great scott county

Daniel Boone Birding Trail

The Daniel Boone leg of the Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail offers great birding opportunities close to the beaten path. Within a few miles of the interstate, you can visit Ruffed Grouse breeding grounds, seek out wintering shorebirds and neotropical summer visitors, and catch soaring raptors during hawk migration.

View a map of the loop trail here (46 KB, jpg.)

Scott County stops along the trail:

Rye Cove Intermediate School Nature Center
This small, 3 acre woodland is managed by the local school as an outdoor classroom. The well-maintained trails wander through open fields, shrubs, and hardwood forest, providing a diversity of habitats which allow the visitor to see a wide range of bird species. Numerous songbirds and woodpeckers can be found along the trails, including red-eyed vireos, eastern towhees, cedar waxwings, American kestrels, and wild turkey. Keep your eyes peeled as well for eastern box turtles, a wide range of butterflies, and white-tailed deer. To reach the trailhead from US 23 in Clinchport, turn onto Rte 65 toward Clinchport. Follow Rte 65 north for 4.3 miles, then turn left, heading west on Rte 649/Rye Cove Road for another 2.6 miles to Rye Cove Intermediate School. Turn right into the school driveway and continue to the rear of the building towards the parking lot. The trailhead is located behind the school, east of the parking lot. Motor coach parking is available in front of the school at the bus-loading circle.

Natural Tunnel State Park
As you walk through this 850 acre park in the summer, you're likely to feel a deep thudding resounding through the woods. Don't make the rookie mistake of assuming that the reverbations are a heart attack or other ailment. No, you've wandered into the breeding ground of the ruffed grouse and are feeling the vibrations made when male grouse thump against hollow logs to attract a mate. With your mind laid to rest, you can take an afternoon to explore the creekside bottomlands, hardwood forests, natural caves, riparian corridors, limestone outcrops, and mountaintop views represented in the park. Turkey and black vultures can often be seen circling on thermals above the natural tunnel, while migrating raptors join the kettles during autumn migration. Directions and trail information.

Kane Gap Trail
This little-traveled trail allows hikers to climb Powell Mountain through the National Forest. As you hike between mixed hardwood forests and scattered old orchards, you'll find breeding flycatchers, American redstarts, vireos, summer tanagers, and black-and-white, hooded, Canada, and Kentucky warblers. Don't forget to come back for the spring and fall migration to see even more diversity! To reach the trail from Natural Tunnel State Park, turn left onto Rt. 871 and follow it to its junction with US 23. Go north on US 23 for approximately 7.0 miles to Rt. 611 at Jasper. Turn left onto Rt. 611, using caution when crossing the southbound lane of US 23. Follow Rt. 611 for about 0.2 miles, crossing the railroad tracks. Again, use caution because the road narrows over the tracks. After crossing the tracks, turn left and continue across the concrete bridge. Follow the gravel road for about 1.0 mile to a "T" intersection; turn right and follow the gravel road up to the trailhead, crossing a small creek coming out of the mountain. The trailhead parking is at the Forest Service Gate.

Duffield Industrial Park Trail
This informal trail follows a four mile flood channel between open fields, mudflats, and rocky shores. The trail is a great spot to find wintering and migrating shorebirds as well as grassland species like the red-winged blackbird, barn and northern rough-winged swallows, indigo bunting, eastern meadowlark, and killdeer. From the Kane Gap Trail, return to US 23 and turn right/south on US 23. Follow this to its junction with US 58 in Duffield. Turn right onto US 58 West and proceed for 0.2 miles. Turn right (before the Sgt. Ross S. Carter Bridge) onto Rt. 772. Continue northwest on Rt. 772 for 0.1 miles to the Duffield Development Authority building on the left. The trail will run along the channel and can be accessed at the rear of the parking lot.

Daniel Boone Trail
This trail winds up the opposite side of Powell Mountain from the Kane Gap Trail and then joins the latter trail at Kane Gap. The Daniel Boone Trail begins on an old gravel road, but then narrows down into a hiking trail which continues for several miles through hardwood forests. In the summer, look for vireos, flycatchers, and woodpeckers, along with the black-throated blue warbler at higher elevations. Spring and fall migration are the peak times to visit the Daniel Boone Trail, when hawks and songbirds are following the mountain range to their wintering or summering grounds. From the Duffield Industrial Park, return to Rt. 772 and turn left. Continue northwest on Rt. 772 for 0.6 miles to the bridge crossing/Rt. 879. Turn left, heading west on Rt. 879/Fraley Avenue for 0.4 miles to the trailhead on the right.