Roan Mountain State Park

06/09/2026

New week, new opportunities to get outdoors and learn about the unique natural and cultural resources of Roan Mountain State Park!

Join our Seasonal Interpretive Rangers Joben & Hannah for another weekend of interpretive programs across the park.

For more information on Ranger-led programs and the full calendar of park happenings, please visit https://tnstateparks.com/parks/roan-mountain.

06/09/2026

Celebrate America’s 250th & give back to your local public lands at the Wings of Freedom 4th of July Celebration fundraiser benefiting the Roan Mountain State Park Aviary!

The aviary at Roan Mountain State Park currently houses two rehabilitated owls - Sunshine & Shiloh - who are unable to be released into the wild due to their injuries. We plan to expand the current aviary to include plumbing and electricity to improve the lives of our current aviary residents and house more rehabilitated birds of prey. To make this dream a reality for the Birds of Prey Program, we set a goal of $10,000 to complete the project.

To support the park’s goal, join us at the Park Amphitheater for a full day of events! The day kicks off with several free events before tickets are required for participation. $15 Ticket Purchase Required for Participation in Inflatables and select activities from 12-5PM. All proceeds from ticket purchase go directly to the Wings of Freedom Aviary Fundraiser to meet our $10,000 goal! Additional donations will be accepted at the event in-person and online at https://tnstateparks.com/parks/roan-mountain

06/08/2026

There are still spots available for our Patchwork Meadows volunteer day this week. This Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning, we will be doing work in the flower fields along Highway 143, doing our monthly care and w**ding for those areas.

Volunteers are needed to work alongside Patchwork Meadows each month to maintain the native plants within our 2-acre pollinator fields through means of planting native plant seed/plugs, w**d non-native plants, and take photographs of and log what species of wildlife are utilizing the pollinator fields.

Dates will be given shifts with some shifts being rain dates, but a rain date will still meet to do additional tasks around the field. This event is ongoing, so be sure to look over each shift you are interested in and register for that shift.

The park will provide volunteers with work gloves, and water/snacks will be provided. Each shift is limited to 10 volunteers and lasts for 3 hours. Be sure to bring plenty of your own water and dress for the weather with good close-toed shoes for gardening in.

Working with professional native landscapers with Patchwork Meadows is a great way to learn about native gardening and how to maintain healthy gardens that will reduce mowing and provide for local wildlife. We hope to learn from you and teach our volunteers something to take to their own gardens.

https://tnstateparksvolunteer.galaxydigital.com/need/detail/?need_id=1250191&fbclid=IwY2xjawSTpk1leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFIWWIzcGt4cTVuREZ0Nm1kc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHt0taoWVtMF-ecryisVL55qwy3XyEyU-mGHiztxgTUUtt4Hm_hY8_F3G0TZl_aem_CC3IeG5LTz_PGa5ZRLot-Q

On June 10 and 11, RMSP is looking for volunteers interested in helping rangers and Patchwork Meadows of Black Mountain, NC. to continue the monthly care and w**ding of the pollinator fields along Highway 143. Two shifts are available - one in the afternoon of June 10 and one in the morning of June 11 with 10 spots each. To learn more and to register to volunteer, check out the opportunity at https://tnstateparksvolunteer.galaxydigital.com/need/detail/?need_id=1250191

06/03/2026

🎉 Congratulations to Justin Barnette on 30 years of dedicated service to the State of Tennessee and Roan Mountain State Park! 🎉

After 30 years of working for Roan Mountain State Park, Justin is beginning a new chapter with TDOT. Throughout his time at Roan Mountain State Park, he has been the go-to person for keeping equipment repaired, maintained, and ready for the job. Whether he was operating a backhoe, driving a tractor, modeling for our all-terrain wheelchair, or tackling a repair project, Justin brought skill, hard work, and dependability to everything he did.

Justin has been an invaluable part of our park family. His knowledge, work ethic, and willingness to do whatever was needed helped keep projects moving and the park running smoothly. The impact he has made on Roan Mountain State Park over the years will be remembered for a long time, and his presence will be greatly missed.

Of course, we couldn’t let him leave without mentioning his legendary Christmas party costumes, which brought laughter and kept us guessing year after year. We hope you enjoy looking back at a few photos from celebrations over the past several years.

While we're excited for this next chapter in his career, it won't be the same around here without him. Justin be missed greatly by your park family, but we know you'll bring the same hard work, humor, and talent to your new team.

🚜🔧 Congratulations, Justin! We wish you all the best with TDOT and thank you for 30 incredible years of service here at the park. Don't be a stranger—and try not to cause too much trouble at the TDOT Christmas party! 🎄😂

06/02/2026

Join our Seasonal Interpretive Rangers Joben & Hannah for another weekend of interpretive programs across the park.

For more information on Ranger-led programs and the full calendar of park happenings, please visit https://tnstateparks.com/parks/roan-mountain.

05/29/2026

🙌 STAFF HIGHLIGHT: A big thank you to Ray Ledford and Manning Suttle from our Maintenance Team for their excellent work designing, building the framework, and installing the new interpretive signage at the Visitor Center!

The new displays are both informative and accessible, helping enhance the visitor experience for everyone.

Be sure to stop by and check them out on your next visit!

05/29/2026

🚨‼️🔔Congratulations to Herman “Ray” Ledford on receiving his 25 Years of Service Award!

Ray has actually dedicated 28 years of service to Roan Mountain and the State of Tennessee in our Maintenance Department. His knowledge, hard work, and dedication are truly invaluable. We are proud to have Ray as part of our team and appreciate all he does for our park.

Thank you, Ray, for your years of outstanding service!

We appreciate you and your ‘mustache’ sir! 😆 🥸

05/28/2026

This past weekend at our Fire Safety with Forestry program, we had a “bear-y” special guest stop by! 🐻

Smokey Bear decided to take a break from fishing the Doe River to surprise some of our campers, Rangers, and forestry staff. Everyone had an awesome time meeting Smokey and learning how to safely build, maintain, and extinguish campfires to help protect our forests and parks.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for a fun and educational program. Remember… only YOU can prevent wildfires!

A huge thanks to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry (TDF), and Smokey Bear for coming out!