toxic plants in the wild
- Orienteering – Routefinding skills when trails become faint or challenging to follow
- Rock Climbing Fundamentals – Techniques, safety systems, and the mental focus to climb a multi-pitch route and summit Table Rock
- Technical Wilderness Skills – How to construct and use a Tyrolean traverse to cross the Linville River
Focus Areas
Rock Climbing | Backpacking | Orienteering | Flora & Fauna Identification | First Peoples’ History
Linville Gorge Expedition FAQs
Linville Gorge expeditioners receive 2 days of professional rock climbing instruction from Pisgah Climbing School, staffed by American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) accredited climbing instructors. This professional partnership ensures your child learns proper climbing technique, safety protocols, and confidence-building skills from some of the best guides in the region – all within the supportive community of their GRP expedition team.
All guides hold Wilderness First Aid (WFA) or Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certifications. This is our most physically demanding expedition with difficult trail sections and pack weights around 35 lbs. Guides use navigation apps as well as traditional maps, carry satellite communications linking to GRP and emergency organizations, and maintain emergency action plans accessible to all campers. Each staff member carries a backcountry first aid kit and backup chargers for communication devices. The professional climbing instruction from AMGA-certified guides adds an additional layer of safety expertise.
Bryan Deel – Expeditions Coordinator (2nd Year)
Bryan grew up 10 minutes from the Appalachian Trail and started backpacking when he was twelve. He helped start an Ecology Club in his high school and has been sharing his joy for the outdoors ever since. He is currently a guide for Pisgah Climbing School and a volunteer for Transylvania County Search and Rescue, in addition to being the Expeditions Coordinator for GRP. When not chasing ice climbs and epic sunsets, he can be found working on his camp Dutch oven lasagna recipe.
AMGA Single Pitch Instructor (SPI) | Wilderness First Responder (WFR) | ACA Level IV Swift Water Rescue
Kimi Shoepflin – BRX Leader (3rd Year)
Kimi grew up in Manitou Springs, Colorado, where she spent lots of time exploring the mountains and developing a love for the outdoors. She graduated with her degree in Kinesiology and Outdoor Leadership and in her free time enjoys backpacking, climbing, skiing, and anything involving nature. Kimi is super excited for her third summer leading expeditions at GRP!
Wilderness First Responder (WFR)
Lizzy Markman – BRX Leader (2nd Year)
Lizzy grew up exploring New Hampshire’s White Mountains, where she fell in love with the outdoors. Her passion for adventure led her to backpack through Mexico, join an archaeological dig in New Mexico, and serve as a Park Ranger at Grand Canyon National Park. For the past five years, she has been exploring the trails, history, and plants in the Appalachian mountains she now calls home.
Wilderness First Aid (WFA)
Angela Luiten – Expedition Intern
Angela couldn’t imagine a better place to spend her summer than at camp. Being from Southern California, the outdoors has always been a big part of her life, and working with kids outside is truly her happy place. She is passionate about walking alongside campers through every part of the experience – the highs and the lows – helping them grow, build confidence, and create memories that last long after summer ends. She has visited 25 countries and loves sharing pieces of the world with her campers, hoping to spark curiosity and a sense of adventure in them.
Calvin Peters – BRX Leader
Calvin is from the White Mountains of New Hampshire, in the town of North Conway. He grew up backpacking, rock climbing, skiing, and spending as much time as he could in the mountains and forests. In the winter, he is a ski instructor teaching downhill and freestyle skiing. He studies Adventure Education at Plymouth State University. Calvin has been lucky enough to experience the joy, knowledge, and healing that nature provides, and nothing makes him happier than sharing it with others. His passions include birding, amphibians, lichens, foraging, backpacking, rock climbing, skiing – and sharing them with anyone who will listen!
Wilderness First Responder (WFR) | Master Naturalist | Outdoor Skills Clinical Excellence Award | Swift Water Rescue Level 3 | Certified Ski Instructor
Claire McDonald – BRX Leader
As a part of the GRP family for 12 summers, Claire has been a camper, expeditioner, counselor, and now BRX leader! Her passion for the outdoors has led her to pursue a B.S. in Environmental Resources at Clemson University and now UofSC law school to study environmental law. She has also used her skills learned in the Blue Ridge Mountains to lead collegiate outdoor adventures, from canoeing to backpacking to sea kayaking. Green River Preserve is and has always been her happy place, so she is ecstatic to return for lucky summer 13 and seek the joy once again.
Join us for the Linville Gorge Expedition!
Is Adventure Plus Right for Your Camper?
Adventure Plus expeditions are designed for experienced adventurers in rising 10th–12th grade who are ready for greater challenge, responsibility, and independence in the backcountry.
Your child is likely a great fit if they:
- Have completed GRP’s Blue Ridge Expeditions (BRX) or have equivalent multi-day backpacking experience
- Are comfortable carrying a loaded backpack for multiple hours per day
- Thrive on physical challenge and problem-solving in outdoor environments
- Are ready to step into leadership roles within their expedition team
- Want to go deeper – both in wilderness skills and in understanding the cultural and natural history of the places they explore
Not sure if your child is ready? We’re happy to talk through it with you. Adventure Plus builds on the foundation of BRX, but we understand that every young person’s readiness looks different.
Questions About Adventure Plus Expeditions?
We’re here to help you determine if this program is the right fit for your camper – and to answer any questions you have about preparation, packing, or what to expect.
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