When strolling around Beaver Lake we did a loop and stumbled upon the bird sanctuary. It was a weekday morning and there wasn’t many people around but the marshy grassland and swampy areas were a delight. There were wooden walkways throughout the small park and plenty of good descriptions for avid nature enthusiasts. Just a fun little spot to venture to when you need some much needed time outdoors.

My slice of serenity in the city.. wooden walkways meander through nature... stunning sunset views over beaver lake from two observation decks...perfect place to take a slow stroll to listen to the birds and soak in the delight of nature. Great place for solo time, dates, or more... quiet is appreciated... really cool tree for climbing (easy for adults and children)... there is road noise from busy Merrimon Ave but it lessens the closer you get to the lake!!

A small-scale paradise that brings us closer to the beauty and peace of Nature while informing us of the importance of our co-existence with Nature - we must protect it and ensure it remains intact, along with the wildlife that uses it, for future generations!!!!

Nice walking trails, with a separate jogging trail. Limited parking at the entrance. No pets allowed inside the bird sanctuary. Nice area with other paths that circle the lake, and we saw some birds. Not all the trails are good for strollers.

My wife and I visited early on a Friday morning and loved it. (Our first birding trip) We were the only two there! Very quiet and beautiful.. Together we spotted a Green heron, red- winged black bird, blue-gray gnatcatcher, a few cardinals, and a few i couldnt name. The fog rolled over the lake at 6am and set the mood for the morning.. We also saw least 25 turtles emerging from the lake! What a great morning.

A very quiet and clean place where you can breathe fresh air and clear your mind

What a joy. Lots of birds, benches, overlooks of lake. Excellent signage. Trail was nice and quiet. Dont forget to donate at the parking lot.

Void of bird life today. Nice walk.

This is a lovely quiet place to go for a walk in nature and almost forget about cars and such. There are informative signs about the birds and good observation places.

A beautiful hidden treasure in the heart of the city of Asheville. If you are looking for somewhere to go for a short walk and just enjoy some fresh air and birds, this is a go to.

What a treat to be able to enjoy this beauty for free! Convenient location near restaurants and stores, pick up a sammy and have a picnic! There are large fields by the lake, quiet paths, birds, turtles and a gorgeous view of the mtns! Find the awesome picnic table deep on the path in the shade! Its a great place to relax or go for run! No doggies without special tags. ($100.00 a year) Thats the only downfall...

We walked the bird path and the 2 mile trail around lake. We only saw 4 birds, lolNit it is a beautiful area. But if you need bathrooms you are out of luck. It had rained the night before and back side of trail was muddy. Nice place

My favorite place to go for a quiet walk through nature. Handicap accessible,Plenty of shade in the summer, plenty of sun in the winter.

I love walking around the Bird Sanctuary and Beaver Lake. Lots of different birds to see and hear. The trails and boardwalk are well maintained. For those interested in getting their 10k steps in, this is a great place to dont. Wonderful views of the lake and its habitat. Perfect spot for a quick picnic near home.

Great place to get outside and relax from a stressful day! Such a nice walk.

This is a wonderful spot in town to get an easy taste of nature. Theres no dogs, no joggers, no bikes, etc. This is a place of peaceful tranquility. A place to relax and enjoy the sounds of happy birds. A place to see some avian species rarely seen otherwise in these parts. It overlooks Beaver Lake, and it is simple to connect your nature walk with a lake loop for more exercise. It is convenient to numerous local eateries and a brewery.

Perhaps it was that we went to the right where not much activity is, but there werent any signs of wildlife there very much. There were several in our group and perhaps we scared away everything. There were a few wild flowers that were pretty and though the water was kostly all gone from the big wide opening, I did find a little bit of a babbling water source. The huge old tree was beautiful that we discovered, indeed. It was nice to see some greenery there in the beginning of the what appeared to be a wetlamds area. It was pretty peaceful for the most part as well.

Beautiful hike around lake and nice bird sanctuary

Visiting from out of state and we bumped into this beautiful Sanctuary. It was a very enjoyable walk and they were many others the day we visited. Saw lots of birds and the boards around the boardwalk were so informative. Ample parking. Highly recommend donating.

