KINGSPORT — The start of a new school year is days away for most local families. But there’s still a little bit of time to enjoy some outdoor fun as Summer in the Park wraps up another season at Warriors’ Path State Park.
Here’s a look at what’s on tap for the remainder of the program:
THURSDAY, AUG. 1
9:30 a.m. — SINKING WATERS RIDGE HIKE: Explore succession — the changing face of nature — on the first loop of the Sinking Waters Trail. Drive to the camp store to carpool to the start of the trail.
11:30 a.m. — RELAY RACES: Join us for a fun nature-themed relay race and get to know trees on a deeper level. Wear sturdy footwear and be prepared to run. Meet at the Open Air Chapel.
1 p.m. — POISON IVY: Don’t let fear of a little itch keep you out of the woods. Learn to be safe around this “sneaky” plant. Meet at the Open Air Chapel. (Rain site: Main bath house)
2 p.m. — OLD SCHOOL PAINTING: Let’s take a step into the past and create a work of art using the nature around us for tools. Meet at the Open Air Chapel. (Rain site: Main bath house)
3:30 p.m. — BEAN ART: Meet at the main bath house to create natural art from beans.
4:30 p.m. — HIKE LAKE HOLLOW: Enjoy a leisurely hike through the Lake Hollow Trail and explore some of the unique life around us. Meet at the camp store.
6 p.m. — NOISY TOYS: Make your very own “musical” instrument with a few simple things from nature. Meet at the Open Air Chapel to create some “beautiful music.” (Rain site: Main bath house)
7:30 p.m. — ANIMAL TRACK DRAWING: Learn to track down local wildlife. Meet at the main bath house.
9 p.m. — NIGHT SOUNDS: Nature is full of sounds when the sun goes down. Meet at the Open Air Chapel for a short slide show of the creatures who “talk” in the night. (Rain site: Pool entrance)
FRIDAY, AUG. 2
9 a.m. — HIKE THE “DARWIN’S REVENGE” TRAIL: Come spend several hours in one of the most beautiful and wildest parts of the park. Be sure to wear good walking shoes, comfortable clothes, and bring some drinking water. Meet at the park’s Mountain Bike Trail parking lot (at the end of Freeman Road in Blountville).
10:30 a.m. — TENNESSEE SYMBOLS WALK: Join us on a short hike to discover some of the Tennessee state symbols here at the park. Meet at the main bath house.
11:30 a.m. — MAKE A SUNDIAL: Now is the perfect time to find out how to use our earth’s oldest clock. Meet at the Open Air Chapel for some bright discoveries. (Rain site: Main bath house)
1:30 p.m. — HIKE THE OVERLOOK TRAIL: Take a hike to the overlook and look at the world from a different perspective. Meet at the old pool parking lot to carpool or caravan to the trailhead.
3 p.m. — BACKPACKING: Gain advice on how to begin overnight expeditions. Meet at the Open Air Chapel. (Rain site: Main bath house)
4 p.m. — SINKING WATERS HIKE: Take a hike to explore the wonders of a wetland habitat and all the water in our park has to offer. Meet at the Sinking Waters Trail parking lot on Cedar Branch Road.
5 p.m. — CAMPGROUND CLEANUP: Join us for a litter walk around the campground and help clean up for the wildlife. Meet at the camp store.
6 p.m. — OLD TIMEY GAMES: Try some games from the early settlement days of East Tennessee. Meet at the Open Air Chapel. (Rain site: Main bath house)
9 p.m. — TENNESSEE TALES: Enjoy new insights into Tennessee Folklife as we share some good-old traditional tall tales. Meet at the Open Air Chapel. (Rain site: Pool entrance)
SATURDAY, AUG. 3
9 a.m. — FALL CREEK LOOP TRAIL: Let’s hike the park’s most scenic trail. Enjoy beautiful vistas of the summer fields and search for signs of the unique habitats in the open country. Drive to the camp store to carpool to the start of a two-hour hike.
Noon — WALKING TREES, FLYING PLANTS: Meet at the Open Air Chapel to show off your “hot air” and plant some new life. (Rain site: Main bath house)
3 p.m. — NOSING FOR NATURE: Nature is full of amazing aromas. Let’s use our noses to “sniff out” some new discoveries. Meet at the main bath house.
4:30 p.m. — BUILD A BUTTERFLY: Create your own paper butterfly and discover more about these winged wonders. Meet at the main bath house.
7 p.m. — ANIMAL CHARADES: See who can act out the best critter. Meet at the Open Air Chapel. (Rain site: Main bath house)
9 p.m. — NIGHT VISION: How does night vision work? Meet at the Campfire Circle to “look into” this amazing tool for us and for our nocturnal neighbors.
