There is a whole network of trails through this area, most of which converge around Price Lake and the Price Lake Picnic Area (which is actually across the road from the Lake a bit to the north). The Boone Fork Loop is a moderate to challenging 5 mile loop that has great habitat for breeding warblers as well as a meadow that is often full of Indigo Buntings in the summer. The trail around Price Lake has a good mix of habitats, but ironically the campground has the best birds in the area. You can park at the dam along the Blue Ridge Parkway and take a short trail south, then just walk the main loop of the campground out to the boat ramp and back. There are reliable Blackburnian Warblers that have nested here for several years. The Green Knob Trail is a shorter (2 hour) hike with a fantastic variety of habitats, though it is sadly very underbirded. I've found incredible varieties of warblers, as well as Brown Creepers, Winter Wrens, and a pair of nesting Ravens along this trail.
The Spring and Fall are the best times to bird this area, though many of the migrating warblers have small breeding populations that are visible (or at least hearable) throughout the summer. If you visit before Memorial Day the campground is usually either closed or almost empty, which makes birding the loop much more enjoyable.
There is a whole network of trails through this area, most of which converge around Price Lake and the Price Lake Picnic Area (which is actually across the road from the Lake a bit to the north). The Boone Fork Loop is a moderate to challenging 5 mile loop that has great habitat for breeding warblers as well as a meadow that is often full of Indigo Buntings in the summer. The trail around Price Lake has a good mix of habitats, but ironically the campground has the best birds in the area. You can park at the dam along the Blue Ridge Parkway and take a short trail south, then just walk the main loop of the campground out to the boat ramp and back. There are reliable Blackburnian Warblers that have nested here for several years. The Green Knob Trail is a shorter (2 hour) hike with a fantastic variety of habitats, though it is sadly very underbirded. I've found incredible varieties of warblers, as well as Brown Creepers, Winter Wrens, and a pair of nesting Ravens along this trail.
The Spring and Fall are the best times to bird this area, though many of the migrating warblers have small breeding populations that are visible (or at least hearable) throughout the summer. If you visit before Memorial Day the campground is usually either closed or almost empty, which makes birding the loop much more enjoyable.