Little oasis near the city. Not necessarily worth a separate trip but, if you happen to be in the neighborhood, its a small place to decompress and take a momentary deep breath. And its free without charge.

Perfect place for a small hike in the middle of nature. Best spot is the one with the sunset view near the lake. Highly recommend the visit.

Always a beautiful place. Too many people walking around mask less today though so we did not hang around too long

My favorite was the chart of the bird language. Do you know what bird says who cooks for you?

Horrible saw zero birds... beat up and desolate!!

Pretty place for a short walk in nature on a boardwalk. Informative signs, plenty of places to sit, and even a picnic table. For exercise, you could take the longer perimeter trail around the lake. Be prepared for mud if it has been raining.

Great place to walk and observe birds!

Short visit. Cant wait to go back. More than happy to leave a donation at this place. The world needs more spaces like this.

Wonderful sanctuary so close.

Beautiful spot! I enjoyed it immensely.

Beautiful, with a around the lake made of gravel.Nice picnic place.

Great place to walk and relax!

Very serene place to walk

This is one of my favorite places in the whole city. Excellent place to go for a walk to clear ones head. Ive gotten to see some really cool birds here, and its so great that the area will remain protected habitat for them. They need it so badly.I really appreciate the fact that the public can come and go freely, and that there are rules against running so as to not disturb wildlife.

Very scenic and family oriented

Beautiful and quiet spot thats perfect for a leisurely walk. Note that this is a bird sanctuary and not some kind of zoo or exhibit, so dont expect to see a bunch of birds on any given visit (some reviews mention not seeing many birds). Its a wild forest area, and youll hear the birds even if you dont see them!

I loved this place because I get to see the turtles. I love turtles! I love to feed them fresh fruit and leafy greens. Meal worms and specialty river shrimp from pet store. But please dont feed them Bread. It isnt good for them. I will miss them when they hibernate.

Serenity is all around there

Saw birds. It is aptly named.

Cool little place. Nice short easy walk. Cold use a little maintenance on the walking path. Considering it was free, no complaints. Wish there were more birds.

A great little wooded boardwalk loop on the side of Beaver Lake. A gorgeous area to walk or to just relax and appreciate the birds and nature. This area is on the smaller side but if anyone wants a more extensive walk, the bird sanctuary does connect to the walking trail around Beaver Lake.

It was cool because it was a educational nature walk but... I was a little disappointed that it was more of a park in the middle of a neighborhood than I expected

Kinda sad, we didnt see 1 bird

Nice place for a short walk. Didnt see too many birds; probably visited at the wrong time of day. They should set up some different types of bird houses or platforms to encourage nesting in the area.

Sat in a tree and talked about life. Nice place to walk around and see a turtle

We like strolling through the bird sanctuary and then moving on to walk the Perimeter Path whenever we visit Asheville!

Wonderful vibration connected through the sounds of birds here... alignment embraced!!

Such a pleasant surprise. Beautiful. Rustic. Breathtaking great blue herons.

Great place for walking and jogging.

Wonderful area.

One of the most beautiful place in the world .

Nice place for a walk. Bird sanctuary has nice walkway and benches to rest and look around.

Limited parking but beautiful walk. Need better road crossing for families with small children (crossing light with button and sidewalks)

Lovely place for a relaxing stroll. Expect to see birds and turtles!

Good place to stop for a nice short nature home after going out to eat. The parking isnt the best of you go on a nice day. There is also a nice long walking /jogging trail by the lake in the same area.

Nice and woodsy when not crowed

Very pretty, serene pathway and scenic walkway. A little slice of nature thats easy to get to. It can be a little crowded so expect other folks to be around but its a great place for a walk.

Peace of mind and relaxing

This is one of those places I hate to review simply because I dont want anybody else to know about it. But because I want it to stick around Im going to write a review. If you need a nice peaceful walk in a place that feels like Sanctuary this is it. Please leave a dollar or two in the donation box for those people who are doing a wonderful job of providing us a place to roam with the hummingbirds.

