Description: Summer In The Park, week of June 8-14
Location: Warriors Path State Park
Come enjoy a week full of outdoor fun! You and your family can hike early and late, meet native wildlife and native plants, enjoy traditional games & crafts, and much more. And it's all free!
IMPORTANT NOTE - You DO NOT have to preregister for these "Summer In The Park" activities. However, we are offering registration for those who wish to donate to the park's programming efforts.
Here's the detailed schedule for this week:
MONDAY, JUNE 8
5:30 PM WOODLAND RIDGE HIKE - Come hike these ancient forests, and gain new insights into woodland habitats. Join us for this one and a half mile STEEP hike. Be sure to wear sturdy hiking shoes and bring water. Drive to the camp store, and we’ll carpool to the trail.
8:30 PM EVENING STROLL - Let’s wake up our senses to evening in the forest. Meet at the main bath house for a short, refreshing hike.
TUESDAY, JUNE 9
8:30 AM BEGINNER BIRDING - You don’t have to be an expert to appreciate birds, and Warrior’s Path is full of them! Walk through the campground for some tips about birding and identification. Meet at the main bath house, and bring your curiosity. You can bring binoculars if you have them (we’ll have some extras).
11:30 PM SOIL STUDIES - It’s not just plain old “dirt!” Come “dig into” some new discoveries about the soil beneath our feet. Meet at the Open Air Chapel.
1:30 PM PAW PAW PATROL - Have you heard of Paw Paw trees? Let’s go “way down yonder to the Paw Paw patch!” We’ll discover more about this amazing native fruit tree. Join the “Paw Paw Patrol” along the trail. Meet at the camp store.
2:30 PM WEAR IT AWAY - Did you know that some of our park land is disappearing? Come help us search for the amazing vanishing landscape. Meet at the camp store.
4:00 PM MAGNIFYING GLASS WALK - Use your eyes and some handy little magnifiers to get a close look at nature's amazing details. Meet at the main bath house to begin a short discovery walk.’ Path?
6:00 PM THE WARRIORS’ PATH - Why was our park named “Warriors’ Path?” Take a short hike to find out more. Meet at the main bath house.
7:00 PM MEET THE OWL - Meet one of our “Wildlife Ambassadors” - a REAL LIVE feathered hunter - and learn his fascinating life story. See “whooo...” is waiting for you at the Open Air Chapel. If it is raining, meet at the main bath house.
9:00 PM NIGHT HIKE TO SINKING WATERS - It's a whole different world out there at night! Tonight is our chance to discover the peace and the excitement of a night in the Sinking Waters wetland. Bring a dim flashlight and drive to the camp store. We'll carpool out to the park back country.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10
8:00 AM WAKE UP WALK - Let’s wake up our senses to morning in the forest. Meet at the main bath house for a refreshing morning walk.
9:30 AM NAME THAT BIRD TUNE - Bird songs are more than just pretty music! See how well you can learn to recognize who is singing these complex bird messages. Meet at the Open Air Chapel, or main bath house if it is raining.
11:30 AM TURKEY TALK - Let’s “talk turkey” about our biggest native game bird. Meet at the Open Air Chapel, or main bath house if it’s raining.
2:30 PM MICRO-PARKS - Here’s your chance to plan and share your own nature park. You might even get “paid” by your “customers”! Bring your best park managing skills to the Open Air Chapel, or main bath house if it is raining.
4:00 PM SKULLS - NATURE’S TOOL BOX - Every animal carries along all the tools it needs for survival! Come investigate some natural “tool boxes,” and find out more about each animal’s job! Meet at the Open Air Chapel, or main bath house if it is raining.
5:00 PM 100 INCH HIKE - One hundred inches isn’t very far, unless you are as small as a bug! Discover life on the tiny side with some VERY SHORT hikes. Meet at the main bath house.
6:30 PM MEET THE TREES - Take a closer look at our woody friends. Trees have a lot to teach us about our land and its history. Meet at the Open Air Chapel for this woody, leafy demonstration. In case of rain, meet at the main bath house.
9:00 PM GRANDFATHER TALES - Evening is a perfect time to share a story! Come and hear the stories that Grandfathers have told for generations at the Campfire Circle (east end of the campground) or the main bath house if it is raining
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THURSDAY, JUNE 11
9:00 AM DEVIL’S BACKBONE HIKE -Come hike to the high places, and get some new views of our park land. Drive to the camp store, and we’ll carpool to the start of an invigorating hike.
