Story
Rainbow Scavenger Hunt
We enjoy all four seasons in East Tennessee for their unique beauty and the new opportunities they bring to the great outdoors. While Spring welcomes fresh blooms and breezy days, Winter offers expansive views and quieter moments. Summer looks like sunny weather and lush greenery, while Fall introduces bright foliage and crisp mountain air.
No matter what time of year it is in the Great Smoky Mountains, nature will take your breath away. At Blackberry Mountain, Camp Blackberry’s Rainbow Scavenger Hunt invites young travelers ages 3 and up to immerse themselves this natural beauty and take home their very own piece of it.
At the beginning of the Rainbow Scavenger Hunt, campers are given a piece of paper with eight boxes, each labeled with a different color. Campers are then taken to one of our trails to search for something in nature that fits each box. Leaves, flowers, stems and other natural elements abound, offering campers lots to explore and add to their collections.
Throughout the journey, our guides share a little about the native species and other discoveries campers make along the way. Tulip popular, for instance, is the state tree of Tennessee. Its leaves are easily identifiable by their distinct tulip-like shape. Maple leaves can be found in a variety of colors dependent on the weather and differing amounts of chlorophyll, making them a go-to choice for filling multiple boxes in the Fall time.
To keep nature from being disrupted, we adopt a “leave no trace” philosophy. Instead of picking things off living plants, we only retrieve what has already fallen to the ground naturally.
At the end of the Rainbow Scavenger Hunt, campers come away with their own keepsake to remember their adventure in the Great Smoky Mountains. Each season introduces new colors and different items to add to the boxes, representing the diversity of life in our region and the allure of its everchanging state.