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

Cranberry and Infinity Loop trips have breakfast waiting on the bus at 6 AM and depart Burnwood as quickly as possible. Cranberry and Infinity Loop return by 5 PM.
Birding by Butt (Thursday) begins in the Meadows at Opossum Creek Retreat with coffee at 6 AM, breakfast at 8 AM, outings at 9 AM; wraps up with lunch at Noon. 
All other trips begin from Burnwood at 6 AM with hot buffet style breakfast under a pavilion; 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 are limited - some routes stop at public areas for restroom breaks and some destinations have varying facilities.
In response to weather, road conditions and bird movement, trip routes may be adjusted and some trips may overlap territory.
♦ Detailed location information and maps are provided to registratrants in April.

• Cranberry *returns ~5 PM
• Burnwood to Babcock
• Kanawha Falls
• Sugar Creek *special premium Jeep Tour Thursday!
• Muddlety to Carnifex
• Birding by Butt *Thursday. Festival check-in for second-half week first-timers, and option for all week birders.
• Infinity Loop *returns ~5 PM
• ACE Reptiles & Amphibians
• Glade Creek
• The Summit
• Wolf Creek & Rail Trail

Read more: Trip Descriptions

April 29 - May 4, 2024: Registration Is OPEN

All packages include daily field trips, field trip transportation from Burnwood, presentations, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Lodging packages begin the night before your first field trip and include the night of your last field trip. Field trips are limited to twelve seats plus guides. 
All you have to do is show up for days of adventurous nature excursions, meals, knowledge and fun packed presentations, and spend some time with experts and fellow nature enthusiasts you know as friends, and enjoy your immersive birding and nature vacation.

On Registration Forms, after a trip is full, it cannot be selected. Trips fill on a first-come basis, and registration forms on the site are manually updated. Occassionally, an influx of registrations cause trips to fill faster than site updates can occur, then Rachel makes and communicates adjustments to the individual registration. 

Half-week options are back for 2024! You may choose all week (6 days) of field trips from Monday through Saturday, or either half of the week (3 days) of field trips Monday - Wednesday or Thursday - Saturday. Seats are limited. *As of 11/10, half-week options are FULL.

Skip to FAQ FYI or to Registration or to Deposit & Payments

Read more: Registration

• FAQ

The Nitty-Gritty for Your Trip Planning

Transportation

♦ Arrange your own transportation to and from: your lodging; the breakfast location at Burnwood; and Opossum Creek Retreat headquarters for dinners, presentations, and Birding by Butt.
♦ Field trips depart from and return to the breakfast location at Burnwood.
♦ Field trip transportation is provided, usually 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. Opossum Creek Retreat cabins are first available to vetran NRBNF goers.
♦ We have special rate deals with our lodging partners that we pass on to you!
♦ Go to Lodging

Packages

♦ 2024 package options are all week, first-half-week, or second-half-week.
♦ Packages are available with lodging (selected on your Registration), or without lodging (you make your own lodging reservation). 
♦ Each day includes a field trip, three meals, presentations, field trip transportation (carpool exceptions), and drinks and snacks on field trips and at the Meadows at Opossum Creek Retreat.
♦ 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