SUNDAY, AUG. 4
9 a.m. — WORSHIP SERVICE: Enjoy a peaceful morning worship service sponsored by Colonial Heights Baptist Church at the Open Air Chapel. (Rain site: Pool entrance)
MONDAY, AUG. 53:30 p.m. — ANIMAL MASKS: What can you be? A wolf? A bear? A kitten? Or maybe a creature you design yourself! Bring your imagination to the main bath house.
5 p.m. — STORYTELLING WITH CHALK: Throughout time, people have told stories and used pictures to illustrate them. Let’s use our words and our hands to draw some new Tennessee tales. We’ll provide the chalk. Meet at the main bath house.
6:30 p.m. — TURKEY TALK: Learn about our biggest native game bird. Meet at the Open Air Chapel. (Rain site: Main bath house)
8:30 p.m. — BEAR AWARE: Come explore the world of black bears through a slide-illustrated talk with park staff. Meet at the Open Air Chapel. (Rain site: Pool entrance)
TUESDAY, AUG. 69:30 a.m. — MEET THE SNAKES: Come out and learn some interesting and helpful facts about these animals. Meet at the Open Air Chapel. (Rain site: Main bath house)
11 a.m. — WASPS & HORNETS: Let’s get a close, stingless look at these common, important, misunderstood park critters. Meet at the main bath house.
1 p.m. — PREDATOR/PREY: Try this great game at the Open Air Chapel. (Rain site: Main bath house)
2 p.m. — ANIMAL GROUPS BINGO: Discover new insights into our unique and different animal groups. Meet at the Open Air Chapel. (Rain site: Main bath house)
3:30 p.m. — CREEK WALK: Get on your old clothes and tennis shoes. It’s time to explore the cool, clear creek waters. We’ll discover a world of amazing life. Meet at the Boundless Playground entrance. Be prepared to get wet.
4:30 p.m. — ANIMAL ARCHITECTS: Come learn about one of Tennessee’s most notorious architects, the beaver and how they make a nice home for themselves and others. Meet at the main bath house.
6 p.m. — EVENING STROLL: Let’s wake up our senses to evening in the forest. Meet at the main bath house for a short, refreshing hike.
6:30 p.m. — SINKING WATERS HIKE: Take a hike to explore the wonders of this unique habitat in the park. Meet at the Sinking Waters Trail parking lot on Cedar Branch Road.
8:30 p.m. — TENNESSEE SEASONS, TENNESSEE WILDLIFE: Enjoy a tour of all four seasons in the hills of Tennessee. After the slide show, one of our “Wildlife Ambassadors” will share a lesson on Wildlife Tracking and reading “Critter Signs.” Meet at the Open Air Chapel. (Rain site: Pool entrance)
WEDNESDAY AUG. 79 a.m. — RIPARIAN HIKE: “Riparian” means “along the creek bank.” It also means an extra-rich wildlife habitat. Come along for an “extra- cool” hike near Fall Creek. Drive to the camp store to carpool.
10 a.m. — LEAF CONFETTI: Come learn how to make this eco-friendly alternative to plastic confetti. Meet at the main bath house.
10:30 a.m. — WAKE UP WALK: Let’s wake up to the sounds of life all around and reflect on our role in nature. Meet at the main bath house for a refreshing walk through the woods.
11:30 a.m. — TREE FRISBEE: Come have a flying good time and find out more about park trees. Meet at the Open Air Chapel.
4:30 p.m. — LIFE UNDER LOGS: Come dig into the world of trees and the little critters that use them for homes. We will go on a hike along the Lakeshore Trail (1/2 mile) hunting for the little critters that love to hide under logs and figure out why they’re so important to our park. Meet at the main bath house.
6 p.m. — MAGNIFYING GLASS STROLL: 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.
6:30 p.m. — KAYAK FLOAT: Let’s explore the world around us in a new way — there’s no better way to enjoy the beauty and excitement of life in the lake. You must sign up in advance on the park website for this event. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Anyone under 18 must have an adult to sign a release form. Limited to 10 people.
8 p.m. — ANIMAL HOMES: Meet some small “guest speakers” and discover more about who is “at home” here at the park. Come to the Open Air Chapel to find out about their habitats. (Rain site: Main bath house)
THURSDAY, AUG. 89:30 a.m. — THE LOST TRACK: Let’s hike the old railroad grade and hear the stories of the old railroaders’ lives. Meet at the Moody Bluff Campground in the field near the campground entrance.
