Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage

In Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Photo taken by iNaturalist user, tgovus, during the 2020 Virtual Wildflower Pilgrimage iNaturalist Expedition.
  PILGRIMAGE
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2022 Event Pricing

COVID POLICY.  We will require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for all leaders and pilgrims in the days prior to SWFP2022.  At this time “full vaccination” status is through the second dose for Moderna and Pfizer and one dose for the J&J, but that may change if the CDC shifts the definition of “full vaccination” is modified.  Ultimately, we will follow the CDC definitions.  You my find our COVID-19 Policy statement as a separate page under the Upcoming Events tab of this website.
Pricing for individual pilgrims
1 March - Normal Registration 10AM EST
Full access to the event: $150
Student (K-12, undergraduate, graduate) full access to the event: $30
Student (pre-K) full access to the event: Free, but please register for logistical purposes


Special Pricing for School Groups
Throughout the long history of the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the underlying mission and philosophy has simply been to bring people together to fellowship, form connections, bonds, and friendships through a common interest focused on spreading curiosity, knowledge, appreciation, and education of natural history, biology, ecology, conservation, and land management.  To ensure this happens to the fullest extent possible, special group and class rates are available upon request.  Please send requests and questions to Joey Shaw.

Cancellation and Refund Policy
You may cancel your registration at any time for a full refund until March 29.  No refunds can be given after March 29 due to expenses and contractual obligations. Should we need to cancel the entire event, we will allocate refunds based on money available after settling all debts, expenses, and contracts, or, you will have the option to defer your registration fees to 2023 for priority program selection.

Pricing Explanation
The Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage in the GSMNP has always been a non-profit event.  It relies on massive volunteer efforts of organizers and leaders.  More than 100 leaders travel each year, at their own expense and on their own time to volunteer their expertise to help educate and spread information on scientific and natural history topics related to the GSMNP. Joey Shaw's time is voluntary and, in part, supported as community service by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.  There are only two paid positions related to the Pilgrimage - one is that of a professional Meeting Planner to build and run the registration and health screening platforms and the other is a student assistant for Joey Shaw at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.  It should be recognized that the Meeting Planner (Shannon Gordon, since 2017) also donates significant labor on top of paid time to support the Pilgrimage.  The majority of fees collected are used to cover dormitory-style housing and cafeteria-style meals for the leaders once they are on site. Prior to 2017, these costs were significantly offset by long-time partners to the Pilgrimage  so that ticket pricing only needed to capture about 30% of the actuals costs of the event.  In 2017 and after several financially lean years following the Great Recession, these partners were forced to rethink their own budgets and our Pilgrimage was forced with becoming financially independent.

​Questions? 
​Contact Joey Shaw 

Chair of the Wildflower Pilgrimage Organizing Committee
Department of Biology, Geology, and Environmental Science
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
or
Shannon Gordon
Meeting Planner for the Wildflower Pilgrimage

OUR PARTNERS

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OUR SPONSORS

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ANNUAL SPRING WILDFLOWER PILGRIMAGE

April 26 - 30, 2022 / Face to Face Event GSMNP


  • Home
  • About
    • About the Pilgrimage
    • Leadership
    • Inclement Weather
  • Donate Now
  • Upcoming Events
  • iNaturalist
  • Past Events
    • SWFP 2022 >
      • Event Pricing
      • Lodging
      • Code of Conduct
      • COVID-19 Policy
      • Artist of the Year
      • Evening Speakers
      • Interactive Maps
    • 2021 Virtual FWFP
  • Contact Us