Craggy & Black Mountains

      Asheville, NC, USA

      VB
      72 reviews
      May 14, 2023
      Group size: 3 - 10
      Craggy & Black Mountains
      Asheville, NC, USA

      72 reviews

      $NaN
      May 14, 2023
      Group size: 3 - 10

      About this trip

      This day trip features some of the best birding that the Blue Ridge Parkway has to offer. There will be minimal hiking – most of the birding will take place from overlooks, roadsides, and picnic areas. Higher elevations will be cooler if not cold and it could be very windy. 


      The Blue Ridge Parkway winds through the Appalachian Mountains from Virginia into North Carolina, skirting the southern end of the Black Mountains, weaving through the Craggies, the Pisgahs, the Balsams, and ending in the Great Smokies. We visit various locations heading North from Asheville on the Parkway. We will study the natural history of the area at different elevations from the foothills to the top of Mt. Mitchell (at 6,684 feet, the tallest peak in the eastern United States). At the higher elevations the mountains are cloaked with spruce-fir and northern hardwood forests mixed with heath balds of Catawba rhododendron and mountain laurel.


      Typical breeding birds of the higher elevations include Common Raven, Brown Creeper, Dark-eyed Junco, Winter Wren, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and Northern Saw-whet Owl. Hermit Thrush and Red Crossbill can be found as well. The Appalachian race of the hardy Northern Flying Squirrel, closely related to the more familiar Southern Flying Squirrel of lower elevation broad-leaved woodlands, also occurs at this elevation. 






      What’s included

      • 1 birding guide
      • lunch
      • transportation

      Available Packages

      Trip Price
      $60

      Your Organizer


      VB
      Ventures Birding Tours
      72 reviews
      Small travel company based in Asheville, NC, specializing in birding & nature tours both locally & worldwide.

      Reviews

      I enjoyed having Mike as a guide on my first venture with him. He is extremely knowledgeable and skilled in finding and identifying the many warblers passing through. Mike pointed out a lot of field identification tips that helped me expand my own skills. His depth of experience and his enthusiasm for sharing what he knows made it a great birding day.
      By Charlotte M for Fall Warbler Workshop #1 - '23 on Sep 15, 2023
      This was an awesome experience, my wife and I were the only ones that showed up. Mike Resch was our professional guide. Mike is a master birder, I have never seen anyone with his knowledge and skill. He could identify birds by call and in their fall plumage. We were about done when he received a text about a Limpkin that had been found in his hometown and he invited us to follow him. He treated us as friends, we spent about 8 hours with him and I added so many birds to my life list. What a bargain and great time.
      By Walter F for Spectacular Fall Migration @ Ridge Junction - 2 on Sep 11, 2023
      JC
      A slow-paced meandering birdwalk often distracted by conversations with unafilliated random birders in search of local birds.
      By Joseph C for Mills River Migration on Sep 06, 2023
      Washington is a beautiful state. Several considerations to be made: maybe not in August when it's soo hot to go into the arid section. Birds were not active. Also, not to visit a National Park on a weekend day. The lines getting in, difficulty parking, and crowds took away from the experience and we missed the Rosy Finch. :) It was no problem for us, but the tour needs to be given more than a "moderate" level of hiking and exercise. Some attendents were not able to keep up, and slowed us down here and there. The pelagic trip was awesome! We happened to see 59 orcas, along with many of the bird species expected. The town of Westport was a nice little fishing town. Not touristy - perfect. The Olympic National Park had a great trail to a waterfall that took us through gigantic trees and lush vegetation. Definitely what you'd expect in Washington state. Getting to the top of Hurricane Ridge, we had close views of Mt Olympus, but it was unfortunately, a smoky day due to wildfires. So....we were not able to have the view of Puget Sound and other mountains. Our lodgings were good, and majority of meals were fabulous. We were able to find most of the target birds except when it was crowded or too smoky. All in all, we enjoyed this trip. This review is for myself and Leo C.
      By Angela C for Washington - Pacific Northwest Birding 2023 on Sep 03, 2023
      We had a great time, and we learned a lot. Aaron is a superb birder!
      By Kristin M for Rarity Round-Up - Kite Watch 23 on Aug 23, 2023
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