Over 600 miles of hiking & biking trails have earned us the title of "Best Trail Town" in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
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Wildlife Viewing & Birding in the Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are teeming with opportunities for birding and wildlife viewing - particularly in the Roanoke Valley in Virginia's Blue Ridge.
Deer, foxes, black bears and other native animals are often spotted by hikers and even by drivers along quiet roads. And ornithologists love Virginia's Blue Ridge for its wide variety of birds, including raptors like red-tailed hawks and bald eagles, as well as water birds like geese, wood ducks and herons.
Perhaps the favorite subjects of birdwatchers are songbirds, such as the northern mockingbird and the hooded warbler.
The Roanoke Valley has lots of great places to spot wildlife, including nature preserves and parks as well as along hiking trails and greenways, quiet country roads, and on the valley's rivers and lakes.
Watch a doe lead a fawn to water as you paddle along the James River, see a group of bear cubs scurry across the road as you drive along Blue Ridge Parkway, and listen to the native birds chirp as you hike along the Appalachian Trail.
You'll find out animals and visitors both have all kinds of fun during a Blue Ridge Day!
The Roanoke Valley in Virginia's Blue Ridge features expansive mountain vistas and endless forest trails. Don't forget your binoculars!
Additional Viewing Options
The Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries website is a great resource for information about wildlife viewing in the Commonwealth. The Virginia Birding & Wildlife section features numerous loops, maps and trail info about the best spots for observation. Check out the Mountain Region for recommendations on local areas and wildlife loops. Learn more >
The following is a list of places for birding and wildlife viewing in Virginia's Blue Ridge.
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Roanoke Region Spotlight
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Visit Virginia's Blue Ridge 101 Shenandoah Avenue NE Roanoke, VA 24016 (540) 342-6025 (800) 635-5535
Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge is committed to cultivating an atmosphere that welcomes and celebrates the unique backgrounds, abilities, passions, and perspectives of our vibrant community. As our region’s only destination marketing organization, we have a responsibility to showcase the best the Roanoke Region has to offer, and those assets and strengths come in varied forms. We embrace differences in race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, language, visible and invisible disabilities, and all the intersecting identities that make Virginians and visitors alike so unique. We believe our differences make us stronger– and better.
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