Boardwalks on the Mountain
Appalachian Forest Eco Tour
Come, explore the wonders atop West Virginia's Mountains. Here, completely unique eco-systems are accessible by boardwalks, making it an adventure for anyone and bringing everyone "in-close" to nature. Come, walk with us: where the rhododendrons and laurel flourish under a shade canopy, discover a mountain park like the Muskeg of the Arctic Tundra, and visit a landscape only a black bear could love. West Virginia! It's Wild, it's Wonderful, and it's waiting for you.
May 12-Oct 31
Tour Features:
- "Boardwalks on the Mountain Nature Tour" with a Naturalist and other lecturers
• Beartown State Park Boardwalks
• Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park
• Cranberry Mountain Nature Center
• Cranberry Glades Boardwalk
• The Falls of Hills Creek Boardwalk
• Highland Scenic Highway
• The Historic Marlinton Opera House
- Two Nights Lodging, Inn at Snowshoe
- Two Hot Breakfast Buffets
- Picnic Lunch on Droop Mountain
- Two Dinners with Music
• Dinner with a live music at Snowshoe
• Interactive Bluegrass Show at the Marlinton Opera House
- Scenic Chair Lift Ride to Shavers Lake at Snowshoe
- All Taxes & Fees on these service
- Luggage Handling
- One Free with Every 16 Paid
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West Virginia
Fall Foliage Trips, Student Tours
Starting At
$249
Per Person Double
Ask us about adding a day and including the Cass Scenic Railroad, and Green Bank Radio Astronomy Observatory.
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Day 1 - Arrive the Inn at Snowshoe, located at the base of Snowshoe Mountain by mid-afternoon. Check-in, freshen up, then shuttle to the top of the mountain. Tickets are included for a Scenic Chair Lift Ride to Shavers Lake, followed by a chance to visit the shops in the village. Then enjoy a nice dinner with a live music in one of the villages restaurants.
Day 2 - Hot Breakfast Buffet. This morning your adventure departs Snowshoe with a local Naturalist and you begin a day of exploration in the forests of West Virginia. First stop is Beartown State Park here interpretive signs along the boardwalk provide insights concerning the ecology of the area. The name Beartown was chosen because local residents claimed the many cave-like openings in the rocks made ideal winter dens for the area's black bears.
Next stop is Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park where you enjoy the view from a replica Lookout Tower built during the Civil War and a historian's presentation. You also enjoy a picnic lunch in the shelters here on top of the mountain.
The next stop is the nearby Cranberry Mountain Nature Center and a chance to talk with an expert about wildlife on that mountain. Then in Cranberry Glades you find another Boardwalk leading through a distinctly different eco system. This 750 acre park was created by glacial action over 10,000 years ago. The bogs here are similar to that found in “Muskegs” of the Artic Tundra.
Just eight miles farther, through the Cranberry Wilderness you come to the Falls of Hills Creek. A boardwalk through rhododendrons and laurel flourishing under the shade canopy leads to the first falls, they drop 25 feet to the rocks below. For wildflower enthusiasts, the forest carpet is alive with over 40 species of blooms in the spring and early summer.
As your afternoon draws to an end you motor across the Highland Scenic Highway a 20 mile drive of breathtaking mountaintop vistas. Then finally leaving the forests of West Virginia you come to the historic Marlinton Opera House for a family style country meal. Which is followed by a lively Bluegrass Show with more than a little audience participation. It's a chance to kick up your heels or simply tap your feet in tune, at the end of a wonderful day in the high up hills.
Day 3 - Hot Breakfast Buffet. Then depart for home.