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.
To sum up a typical day:
6am breakfast at Burnwood
6:15-7am field trips depart from Burnwood
11am-12pm picnic-style lunch
2-5pm field trips return to Burnwood
4pm presentation in the Meadows at Opossum Creek Retreat
5pm happy hour
6pm dinner
7pm presentation
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.
At 4 PM we offer a casual Presentation, however, afternoons are your own! Enjoy personal time with a nap, journaling, or in the hot tub. Go for a scenic drive around Park areas or around the County. Explore the National Park. Plan ahead for an adventure activity like Bridge Walk or a Canopy Tour. Stroll through downtown Fayetteville and Oak Hill.
2024, Apr 29 - May 4: Registration Opens in Stages. Subscribe for email notification!
The following trips are offered each day as indicated. Select your daily itinerary upon registration. Select one trip each day on your registration form. After a trip is full, it cannot be clicked/selected on the registration form. When only 1 trip remains available, it is preselected for you on the registration form. Trips fill on a first-come basis and are handled individually/manually by Rachel. Occasionally, an influx of registrations cause trips fill faster than updates can occur, and adjustments must be made and are communicated to you.
Monday - Wednesday
6am – 5pm Infinity Loop
7am – 2pm Burnwood to Babcock
7am – 2pm Kanawha Falls
7am – 2pm Sugar Creek
7am – 2pm Muddlety to Carnifex
Thursday
6am – 5pm Cranberry
7am – 2pm Sugar Creek *Jeep Tour to the bottom! +$80/person*
7am – 2pm Birding by Butt
7am – 2pm Muddlety to Carnifex
8am – 12pm Birding by Butt (coffee is ready at 6am, breakfast at 8am, outings begin at 9am; ends with lunch at noon)
Friday
6am – 5pm Cranberry
7am – 2pm Burnwood to Babcock
7am – 2pm Kanawha Falls
7am – 2pm Sugar Creek
7am – 2pm Muddlety to Carnifex
Saturday
6am – 5pm Cranberry
7am – 2pm ACE Reptiles & Amphibians
7am – 2pm Glade Creek
7am – 2pm The Summit
7am – 2pm Wolf Creek & Rail Trail
Lunch
Lunch is provided on field trips, picnic style, prepared by the respective outdoor adventure center that owns the bus, Adventures on the Gorge or ACE Adventure Resort.
4 PM Presentations
Casual afternoon presentations start at 4 PM daily and last approximately one hour, located in the Meadows at Opossum Creek Retreat.
Mo. Jodi French-Burr: Botany 101 in the NRG
Tu. Rachel Davis: White-tailed Deer
We. Paul Shaw: Moths
Th. Bill Hilton, Jr: banding birds
Fr. Keith Richardson: Institute for Bird Populations, MAPS Program
Dinner
Sunday Festival check-in is a casual cookout welcome for all-week and first-half-week birders; roll in anytime between 6 PM and 8 PM, at Burnwood.
Monday through Saturday, happy hour at 5, and dinner starts at 6 PM in the Meadows at Opossum Creek Retreat; beverage options and outdoor seating are provided.
7 PM Presentations
Evening Presentations immediately follow dinner, at 7 PM in the Meadows and include outdoor broadcast viewing areas. Please be patient and flexible as speakers and topics may change, and technical difficulties impact start/stop times.
Mo. Jim McCormac
Tu. Dr. Bill Hilton, Jr Operation Ruby-throat & Hilton Pond
We. Katie Fallon - and ambassadors from the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia
Th. Guide Panel
Fr. Dorian Anderson - Biking for Birds: 365 Days, 18,000 Miles, 618 Species, 1 Amazing Adventure
Sa. Farewell Pizza Party Social starts at 6 PM with Alexander Nicole Music live & acoustic!
Farewell Pizza Party
Saturday at 6 PM - pizza, beverages, and live acoustic music by Alexander Nicole! Appalachian singer-songwriter with Southern roots and influences of rock, soul, pop, and folk. And... Keith's favorite daughter. ;)
Please be forgiving as the speaker line-up may change due to unforeseen personal schedule changes and technical difficulties. Field trip times and routes are approximate and may vary due to accessibility, bird movement, weather or road conditions, and other unforeseen variables.
♦ Detailed location information and maps are provided to those with registrations, in April.
