Upper Tennessee Round Table volunteers will show how to catch and identify invertebrates, the tiny creatures that live in healthy streams.

RAIN DATE -- August 1

White’s Mill, 12314 White’s Mill Road, Abingdon, VA 24210

Join Rock Dimensions of Boone for guided rock climbing at Hidden Valley on Brumley Mountain. Meet at the climbers parking lot (7904 Hidden Valley Road) at Hidden Valley Wildlife Management Area.

Hidden Valley Wildlife Management Area (7904 Hidden Valley Road, Abingdon, Va.)

Learn about these native fish, aquatic insects and hellbenders and about the underwater habitat and fish ecology. by snorkeling with experts from the Blue Ridge Discovery Center.

RAIN DATE: Sunday, August 2

Blue Ridge Discovery Center in Konnarock  (6402 Whitetop Rd, Troutdale, VA)

Learn about these native fish, aquatic insects and hellbenders and about the underwater habitat and fish ecology. by snorkeling with experts from the Blue Ridge Discovery Center.

RAIN DATE: Sunday, August 2

Blue Ridge Discovery Center in Konnarock  (6402 Whitetop Rd, Troutdale, VA)

Buzzard Rock, a jumble of rocks atop Brumley Mountain, provides a spectacular view of Clinch Mountain running west for miles into Tennessee and of the lower ridges and valleys of Russell and Washington Counties.  It is even more dramatic at sunset.

Hidden Valley Wildlife Management Area (7904 Hidden Valley Road, Abingdon, VA)

Dr Steven Hopp of the Blue Ridge Discovery Center and Emory & Henry University leads a morning of introductory bird-watching on the Mendota Trail at Benhams, Virginia.

Meet at the Mendota Trail parking lot in Benhams, Va. (7720 Rich Valley Road, Bristol, VA)

Abrams Falls is an 80-foot waterfall whose beauty rivals any falls in the Southeast. The hike is relatively short, less than 1 mile out and back, but it is strenuous with both side-hilling on a narrow trail and a steep descent and ascent. Good balance is necessary.

Meet at 9am at the Benhams parking lot for the Mendota Trail (located at 7720 Rich Valley Rd. Bristol, VA). Group will then carpool to the Abrams Falls trail. There are bathrooms and a picnic shelter in Benhams.

South Holston Lake includes many of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia’s most scenic vistas. The 7,580-acre lake includes 73% of shoreline on national forest land making it a quiet and majestic treat for visitors. It is always a favorite among boaters.

Light snacks and beverages provided.

Sportsmans Marina, 23511 Sportsman Dr. Abingdon, VA 24211

South Holston Lake includes many of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia’s most scenic vistas. The 7,580-acre lake includes 73% of shoreline on national forest land making it a quiet and majestic treat for visitors. It is always a favorite among boaters.

Light snacks and beverages provided.

Sportsmans Marina, 23511 Sportsman Dr. Abingdon, VA 24211

South Holston Lake includes many of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia’s most scenic vistas. The 7,580-acre lake includes 73% of shoreline on national forest land making it a quiet and majestic treat for visitors. It is always a favorite among boaters.

Light snacks and beverages provided.

Sportsmans Marina, 23511 Sportsman Dr. Abingdon, VA 24211

South Holston Lake includes many of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia’s most scenic vistas. The 7,580-acre lake includes 73% of shoreline on national forest land making it a quiet and majestic treat for visitors. It is always a favorite among boaters.

Light snacks and beverages provided.

Sportsmans Marina, 23511 Sportsman Dr. Abingdon, VA 24211

South Holston Lake includes many of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia’s most scenic vistas. The 7,580-acre lake includes 73% of shoreline on national forest land making it a quiet and majestic treat for visitors. It is always a favorite among boaters.

Light snacks and beverages provided.

Sportsmans Marina, 23511 Sportsman Dr. Abingdon, VA 24211

South Holston Lake includes many of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia’s most scenic vistas. The 7,580-acre lake includes 73% of shoreline on national forest land making it a quiet and majestic treat for visitors. It is always a favorite among boaters.

Light snacks and beverages provided.

Sportsmans Marina, 23511 Sportsman Dr. Abingdon, VA 24211

Hike through a high-elevation forest and learn about the geology and ecology of the area from Zack Olinger in this moderately-strenuous 6-mile round-trip hike.

Meet at Hayters Gap Community Center  (7720 Hayters Gap Road, Saltville, VA 24370)

Hike the beautiful Mendota Trail from Benhams to Mendota. This is the most remote section of the trail as it descends along Wolf Run Creek.

Meet at the Benhams parking lot of the Mendota Trail (7720 Rich Valley Road, Bristol, Va.). After the hike a shuttle is provided to the Benhams parking lot.

Whitetop Mountain at 5525 feet has spectacular views of Clinch Mountain and North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Led by Doug Levin of the Mt. Rogers Appalachian Trail Club, the two-mile round-trip hike along the Appalachian Trail crosses the open fields of a bald to a rocky outcrop.

Meet at Lowes at Exit 19 in Abingdon to carpool.

New to climbing? Curious about bouldering? Join the Central Appalachia Climbers Coalition for an Intro to Bouldering Clinic, which will cover all the fundamentals.

Climbers parking lot Hidden Valley WMA (7904 Hidden Valley Road, Abingdon, VA)