Use Your Birding & Nature Vacation to Revitalize Your Mind and Body.

2024 brings back half-week options! 

Lodging Packages
Check-in with your selected lodging provider the afternoon before your first trip, and check-out the morning after your last trip. 

Festival Check-in
All-week and first-half-week birders meet us Sunday, anytime between 6 PM and 8 PM, at Burnwood for a casual cookout welcome. 
Second-half-week birders, first-time NRBNF folks meet us Thursday for Birding by Butt at Opossum Creek Retreat - coffee is ready at 6 AM; breakfast at 8 AM.
Second-half-week birders, returning NRBNF folks may choose Birding by Butt, or we'll see you at Burnwood for other Thursday trip options.
Items provided upon check-in include a printed checklist, personal itinerary and name tag.

Breakfast
Breakfast is provided hot buffet-style at 6 AM under a pavilion at Burnwood. Cranberry and Infinity Loop trips have a breakfast provided on the bus. Birding by Butt Thursday, coffee is ready at 6 AM and breakfast at 8 AM.

Trip Times
Field Trip transportation is provided. 
Cranberry and Infinity Loop trips depart from Burnwood as quickly as possible. Your breakfast is provided on the bus. Cranberry and Infinity Loop trips return by 5 PM.
All other trips depart from Brunwood by 7 AM and return by 2 PM.

Read more: Speaker & Trip Schedule

All trips begin from Burnwood at 6 AM. Breakfast is hot buffet-style under a pavilion. Cranberry and Infinity Loop trips have grab-n-go breakfast waiting on the bus, and depart Burnwood as quickly as possible. Cranberry returns by 5 PM. All other trips depart by 7 AM and return by 2 PM. Field Trip transportation is provided by bus. 
After field trips depart from Burnwood, modern restroom facilities may be limited - some routes stop at public areas for restroom breaks and some destinations have varying park facilities.
In response to weather, road conditions and bird movement, trip routes may be adjusted and some trips may overlap territory.
After a trip is full and no longer available, it cannot be clicked/selected on the registration form.

• Cranberry *returns  ~5 PM
• Burnwood to Babcock
• Kanawha Falls
• Sugar Creek
• Muddlety to Carnifex
• Infinity Loop 
• ACE Reptiles & Amphibians
• Glade Creek
• The Summit
• Wolf Creek & Rail Trail

Read more: Trip Descriptions

Create a User Account for birding-wv.com. Log in to your User Account. Complete and Submit a Registration. View your submitted registration and outstanding balance in your Cart. 

April 29 - May 4, 2024

Jump to Health Safety Precautions

2024, Apr 29 - May 4: Registration Opens in the Autumn of 2023. Subscribe for email notification!

All packages include daily field trips, field trip transportation from/toBurnwood, presentations, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Lodging packages begin the night before your first field trip and include the night of your last field trip. Filed trips are limited to twelve seats plus two guides. This is an immersive birding and nature vacation. All you have to do is show up for six days of adventurous field trips, meals, knowledge and fun packed presentations, and spend some time with world-class professionals and fellow nature enthusiasts you (will) know as friends.

Read more: Registration

The Nitty-Gritty

Transportation

♦ Arrange your own transportation to and from your lodging, the breakfast location at Burnwood, and the presentations and dinners at our Opossum Creek Retreat headquarters.
♦ Field trips depart from and return to the breakfast location at Burnwood.
♦ Field trip transportation is provided by bus.
♦ Go to Where We Are

Lodging

♦ Lodging check-in is the day before your first field trip and check-out is the day after your last field trip.
♦ Additional lodging days may be requested but depend on lodging availability.
♦ All lodging options are on a first-come-first-serve basis.
♦ We have special rate deals with our lodging partners that we pass on to you!
♦ Other area lodging option links are found under "Travel" below.
♦ Go to Lodging

Packages

♦ 2023 packages are all week only, and available with and without lodging.
♦ Each day includes a field trip of your choice, three meals, presentations, field trip transportation, and an assortment of drinks and snacks.
♦ Go to Registration

Read more: Trip Planning

A Few Tips to Get You Started...

Bird and nature watching is an outdoor sport - bring your gear and be prepared to have fun! The mornings start outdoors at 6am and the days are spent in the mountains at various elevations and physical environments. Mornings can be quite cool, afternoons quite warm, and a spring shower may pop up. You never know what you're going to get into.

Health Safety
- hand sanitizer
- masks
- disinfectant wipes
- thermometer
- COVID test

Gear Ideas

Read more: What to Pack

Travel Notes

♦ Plan your routes ahead of time; paper maps we provide in April are important because all gps systems are not equal and some will lead you astray.

♦ AT&T seems to have the best coverage in the area, however it is spotty and difficult to find a signal when exploring mountains and valleys. 

♦ Yeager Airport (CRW) in Charleston, WV is approximately 63 miles (~1.25 hours) from Festival headquarters at Opossum Creek Retreat; 61 mi (<1.25 hrs) from Canyon Rim Visitors Center at the New River Gorge National Park.

♦ Raleigh County Memorial Airport (BKW) in Beckley, WV is approximately 38 miles (44 minutes) from Festival headquarters at Opossum Creek Retreat headquarters; 30 mi (39 min) from Canyon Rim Visitors Center at the New River Gorge National Park.

♦ Car rentals are available at both airports, as well as in Beckley and Summersville; make arrangements in advance as they are not open 24/7. 

Read more: Travel Notes