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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, and you can register for the event.

Have you ever wanted to learn to make your own flies for fishing the streams of Roan Mountain? Join Park Ranger Phil Hylen on Saturday, March 15, from 1-3 p.m. for our Fly-Tying for Beginners class. In this two-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 per person, with registration available 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 they are making their 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
3-4 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 about 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
1-3 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.

March 30
Nature Photography: Intro to Basics
9-11 a.m.
Meet at Shelter 3 in the campground. The price is $20, and you can register for the event.

Join Ranger Rodriguez as we dive into the powerful tool of photography in nature! Come on out and bring your camera, whether it be new, used, or your cellphone, for this immersive program.

This program will consist of a one-hour classroom session where we will learn about the basics of our cameras, photography, and using them as a tool to immerse ourselves in nature. We will take the time to get more familiar with our cameras and learn tips and tricks for capturing great shots.

After the classroom portion, we will take a short hike along the Tom Gray Trail to put what we learned into practice! This 0.4-mile hike on mostly flat terrain, with a few areas of uneven surfaces, will follow along the river in the campground.

Participants should bring their camera equipment, weather-appropriate clothing, and plenty of water.

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

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.
• 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.

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

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

June 23, 2025
Junior Ranger Camp (Ages 8-12)
8:30 a.m.-noon

Price:
$75 per participant
$55 for Cloudland Elementary students

Registration is now open!

Learn about safety, plants, animals, bugs, astronomy, environmental stewardship, history and more! At the conclusion of the week, each participant will be sworn in as an official Junior Ranger for Tennessee State Parks at our graduation ceremony and banquet.

Camp begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends by noon, Monday through Thursday. Our graduation ceremony and party will take place Friday night from 6-8:30 p.m. at the park Conference Center.

The registration fee of $75 includes a T-shirt, daily snacks, and a fun awards celebration on Friday night.