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March 1-31

Support Our Wildlife Ambassadors
Roan Mountain State Park
All month

Price:

• $10: Feeds one bird a day
• $20: Feeds two birds a day
• $30: Feeds three birds a day
• $40: Feeds four birds a day
• $50: Feeds five birds a day

At Roan Mountain, we house, care for, and educate the public on a variety of native animals. We work under an educational permit from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Currently, we care for three birds of prey and several snakes. As you can imagine, caring for these animals is costly, as their food and health care are specialties.

All of our animals are nonreleasable for a variety of reasons. We frequently program with these animals and never charge for educational programs when using them. Here is your opportunity to support our educational wildlife program and help us care for these animals.

All donations will go to purchase food, pay veterinary bills, buy gloves, tethers, falconry equipment, and aquarium bedding, and improve and build more housing facilities for our nonreleasable birds of prey.

To donate, click the green “Register for Event” button at the right. Your donation is a one-time payment. If you wish to cover more than one day, update the “quantity” you wish to donate, or simply return to this page in future months.

Thank you for supporting our wildlife ambassadors at Roan Mountain State Park!

March 15

Doe River Beginner’s Fly-tying – 1 – 3 p.m. Meet at the Roan Mountain State Park Visitor Center. The price is $15.00 and you can register for the event. Have you ever wanted to learn to make your own flies for fishing the streams of the Roan Mountain? Join Park Ranger Phil Hylen on Saturday, March 15th from 1:00-3:00PM for our Fly-tying for Beginners class. In this 2-hour course, participants will learn the basics of the art of fly-tying and make their very first fly. This class will also introduce you to some of our more common aquatic critters that flies model by turning over a few rocks and leaves in the Doe River and getting a close-up look at the dinner menu our local trout enjoy.

This 101 class is limited to 10 individuals at a fee of $15.00/person with registration available by using the registration link on this event or at a park office. If you are registering a youth, parents are asked to stay and assist the minor during the class (assisting adults are not required to register unless you are making your own fly as well). This class will take place at the Roan Mountain State Park Visitor Center – meet your host on the porch.

March 28 

Raptors of the Roan – 3 to 4 p.m. Meet at the Roan Mountain State Park Office Aviary. A live Birds of Prey ambassador program will be held. Join Roan Mountain State Park at the aviary (located at the park headquarters building) to meet our owl ambassadors and aviary staff. Participants will become familiar with the rich and unique diversity of birds of prey (raptors) found in the park and surrounding area of Roan Mountain. This is a great way to learn of many local raptor birding destinations and events! Of course, meeting our live education owls is an experience all its own!

March 29

Peg Leg Mine GeoVenture – 1 to 3 p.m. Meet at the Roan Mountain State Park Visitor Center. The price is $15 and you can register for the event. Join Roan Mountain State Park for a geology adventure hike to the Peg Leg Mine. Your host, Ranger Phil Hylen, will take you back into the late 1800s as you take on the role of iron miners exploring the ridges of the mountains for traces of iron ore. Along the way, we will learn the geology of Roan Mountain and why it is so unique. After exploring the Peg Leg Mine on a 1.2-mile hike (moderate-difficulty natural terrain trail), participants will get to crack open geodes and iron ore to keep.

May 2

2025 Garlic Mustard Pull
9:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Meet at Roan Mountain State Park Office Parking Lot.

Location: Roan Mountain State Park Conference Center
Google Directions

Start time: 9:30 a.m.

Weather: The weather looks cloudy and cool (in the 50s), so please dress accordingly and bring layers. You can never go wrong with a rain jacket in the Roan.

Schedule:

• 9:30-9:45 a.m. – Brief introduction, safety talk, etc. Volunteers will be briefed, divided into groups, and dispersed across the park and along public roadsides to pull garlic mustard. We will need some folks to volunteer to carpool in personal vehicles to make this happen.
• 9:45 a.m.-1 p.m. – Pulling and bagging up garlic mustard!
• 1-2 p.m. – Lunch at the Conference Center and our official weigh-in.

Food/Drinks: Please bring your own snacks, lunch, and bottled water. Lunch is not provided. Water and light snacks are available from the Park Office store.

Equipment/Precautions: Work gloves and trash bags will be provided. Feel free to bring personal gloves or a trowel. Pulling garlic mustard is usually easy, but a trowel can be helpful for compacted roadside soil and stubborn roots.

You will need: A hat and/or sunscreen, long pants, sturdy shoes, lunch, water, a warm layer for high-elevation hiking, and rain gear. If you are allergic to poison ivy or insects, consider wearing long sleeves and pants as a precaution.

Note: It may be difficult to return to your car while we are working, so bring a bag to keep your items with you throughout the day. Some work sites are very steep. Please let us know in the morning if you prefer to work on flatter terrain or have medical conditions. First aid kits will be on-site.

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. We look forward to seeing you all on May 2!

May 10

Elks Lodge 2025 Youth Trout Tournament
7 a.m.-2 p.m.
Meet at the Roan Mountain State Park Amphitheater.

Join Roan Mountain State Park and the Elizabethton Elks Lodge for the 42nd annual Elks Lodge Youth Trout Tournament on Saturday, May 10 (Mother’s Day weekend). This year’s trout tournament is strictly for youth ages 4-14, with participants competing in three age groups:

• 4-7
• 8-11
• 12-14

Families must register youth participants in person at the amphitheater from 7-9 a.m. before fishing begins.

Tournament Schedule:

• 7-9 a.m. – Participant registration @ Amphitheater
• 9 a.m.-1 p.m. – Trout fishing tournament within the boundaries of the Doe River (see rules)
• Noon-2 p.m. – Fish judging and prize preparations @ Amphitheater
• 2-3 p.m. – Prize award ceremony @ Amphitheater

Tournament Rules:

• The tournament is limited to 350 youth participants.
• Youth must provide their own fishing gear and bait/tackle.
• Fishing tournament boundaries include the Doe River within Roan Mountain State Park and along Highway 143 north of the park to Magill Memorial Church before the split on Highway 143.
• Family members may assist youth but may not fish for them—remember, this is for the kids!
• Fishing laws are per Tennessee state law: 7 trout per day (all species) may be kept to present for turn-in for measurements. Keep your best 7!
• Youth ages 13 and 14 must have a valid Tennessee fishing license to participate. Youth under age 13 may fish without a license. Tennessee offers resident youth ages 13-15 a Junior Fish/Hunt/Trap license for $9 plus tax.
• Judging of fish is by total length and weight of all trout presented. In case of a tie, the winner will be decided by total species caught.
• First- through third-place prizes and trophies will be awarded in each age category, along with door prizes for all participants.

Park Rules and Laws: Rangers will enforce fishing regulations, state laws, and parking throughout the park—remember, no parking on grass or roadsides. You must park in a designated area.

Participants can bring their own food, or lunch will be available from the Elks Lodge staff at the amphitheater (drinks, chips, fruit, and hot dogs with chili).

June 23, 2025

Junior Ranger Camp (Ages 8-12)
8:30 a.m.-noon

Price:

• $75 per participant
• $55 for Cloudland Elementary students

Learn about safety, plants, animals, bugs, astronomy, environmental stewardship, history, and more. The camp runs Monday through Thursday, with a graduation ceremony and party Friday night from 6-8:30 p.m. at the park Conference Center.

The registration fee includes a T-shirt, daily snacks, and a fun awards celebration.

Registration closes June 1. Refunds are available before June 1; no refunds will be granted after this date.