Sharing Nature with Children: Hands-On Smoky Mountain Discovery
Description
Designed for curious kids and families, Exploring Nature with Children turns the forest into a living classroom. This hands-on guided nature walk helps children slow down, look closely, ask questions, and connect with the natural world in a meaningful way through nature games, stories and fun activities. Depending on the season and trail conditions, children may explore streams, plants, salamanders, animal signs, textures, forest sounds, leaves, insects, and small wonders along the trail. The goal is not to rush or cover big miles, but to help kids build confidence, curiosity, and a deeper connection to the outdoors. Caution: Side effects may include dirty knees, happy faces, deep curiosity, and stories they’ll still be telling at dinner. Best for: Families with children, homeschool groups, young explorers, first-time hikers, and kids who enjoy hands-on discovery.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Great Smoky Mountains National Park straddles the border between North Carolina and Tennessee. The sprawling landscape encompasses lush forests and an abundance of wildflowers that bloom year-round.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Please note that, while we do our best to follow the itinerary listed, we may need to pivot due to road closures or events outside of our control. We require a minimum of 2 people to operate this tour. We operate rain or shine.
- Parking Tag not included. Contact us or purchase here: www.recreation.gov/activitypass/AP2510
Reviews(34)
Ms. Debbie was absolutely fantastic! We did her kids-guided Smoky Mountains tour with our 7- and 10-year-olds, and it was one of the highlights of our trip. She made learning about the Smokies fun and engaging by letting the kids play in the creek, teaching us how to safely find salamanders, and sharing fascinating information about the history of the land, conservation efforts, and the local plants and wildlife. She also gave us practical bear safety tips that made us feel prepared. The most memorable moment was when we actually encountered a bear on the trail. Ms. Debbie remained calm, confident, and reassuring, helping all of us stay calm and safely enjoy the experience. If you’re visiting the Smoky Mountains with children, I can’t recommend Ms. Debbie enough. She has an incredible way of making nature come alive while creating a safe, educational, and unforgettable adventure for the whole family.
What an awesome review!! Wow. Thank you! We are so glad you had a great tour. We hope to see you all again next time!
We are so glad we booked this guided hike. Debbie is a fabulous guide and she kept our 7 and 4 year old interested in everything around them. Highly recommend!
Deb is so great with the kiddos. We are so glad you enjoyed your tour. We hope to see you again in the future!
Very informative and fun. Will do again.
Thank you for the great review!
Ms Debbie was awesome and very patient with us. My two grandsons are a handful, and she was great with them. She did a great job of differentiating information about the area between the adults and kids. Would highly recommend the experience!
Thank you so much! We appreciate you and hope to see you all again in the future!
Sam was a great guide! She was very knowledgeable and kept the kids and adults involved in the hike!
So glad you all had a great time! We hope to see you again!
We ended up doing two tours with A Walk in the Woods and couldn't recommend them enough! Luci, a former elementary school teacher, led the Bear Cub tour and she was fantastic. My 4 year old was so engaged from the story-time start to craft and educational walk. Luci took us to an easy to get to waterfall and had tons of information to share about the plants, animals, and history of the area. We decided to also do Exploring Nature with Children and even though we were in almost the same space from the day before, our guide Mike was able to make it feel completely fresh. He quickly got to know our group and customized our hike to cover new ground. Again, we got excellent information about the park and the natural surroundings without repeating. Mike went at a pace that worked for our group, keeping an eye on what was interesting to my kid and letting that lead the experience. Both tours were friendly, informative, and professional. Again, would highly recommend.
Thank you for the great review. Hope to hike with you again someday.
My guide Mike was really a dream. He is sol knowledgeable and great company! Patrician in the office worked hard to put this together for me! This is a super company to work with.
Thank you so much! Patricia here. We really appreciate the review!
Luci was a great guide. Kids had a lot of fun! Guided tour, time to explore at kids pace. Very informative and kind!
Thank you so much! Glad everyone had a great time. We appreciate your review!
Fun and easy hike with young kids (ages 5-9) which was also interesting for the high schoolers/adults in our group. We learned about the park, various plants/animals, history, went in old cabins, saw waterfalls, played in the stream and more. Bonus that the kids finished their junior ranger requirements with the hike and could be sworn in at the Sugarlands visitor center after the hike.
Thank you so much for the great review! What a fun, memorable experience for your children!
Ms Debbie is fabulous! She is very passionate, patient and knowledgeable. It was a great experience seeing Great Smoky Mountains with her. We have learned a lot and knew some interesting history facts. Highly recommended.
Thank you so much for the great review! Apologies for the delayed reply. We hope to see you again in the future!
