We’ll start our tour just on the edge of the nation’s newest national park, where we’ll have an evening of light birding and, weather permitting, an outdoor welcome dinner. We’ll kick off our week of fantastic food with a delicious specialty pizza dinner from the original Pies n’ Pints accompanied by a selection of local brews. After dinner, we’ll take a stroll to seek whip-poor-wills and calling owls at dusk. With the aid of thermal scopes, we’ll hope to watch night critters uninterrupted in their activities.

Night at: Opossum Creek Retreat

We’ll immerse ourselves in hills and hollers today, starting at the iconic Babcock State Park. Here, we’ll search for birds at every level within the forest, from Swainson’s, Kentucky Warblers and Louisiana Waterthrush near the ground, to Blue-headed Vireos, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and Black-and-white Warblers in the midstory, to Cerulean, Blackburnian, and Yellow-throated Warblers in the canopy. We’ll take our time with several stops to enjoy the sights of the park.

After a leisurely lunch, we’ll trade the woodlands for early successional habitat to look for species like Yellow-breasted Chat, Grasshopper Sparrow, Indigo Bunting, and Prairie Warbler. After dinner in town, we’ll listen to a presentation from Jodi French-Burr, Park Ranger at New River Gorge National Park and Preserve packed with information about the park and its natural wonders that we’ll put to use in the morning.

Night at: Opossum Creek Retreat

This morning, we’re taking a slow, leisurely hike through a fascinating section of the New River Gorge in search of a plethora of birds while also paying attention to wildflowers, herps, and mammals. We’ll cross paths with relics from the mining heydays and discuss the cultural history of the region. Breeding birds and late migrants are likely, and our species list will be diverse by the time we wrap up in time for a delicious lunch.

In the early evening, we’ll go in search of Golden-winged Warblers. These scarce breeders in the area often take advantage of recently logged tracts and previous strip mines that provide a mix of herbaceous habitat with scattered trees. Then, we’ll have a relaxed final night in the New River area as we hang out around our spacious and secluded cabin while a local chef prepares an Appalachian-inspired meal for us in our home away from home.

Night at: Opossum Creek Retreat

We’re getting an early start to head to a place unlike anywhere else. Cranberry Glades Botanic Area is a vast stretch of peat bogs and habitats that harbor many endemic and unique plants, including some carnivorous ones and several orchid species. We’ll walk a breathtaking boardwalk and visit a few more locations within the glades to observe all forms of life, with target birds including Mourning, Canada, and Magnolia Warblers and Red Crossbill. The chorus of Catharus thrushes - Veery, Swainson’s, and Hermit - will be a delight for your ears!

After a full morning and partial afternoon here, we’ll continue on to our base for the second half of our tour, Canaan Valley. The valley is protected under a mix of National Wildlife Reserve, State and National Forest, and State Park, making it a true haven for Appalachian wildlife. It’s also a cultural delight with fantastic music, art, and cuisine scenes.

We’ll stop on our way to Canaan for dinner, and top it off with a visit to Still Hollow Distillery. Still Hollow uses all sorts of sustainable methods, home-grown ingredients, and local partnerships to make darn-good whiskey and spirits. Plus, they have a great birding patch at their farm and distillery that they conserve thanks in part to inspiration from a roosting screech owl that led to their owl branding. Tonight, we’ll settle into our accommodations and take in the stars before bed.

Night at: a spacious cabin tucked away in Canaan Valley

There’s so much to see in Canaan Valley, and we’ll take our time throughout the whole day to hit the best birding and biodiversity spots around. We’ll take a few short hikes among the trails and boardwalks looking for this special combination of birdlife. Along the way, we’ll search for Henslow’s, Swamp, Savannah, and Vesper Sparrows, Northern Waterthrush, and hopefully get a comparison of Willow and Alder Flycatchers nearly side by side. In the surrounding forests, we’ll likely encounter Red-breasted Nuthatch, Yellow-breasted Sapsucker, and Yellow-rumped Warblers.

After lunch and a siesta, we’ll head to one of the finest restaurants in the state, The Forks, for a rich dining experience inspired by simple pleasures and personalized touches. We’ll watch the sunset while we enjoy a six-course tasting menu from the beautiful balcony in the mountains.

Night at: a spacious cabin tucked away in Canaan Valley

We’ll have an easy morning at our cozy accommodations and perhaps venture around Canaan Valley again to search for anything we’ve missed so far. Then, we’ll pack lunches and head to the legendary Dolly Sods Wilderness, described as “a rocky, high-altitude plateau with sweeping vistas and lifeforms normally found much farther north in Canada.” At the Sods, we’ll take a short hike to soak in the mesmerizing scenery.

This evening, we’ll hit the town…the tiny mountain town with a population of 600, that is! But don’t let the size fool you—this area is rich with great music, food, and art. We’ll get dinner and walk down the street to the legendary Purple Fiddle to catch the music that’s playing that night. On our way home, we’ll detour for a short night walk.

Night at: a spacious cabin tucked away in Canaan Valley

We’ll pack up and head out from Canaan Valley, making one more pass through the stunning habitat, and stop at a cafe for breakfast. Then, we’ll work our way through several spots north of the valley to explore habitats that might hold new species for our trip list.

We’ll work our way to the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia’s outdoor education center for lunch and a tour of their facilities. The ACCA aims to conserve the region's wild birds through research, education, and rehabilitation, and hundreds of native birds pass through ACCA’s doors each year. The center also has about twenty nonreleasable birds that are permanently in its care. We’ll get up-close views of eagles, hawks, falcons, owls, vultures, and kites during their daily feeding.

Then, we’ll head to an absolutely delightful and quaint bed and breakfast called Modern Homestead for the night and enjoy a final multi-course dinner together. We’ll have an unforgettable and locally sourced meal as we recount our week’s many adventures, then settle in for the night.

Night at: Modern Homestead Guesthouse

A relaxed departure day.