Blue Ghost Firefly Tours Return to Pisgah, Tickets on Sale April 6

The Cradle of Forestry in Pisgah National Forest opened ticket sales today for its 2026 Blue Ghost firefly tours, with FIND Outdoors scheduling guided evenings May 9 through 24 and June 6 through 8 at $55 for adults and $27 for youth ages 4 to 12.

The tours center on Phausis reticulata, a small firefly native to the Southern Appalachians whose males hover two to five feet above the forest floor and emit a slow, continuous glow that appears unmistakably blue to the human eye. "It almost looks very eerie," said Clinton Wickers, manager of the Cradle of Forestry with FIND Outdoors, "like an actual ghost in the woods." The species is active for only about three weeks annually, a compressed window that makes demand for guided tours intense each spring.

Each evening begins with doors opening at 8 p.m. at 11250 Pisgah Highway in Pisgah Forest, followed by an educational presentation at the Cradle's outdoor amphitheater at 8:45 p.m. After the presentation, visitors take a self-paced walk along a paved trail through the forest using special flashlights, with FIND Outdoors staff stationed at key points along the route to share information about the display. Everyone must clear the trail by 10:30 p.m.

The structure is built around habitat protection. All visitors must remain on the paved trail to avoid disturbing the forest floor where the species' wingless females rest and signal to males above. Flash photography is prohibited, and artificial lighting beyond what the event provides is restricted.

Tickets are sold exclusively online; no purchases are accepted on site at the Cradle, all sales are non-refundable, and transfers between tour nights are not permitted. There is no waitlist. If a specific date does not appear as an available selection at checkout, that night has already reached capacity.

Dates have sold out in past seasons before the tours even begin. The Cradle of Forestry sits off Pisgah Highway in Transylvania County, roughly 45 minutes from downtown Asheville.