Compare A Wildflower Quest in the Mountains of Western North Carolina by Road Scholar

Day 1
Check-In, Registration, Welcome Dinner, Orientation
Lake Junaluska, North Carolina D Lambuth Inn
Activity note: Check-in 4:00 p.m. Registration from 4:00 - 5:00.

Afternoon: Program Registration: When you check in, you will receive your room assignment, then register with the Road Scholar program staff and get your welcome packet containing your up-to-date schedule that reflects any last-minute changes, other important information, and to confirm when and where the Orientation session will take place. If you arrive late, please ask for your packet when you check in.

Dinner: In the dining room of the historic Lambuth Inn, the dinner buffet offers a bountiful salad bar, choices of entrée, vegetables, breads, and desserts plus iced teas, coffee (regular/decaf), water.

Evening: Orientation. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. Field trips will be led and interpreted by expert naturalists. Trail selections will be made on the day of the hike based on local conditions. For most, there will be two choices — one more and one less physically active — so you can select the hike that suits you best each day. Both groups will be led by our naturalists who will share their knowledge along the trail. Travel for program-related activities will be via comfortable vans unless noted otherwise. Periods in the daily schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.

Day 2
Baxter Creek Trail, Identifying Keys, Concert
Lake Junaluska, North Carolina B,L,D Lambuth Inn
Activity note: Getting in/out of bus. The drive to the park is about 35 miles, approximately 40 minutes. Walking up to four miles on rocky, well-traveled trails. Wear comfortable hiking shoes, bring day packs with water, sunscreen, bug spray; depending on weather, you may want a sweater and/or rain jacket.

Breakfast: Begin your day with a morning stretch/yoga session outside (weather permitting). In the Lambuth Inn dining room, the breakfast buffet offers choices such as eggs, breakfast meats, cereals, breads, milk, juice, coffee, tea, water.

Morning: We’ll hop aboard our charter bus and head out for a full day field trip Baxter Creek in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This is the most visited National Park in the entire system, yet, given the fact that it covers 500,000 acres, seldom seems crowded. It is also the most biodiverse, supporting more than 19,000 documented species of plants and animals — including more than 1,500 flowering plant species — thanks to the combination of mountains that formed 200-300 million years ago, the climate, and weather. GSMNP has more than 800 miles of trails through scenic forests. With our expert naturalist we will walk the first one-half mile of the trail together identify plants and hearing a bit of their usage and folklore. The trail wanders beside a mountain stream, then veers off to a small open meadow, these two environments offer the potential for a wide variety of spring ephemerals.

Lunch: In the park, we’ll have boxed lunches, sandwich, fruit, chips, water and a sweet. Our naturalist instructor will give a more detailed instruction on how to use the non-technical key to identify plants. We will be using the Newcomb Guide.

Afternoon: Our naturalist will give us an introduction to the unique features of this environment and its history. Both the Baxter Creek and Big Creek trails follow along creeks; one is more strenuous than the other. You may choose to proceed leisurely along either trail and look for blooms or walk a bit faster and cover both trails. This is a good area for trillium. Our naturalists will be walking the trails as well to assist you in IDs. We’ll return to the hotel after our field trip.

Dinner: Lambuth Inn buffet.

Evening: In the hotel, we'll enjoy a performance of regional music. The musical heritage of the Appalachian region is rich and varied. Immigrants from the British Isles predominated during the 17th century, passing down their favorite ballads and dance tunes. Other influences included African American and white country gospel music. The kinds of music enjoyed in different areas also varied with the instruments available, from fiddles and banjos to dulcimers and guitars.

Day 3
Kephart Prong Trail, Oconaluftee Visitors Center
Lake Junaluska, North Carolina B,L,D Lambuth Inn
Activity note: Getting in/out of bus. The ride to Kepart Prong is about 32 miles, approximately 1 hour. Walking on rocky, streamside trail up to 4 miles, 3-4 stream crossings on log footbridges with railings.

Breakfast: Before breakfast, join our yoga instructor outside (weather permitting) for an invigorating morning stretch. Then enjoy a hearty breakfast buffet in the Lambuth dining room with your fellow Road Scholars.

