Tazewell County

Found in southwest Virginia, Tazewell County’s bold slogan as “The Scenic Gateway to the Heart of the Appalachians” is certainly realized with just a single visit. Home to Burkes Garden, the headwaters of the Clinch River, a portion of feature called “The Back of the Dragon” (a 32-mile route with over 300 curves and claimed to be premiere sports-car and motorcycle riding road in the nation!), as well as many miles of scenic roads, it is no wonder locals have proclaimed Tazewell as the “Adventure Tourism Capital of the Appalachians.” The Nature Conservancy in 1990 declared the Clinch River Basin to be one of their designated “Last Great Places” in the world. Birding in Tazewell County has come to the forefront recently, with a variety of species found. Major hotspots include Burkes Garden, known as “Garden Spot of the World”; Falls Mills Lake, which has a dam of the Bluestone River tributary that spans across Mud Fork; and “The Cove”, found in the southwest corner of the county and named for how it settles between the mountains.  Hosting two beautiful lakes in Tazewell are Lincolnshire Park, and Cavitt’s Creek Park, in which you will find good numbers of migratory birds. Despite the county’s remoteness, Tazewell sits at about the middle of the pack for number of species seen and eBird checklists submitted in Virginia with 231 as of January 2020.

Burke’s Garden is unique in Virginia. It is a mountain-ringed bowl that resembles a crater when seen from above, however it was instead formed by the collapse of limestone caverns. It is the highest mountain valley in the state, with an elevation of about 3000 feet. The ring formed by Garden Mountain makes travel into Burkes Garden tricky at times. A thriving Amish community calls Burkes Garden home. 

Tazewell has several villages, each with some options for lodging that vary in price. Claypool Hill in the west offers three national chain hotels. The town of Tazewell has two local hotels. In the east, Bluefield has one national chain. Just over the line into Mercer County, West Virginia are even more options. There are local and chain restaurants scattered throughout the villages mentioned above. 

Tazewell is near Interstates 77 and 81, sitting just west and north of them, respectively. U.S 460 and U.S. 19 run concurrent through the length of the county from northeast to southwest from I-77 (and is your best bet if conditions are slippery). Virginia 16 runs south to north from I-81, but crosses Clinch Mountain at about 3000 feet. 

Notable species observed in the county include Golden Eagle, American Golden-plover, Marbled Godwit (Burkes Garden), Bald Eagle (The Cove), Tundra Swan, Black Scoter, American Bittern (Falls Mills), Western Willet (Cavitt’s Creek) and Mute Swan (Lincolnshire Park).

—Clancey Deel

Hotspots