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Country Roads

CURRENT Country Roads

Train & Bird Views in Radford, Virginia

Freight trains snake through Radford, VA, at least a dozen times every day. But few people paid attention to the trains until town tourism director Deb Cooney suggested building a train (and bird) viewing platform.

Skywatch, November / December 2021: The Moon Joins Two Evening Stars

Two bright evening stars command the early evening sky in the second half of fall.

Good News from the Land. (Well, Mostly)

West Virginia goes telemetric bird watching; North Carolina land next to Pisgah National Forest gets protected; and the lanternfly threatens the region.

Book Note – Step into the Circle: Writers in Modern Appalachia

There’s a wide range of writers profiled in “Step into the Circle”—novelists and short story writers, essayists and poets. What lies at the root of all of their work is place.

Virginia’s 41st State Park is its First Blueway Park

Clinch River State Park is home to water recreation and to the endangered eastern hellbender.

Current Issue

The City of Radford, Virginia now has a new spot from which observers can watch both trains and birds.

Train & Bird Views in Radford, Virginia

Freight trains snake through Radford, VA, at least a dozen times every day. But few people paid attention to the trains until town tourism director Deb Cooney suggested building a train (and bird) viewing platform.
skywatch

Skywatch, November / December 2021: The Moon Joins Two Evening Stars

Two bright evening stars command the early evening sky in the second half of fall.
The invasive spotted lanternfly has moved into some Blue Ridge region states.

Good News from the Land. (Well, Mostly)

West Virginia goes telemetric bird watching; North Carolina land next to Pisgah National Forest gets protected; and the lanternfly threatens the region.
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Book Note – Step into the Circle: Writers in Modern Appalachia

There’s a wide range of writers profiled in “Step into the Circle”—novelists and short story writers, essayists and poets. What lies at the root of all of their work is place.
Clinch River State Park is home to water recreation.

Virginia’s 41st State Park is its First Blueway Park

Clinch River State Park is home to water recreation and to the endangered eastern hellbender.
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Departments

Vibrant Monarch butterfly clings to its translucent dew covered cocoon
Creature Feature

Monarch Mimickers

It’s easy to mistake other orange species for the king of fall butterflies.

August 26, 2026
At Coopers Rock State Forest, new Stargazer cabins invite guests to look up through skylights and telescopes.
Country Roads

Even Closer to Almost Heaven

New Stargazer cabins at Coopers Rock State Forest offer a skyward escape in the mountains of West Virginia.

June 29, 2026
©Duncan Seaman
Country Roads

A Mountain Tradition Turns 90 

Visitors flock to Galax, Virginia, each summer for the Old Fiddlers’ Convention, a days-long celebration of Appalachian music.

June 29, 2026

CALENDAR OF EVENTS