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March 30

Build Your Own Hiking Stick – 10 a.m. – Noon. Meet at Shelter 3 in the campground. Price is $15. Register for the event. Visitors will have the opportunity to select a stick among the park’s downed trees along the Tom Gray trail and campground. Visitors can either cut their limb with a bow saw or have a ranger do it for them. This event will end at the camp store where participants will be able to use files, rasps, and cordage to customize their very own hiking stick!

This program is suited for ages 12 and up. Participants should wear sturdy hiking shoes and bring plenty of water. 

Meeting location: Shelter 3 in the campground. Campground is located on the right directly past the tennis courts.

Night Sky Party: The Spring Triangle – 8 p.m. – 9 p.m. Meet at Cabins 21-30 Parking Lot Fire Pit. Roan Mountain State Park will be hosting a free night sky party at the cabins area fire pit located by the cabins 21-30 parking lot. Our March night sky theater will focus on the Spring Triangle, a trio of stars readily seen every night from across our country from spring to early summer. Enjoy the warmth of a campfire while enjoying snacks and ranger-led stories about the March stars. This is a free event with no registration. Guests are encouraged to dress for the weather and to bring a comfy chair and binoculars.  

March 30

Tomahawk Toss – 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. Price is $5. Register for the event. Learn to throw a tomahawk! Join Ranger Holland as we have fun learning a popular frontier pastime. Tomahawks provided. No previous Tomahawk-throwing experience is required to enjoy this fun program. Meet at Shed #3.  

March 31

Natural Crafts – 2 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. Price is $10. Register for the event. Express your artistic side while making useful and decorative items from natural materials. During the program we will repurpose wood portions of downed trees from past storm damage and other materials found in nature. These will be used to create unique items that each participant may keep at the conclusion of the program. Meet at park headquarters prior to going to the program area.

April 26-28

2024 Spring Nature Rally by Friends of Roan Mountain – Meet at: Roan Mountain State Park Conference Center. Register for the event. Join the Friends of Roan Mountain for the 65th annual Spring Nature Rally. This event is held at Roan Mountain State Park with the park Conference Center as the registration and main meeting area. Nature rally field trips and activities vary in location and time as described on the Nature Rally brochure. Registered participants can expect a full weekend of nature hikes, talks, and adventures they will remember their entire lives. To learn more about the Spring Rally or to register to participate, please visit the Friends of Roan Mountain website at https://www.friendsofroanmtn.org/.

 

April 26

Highway 143 Garlic Mustard Pull Day – 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. Meet at Roan Mountain State Park Conference Center. Register for the event. Join Roan Mountain State Park and the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy for a day of pulling non-native Garlic Mustard plants along the lowlands and along Highway 143 throughout Roan Mountain. This invasive plant is able to outcompete other aquatic vegetation and create monocultures that snuff out flowers needed by our pollinators. This annual event will meet at the Roan Mountain State Park Headquarters building at 9:30 a.m. where staff will split volunteers up into working groups to move along the highway in search of areas of Garlic Mustard to tackle. The park will provide volunteers with work gloves and tools. This volunteer event is limited to 30 participants. Plucking out the pesky invaders when they’re young and tender isn’t hard work, but it does take a lot of hands! Volunteers are encouraged to bring water bottles and snacks for the day. We will break for an hour lunch period at noon where volunteers could bring a packed lunch or utilize one of the many local dining options in the village of Roan Mountain. The event will conclude with a weigh-in of the pulled Garlic Mustard.