Its good

Weve had record breaking rainfall and over half the lake is mud. Wheres all the water? Probably more beautiful in the warmer weather. At least a third of the trails are blocked off and you have to walk by the traffic on Merrimon rather than by the lake. Happy the birds have somewhere to be at. Will try again.

Quiet. No birds visible on our trip in June but a nice visit.

Relaxing, free of charge public park dedicated to learning about nature, particularly birds, plants, and local ecosystems. Take your children as an educational experience, or just enjoy the very walkable, quiet surroundings.

One of my favorite places to relax and take pictures in the downtown area

Ver nice walk many singing

Such a nice place to walk, so peaceful. The boardwalks make it easy walking for all!

Had a great experience for my first time walking through. Will go again and tell my friends!

A wonderful experience! The kids love to walk the trails and learn more about the local wildlife! Its become a seasonal family tradition to watch the turtles and have picnics.

Great place for a peaceful, short, sweet walk.

Beautiful nature retreat/sanctuary just seconds from the bustle of Merrimon Ave. Love the work they are doing here. Asheville needs more places like this!

Peaceful, lovely walk

Great place to chill in nature and watch turtles and hummingbirds. Needs upkeep around walkways.

Nice little sanctuary to go for a walk or jog and exploring nature,learning about natures creatures.

As far as birds go. Nothing special. Its not even kept up with so the landscape isnt even photogenic. If youre a birder go someplace else, not here.

What a great spot. Packed a picnic, walked the boardwalk trail and watched the sun set over the lake. Enjoyed the boards with information throughout and the paper bird list at the entrance to note what you might expect to see. So glad we found this treasure and will be back.

Great resting place, or activity achievement! Bird watching, or just walking... Great place for both!

July 28, 2018- I and my mom was first time there. Oh so beautiful views of lake, etc. Watching birds, lakes, turtle , trees very bigger trees, flowers. Very neat walk on path wooden floors. I and my mom love it.

Very pretty and well maintained grounds. The boardwalk loop has nice views of the lake, and we saw a lot of different wildlife. We spotted a blue heron, which was pretty cool. If you like nature, its definitely worth your time.

Excellent place to go watching close to Asheville! Trails are easy to walk and theres always something interesting there.

Awesome little hidden gem of Asheville, and has always been a great place to see and learn about nature and the world around us. Great any time of the year.

Very nice walking trails and a great view of the lake. Its free but accepts donations. Park closes at sunset.

Walked the bird sanctuary and it was nice. I hear there is a creepy guy who walks around the park acting like a park ranger harassing people. Ive seen him before chasing after people. I didnt see him at the bird sanctuary. Be very careful about some of the parking spaces at this park, there are dips and holes.

Nice place to walk, pretty scenery.

It is a pretty place to walk, but the crowds make it less friendly for birds than the name indicates.

Gods Beauty in down town Asheville!!!

Is super green, which I love. But theres very little parking.

Great place for evening walks.

It was absolutely wonderful and all the people we encounter were really pleasant

Great place for a short stroll. Lots of info on birds.

It needs trash cans

So many birds. Bring binoculars

Awesome place to walk and relax

Beautiful and peaceful. Perfect for a lunchtime walk.

One of my favorite places to just go and relax in Asheville. Take a pair of binoculars. You have to have a permit to walk your dogs their FYI. And yes you can use the lake non-motorized crafts. Parkings at a minimum so plan your visit if it all possible during the week rather than on the weekends

Beautiful lake in the middle of Town. The sanctuary was nice, too.

Nice stop. Board walk is awesome.

Very nice place to walk or bird. Boardwalk is slick after rain but it keeps you out of the mud. Free but donations appreciated.

Nice boardwalk for kids and adults alike.

Great, safe, clean, quiet place. Wear walking shoes, bring a camera, and enjoy the birds, they really are everywhere.

I saw the most hummingbirds in one place that I have ever seen in my life.

A nice walk nothing spectacular. You walk in a boardwalk and can see nice plants in the area. The day we were there it was raining so we did not see many birds.