Find Your Summer Adventure At Bays Mountain Park
Get into the outdoors and find your adventure at Bays Mountain this summer. From guided hikes to nature crafts, there are a variety of activities to pick from for an afternoon of fun on the mountain.
Find your next adventure with a guided hike to points of interest within the park. Bays Mountain is offering both day and night guided hikes. Day hikes will go to the fire tower, cell tower point, and Bays Ridge Trail. Summer is filled with wildflowers, join us for a guided wildflower hike and see some fascinating plants. During our night hikes, you will take a stroll along a hiking trail through the woods to hear and see night time activity. Tickets are $3 per person and can be purchased on the day of hike at the Nature Center Gift Shop.
The days and times for these activities are as follows:
- Guided Day Hikes: 10:00 a.m.
- July 11 (Bays Ridge) and August 8 (Cell Tower Point)
- Guided Night Hikes: 7:00 p.m.
- June 14, July 26 and August 16
- Summer Wildflower Hike: 3:00 p.m.
- June 19, July 10, July 23 and August 5
Discover how to turn natural items into great crafts while learning about nature during our Nature Crafts program. This program is open to all ages, and tickets are $3 per person and can be purchased at Nature Center Gift Shop day of activity.
- Nature Crafts – 10:30 a.m.
- June 19, June 26, July 3, July 10, July 17, July 24, July 31, August 7, August 14, August 21 and August 28
Visitors can also catch a ride on the barge and explore the 44 acre lake. Observe water lilies, deer, raccoons, ducks, geese, turtles, great blue herons, beaver lodges and sometimes beavers and black bear. Your naturalist will discuss park history as well as the sights and sounds encountered on your trip creating a unique experience. Barge rides lasts approximately 45-minutes and may be cancelled due to weather. Tickets for barge rides are $5 per person and free for park members. To reserve your spot for daily barge rides, please visit the Nature Center before the scheduled barge ride. Bays Mountain only accepts barge ride reservations in advance for parties of 15 or more.
Specialty programs including the twilight barge ride and the canoe/kayak tour are back this year. Spend a relaxing evening on the lake enjoying the beautiful lakeside scenery from the comfort of the barge or your personal canoe or kayak. The twilight barge rides are $5 per person and free for park members. For the month of June, the canoe/kayak tour is $3 per person and free for park members. Beginning July 1, non-member fee is $10.00 per person. The canoe/kayak tour is limited to 20 watercrafts, and participants must provide their own canoe/kayak and a coast guard approved personal flotation device. To reserve a spot for the canoe/kayak tour or twilight barge rides, please call the Nature Center at 423-229-9447.
The days and times for these activities are as follows:
- Barge Rides – Daily rides at 1:00, 2:00 and 5:00 p.m. Additional rides on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10:30 a.m.
- Canoe/Kayak Tours: 6:00 p.m.
- June 20, July 18 and August 15
- Twilight Barge Rides: 7:00 p.m.
- June 27, July 25 and August 22
For more information on Bays Mountain Park please call 423-229-9447 or visit http://www.baysmountain.com/.