10:00 AM BUTTERFLY WATCHING - Summer days are bright with these fantastic flyers! Come share exciting discoveries as we watch these lovely bugs. Meet at the camp store.
12:30 PM FROG CALLS - Our slippery, hopping friends have some amazing voices! Come to the main bath house to “listen in” to our amphibian neighbors.
1:30 PM FISH ID - Discover more about our underwater friends. Meet at the camp store. We’ll walk along the lakeshore to get a close look at all those different species of fish.
2:30 PM NATURE JOURNAL - Come create your own little “nature diary.” Your homemade book will be a perfect way to remember all your nature fun in the park! Meet at the Main Bathhouse.
4:30 PM “INVADERS” AMONG US - Discover more about the dangers of invasive plant and animal species by playing a nature game about these invaders. Meet at the Open Air Chapel, or main bath house if it’s raining.
6:00 PM TREE TOOLS - How big is that tree? How old is it? What wildlife could be hiding in it? Come see and try out some of the tools that foresters use to study and protect our native trees. Meet at the Open Air Chapel, or main bath house if it is raining.
7:30 PM STATE PARK “JEOPARDY” - Let’s try a natural version of the famous game show. Test your skills and see how much you REALLY know about our State Parks. Meet at the Open Air Chapel, or main bath house if it is raining.
9:00 PM FOREST TREES - Take a “hike” from the comfort of your seat. Enjoy a “tour” of our nearby forest habitats using words and pictures. After the slide show, we’ll share a demonstration of how to identify our local trees. Meet at the Open Air Chapel, or main bath house if it is raining.
FRIDAY, JUNE 12
9:00 AM RIDGETOP HIKE - Enjoy some fine high views of the summer forests and fields under the bright sunny skies. This is a fairly short, but very steep hike. So wear good hiking footwear, bring some water, and meet at the park’s Mountain Bike Trail parking lot (at the end of Freeman Road, Blountville TN).
10:00 AM FALL CREEK LOOP TRAIL -Let’s hike the park’s most scenic trail! Enjoy beautiful vistas of the summer fields, as we search for signs of the unique habitats in the open country. Drive to the camp store, and we’ll carpool to the start of a two hour hike.
12:30 PM FIELD SWEEP - This green world at our feet is teeming with amazing life. Help us “sweep up” some field discoveries. Meet at the campfire circle, east end of the main campground.
2:00 PM STATE SYMBOLS - Find out about our Tennessee State Symbols, and discover which symbols you can find here at our park! Meet at the Open Air Chapel, or main bath house if it is raining.
3:00 PM NATURE ART - You’ll be amazed at how creative you can be with nature’s own “crayons”. Meet at the Open Air Chapel to create your own natural masterpiece. If it is raining, meet at the main bath house.
4:30 PM SINKING WATERS WETLAND HIKE - Come hike through a unique wetland home -- without getting wet! We’ll discover nature changing all around us! Wear sturdy hiking shoes and bring plenty of water for this two mile hike. Drive to the camp store, and we’ll carpool.
7:30 PM SUNSET HIKE - Watch the sun go down across the green hills. Drive to the camp store, and we’ll carpool. This is a short, but rather steep hike. Bring a flashlight for the walk back down.
SATURDAY, JUNE 13
Special Event Today - DRAGONFLY DAY
Pre-registration is required. Preregister at:
https://reserve.tnstateparks.com/register/dragonfly-day--16th-annual
OTHER ACTIVITIES TODAY:
10:00 AM WOOD COOKIES - Peek inside a tree and you’ll find nature and history. Come decorate a wood “cookie” and take home a natural memory from Warriors Path. Bring your artistic skills to the main bathhouse.
1:00 PM EDIBLE PLANTS RAMBLE - Are they weeds or are they dinner? Learn to make a salad from lawn plants. Meet at the camp store and let’s walk on down.
3:30 PM FERN FUN - Make friends with some of the local ferns and their relatives. Meet at the main bath house.
9:00 PM CAMPFIRE - What a perfect combination: A dark night, a crackling fire, and some local, traditional ghost tales. Meet at the campfire circle, east end of the main campground. If it is raining, we’ll have an indoor “campfire” at the main bath house.
SUNDAY, JUNE 14
9:00 AM WORSHIP SERVICE - Enjoy a peaceful morning worship service at the Open Air Chapel, or at the pool entrance if it is raining. Sponsored by the Colonial Heights Baptist Church.
Program Host: Marty Silver
Contact Email: marty.silver@tn.gov
Contact Phone: 423-239-6786