Noon — CRITTER PATHS: Find out what’s been wandering through the campground habitats. Meet at the camp store.
1:30 p.m. — SCAVENGER HUNT: Use the clues to find out more about Warriors’ Path. You might win a prize, and you’ll surely win lots of exciting discoveries. Meet at the Open Air Chapel to begin the hunt.
3 p.m. — OWL PELLETS: Use your detective skills to find out what owls have for supper. Don’t worry, these owl pellets are germ free. Meet at the Open Air Chapel. (Rain site: Main bath house)
4:30 p.m. — LEAF PRINTING: See what art you can make using nature’s leaves as your tool. Meet at the Open Air Chapel. (Rain site: Main bath house)
5 p.m. — TURTLE TALK: Come learn about the special features that turtles of East Tennessee have built in and maybe even meet a shelled friend. Meet at the main bath house.
5:30 p.m. — NATURE PICTIONARY: Picture this: a great game for the whole family with lots of nature discovery built right in. Meet at the Open Air Chapel. (Rain site: Main bath house)
7 p.m. — TENNESSEE TRIVIA: Come test your skills and see how well you really know the state with this difficult game of trivia. Meet at the Open Air Chapel. (Rain site: Main bath house)
8:30 p.m. — ANIMAL SHADOWS: Come help us bring creatures alive through the art of shadow puppetry. Shadow puppets are a staple of growing up and provide plenty of fun. Don’t forget to bring a flashlight and a big imagination. Meet at the main bath house.
FRIDAY, AUG. 99 a.m. — HIKE THE BONEYARD: Come explore a remote corner of Warriors’ Path, full of geologic discovery. This will be a challenging two- to three-mile hike, so be sure to wear comfortable clothes and good hiking shoes and bring drinking water. Meet at the Mountain Bike Trail parking area, at the end of Freeman Road in Blountville.
Noon — POLLINATOR CRAFT: Pollinators don’t get to have all the fun. Meet park staff at the main bath house to create a fun pollinator-themed craft.
1 p.m. — NATURE YOGA: Focus on poses that are animal- and nature-themed. Bring a mat or towel if you’d like something to sit on. Meet at the Open Air Chapel. (Rain site: Main bath house)
1:30 p.m. — BUG QUEST: Let’s see what discoveries we can make about our park through the insects we find on this bug quest. Meet at the Boundless Playground.
2:30 p.m. — TN SYMBOLS BINGO: Let’s test our state signs knowledge with a bingo game. Meet at the Open Air Chapel. (Rain site: Main bath house)
4 p.m. — INVASIVE SPECIES REMOVAL: Come help us fight invasive species along our mountain bike trails. Get to know some of the harmful plants to look out for in our area. Meet at the Mountain Bike Trail parking area, located at the end of Freeman Road in Blountville.
6 p.m. — NATURE GAMES: Meet at the Open Air Chapel for some lively games about our natural world. (Rain site: Main bath house)
8:30 p.m. — NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY: Find out how to use even the simplest camera as a way to conserve natural memories. Meet at the Open Air Chapel for a slide-illustrated nature photography “lesson.” (Rain site: Pool entrance)
SATURDAY, AUG. 108 a.m. — “HIKING ADVENTURE” AT FLINT ROCK: Come along for a strenuous eight- to nine-mile hike on the rugged rocky slopes of nearby Holston Mountain to an awesome overlook. Discover unique flora and fauna. Note: You must pre-register in order to participate in this “Hiking Adventure” — a part of our ongoing series. Get all the details and register at: https://reserve.tnstateparks.com/register/hiking-adventure-flint-rock24
11 a.m. — KNOT TYING: Be “knot” afraid of this important skill to many outdoor activities. Come learn some basic knots at the Open Air Chapel. (Rain site: Main bath house)
1 p.m. — POPSICLE STICK WEAVING: Come try your hand at a simple weaving project using popsicle sticks and yarn. Meet at the Open Air Chapel. (Rain site: Main bath house)
5 p.m. — TISSUE PAPER FLOWERS: Join us for this classic flower-themed craft while learning some more about native wildflowers. Meet at the main bath house.
8:30 p.m. — CAMPFIRE: A dark night, a crackling fire, and some local, traditional ghost tales. Meet at the campfire circle, east end of the main campground. (Rain site: Indoor “campfire” at the pool entrance)
SUNDAY, AUG. 11
9 a.m. — WORSHIP SERVICE: Enjoy a peaceful morning worship service sponsored by Colonial Heights Baptist Church at the Open Air Chapel. (Rain site: Pool entrance)
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