Morning: Next, we’ll walk along the Kephart Prong trail, stopping to identify plants and blossoms with the naturalist. We will have opportunity to use our non-technical keys along the way. This trail provides an interesting mix of native and introduced species. During the Great Depression, there was a CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) camp here, one of the first successful programs of the New Deal. Corpsmen worked on a variety of projects in the park.

Lunch: We’ll have our boxed lunches along the trail. Faster walkers may lunch near the Kephart Shelter. (Not in the shelters as food odors could attract bears to the overnight sleeping quarters.)

Afternoon: We will walk back down to the vans, load in for a 15-minute ride to the new, full service, “green,” Oconaluftee Visitors Center. We will explore the Mountain Farm Museum on the grounds, a collection of historic structures preserved during the creation of the GSMNP. Following the path through the Museum brings us to the river trail. Along the river trail, we may spot more wildflowers. We’ll return to the hotel after our field trip.

Dinner: Lambuth Inn buffet.

Evening: A local wise-woman will give our group an evening of wild plant craft, folklore, and probably a ballad or two.

Day 4
Vertical Bog, Bear Pen Gap, Wet Camp Gap
Lake Junaluska, North Carolina B,L,D Lambuth Inn
Activity note: Getting in/out of vans. Van ride about 28 miles, approximately 3/4 of an hour on Blue Ridge Parkway. Walking up to 4 miles; forested trails, some hills. .

Breakfast: Start your day with a morning stretch/yoga (outside, weather permitting) before a hearty breakfast buffet served in the dining room.

Morning: We will travel the Blue Ridge Parkway to reach the vertical bog across from Wolf Mountain Overlook. This rock outcrop hosts a wide variety of wildflowers through the seasons. This is a possible short stop as some rare species bloom here in different times of the year. We’ll then ride on to Bear Pen Gap.

Lunch: In the parking area at Bear Pen Gap, we’ll have boxed lunches.

Afternoon: Next, we will follow a trail from Bear Pen Gap to Wet Camp Gap that wanders through a hardwood forest, crosses over small creeks, and opens to a grassy field. There are plenty of wildflowers to be seen along the way. You may choose to continue from the meadow either up a steep trail to a high point, curve along the mountainside on the Mountains to the Sea Trail, or linger in the sunny meadow. Our naturalist will walk the trails and give a talk in the meadow on this specific environment, butterfly activity, and bird migration. Returning to the hotel, we’ll have time to freshen up and relax before dinner.

Dinner: We will enjoy a sumptuous, fresh farm-to-table dinner at a nearby restaurant.

Evening: A naturalist will give us a presentation on the 18th century French botanist, explorer, and plant collector André Michaux and William Bartram, the leading American botanist of the time. Michaux traveled to the U.S. in 1785 and met Bartram, who became a colleague and friend.

Day 5
Purchase Knob, Free Time
Lake Junaluska, North Carolina B,L,D Lambuth Inn
Activity note: Getting in/out of bus. The drive to Purchase Knob is about 28 miles, approximately 1 hour. Walking 2-3 miles; forested trails, elevation above 5,000 feet.

Breakfast: Get off to a good start today with a yoga/morning stretch session before breakfast.

Morning: We will travel to Purchase Knob. This recently acquired addition to the GSMNP has large forested tracts, as well as an open mountain top meadow. We will walk in search of wildflowers and butterflies. The higher elevation offers the opportunity to view plants in an earlier stage of development than the lower elevations we’ve been exploring. .

Lunch: We will have boxed lunches at the Appalachian Highlands Science Center at Purchase Knob; restrooms available.

Afternoon: Free time. You might like to set out on your own and explore the surrounding small towns and trails of the Lake Junaluska-Waynesville area of Haywood County.

Dinner: Lambuth Inn buffet.

Evening: We’ll enjoy a concert of Appalachian music.

Day 6
Native Plants, Q&A, Program Concludes
Lake Junaluska, North Carolina B
Activity note: Check-out 11:00 a.m.

Breakfast: Lambuth Inn buffet.

Morning: For our final session together, our naturalist will show plant photos featuring many of the species we’ve identified though the week, followed by questions and answers. This concludes our program. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!