Essential Park Guide, Fall 2015

Inside Essential Park Guide / Fall 2015

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Autumn Waters

By Kurt Repanshek and Costa Dillon Four national lakeshores, four perfect fall destinations for travelers seeking colorful solitude.

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Tracing History History, both cultural and musical, can be found during a bucolic road trip along the Natchez Trace Parkway.

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Classic Color Hikes

By Kurt Repanshek Six hikes, from national scenic trails to Civil War settings, perfect for fall excursions.

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North, to the Cascades

By Michael Lanza North Cascades National Park features the landscape backpackers thirst for—a remote and rugged wilderness.

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Cuing Fall In The Parks By the NPT Staff Whether you head West or East, time your trip to match the fall riot on display in national parks.

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Footloose in Rocky Mountain Rocky Mountain National Park has a fall adventure waiting for anglers, photographers, hikers and bikers.

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Wildlife Wonders By the NPT Staff Look beyond the usual destinations for wildlife viewing in the National Park System this fall.

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A Horse With A View

By Kim A. O’Connell Dude ranches offer a unique, and relaxing, complement to a Western national park vacation.

Escaping Smokies’ Crowds

By Robin Pfeiffer From Cosby to Cataloochee, your map to solitude in the Smokies this fall.

Fall Events Your fall lineup for what to do and where to go in the National Park System.

On The Cover: Mark Weller and Jon Okerstrom timed things just right to get this striking image of the Milky Way over the Michigan Island Light at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. More details about how to capture a spectacular dark sky photo on page 5.

Editor: Kurt Repanshek Art Director: Courtney Cooper Special Projects Editor: Patrick Cone Contributing Photographers: Luke Daniel, Harold Jerrell, Marty Koch, Buddy Secor Contributors: Costa Dillon, Michael A. Lanza, Kim A. O’Donnell, Robin Pfeiffer publishED by

Essential Park Guides are published by National Park Advocates, LLC, to showcase how best to enjoy and explore the National Park System. National Park Advocates, LLC, P.O. Box 980452, Park City, Utah, 84098. © 2015 Essential Park Guide, Fall 2015. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

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•••• from the publisher

Fall, Just Another Great Season In the Parks Down through the years I’ve spent my autumn days camped out on the shores of Shoshone Lake in Yellowstone National Park, in Big Meadow Lodge at Shenandoah National Park, in the Curry Village at Yosemite National Park, and cruising through the basement of Bryce Canyon National Park on the Under-the-Rim Trail.

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eptember into the heart of November are my favorite months in the National Park System. The days aren’t quite as long as they are in July and August, but the bugs and crowds are on the wane, wildlife is on the move, and the crisp night air is perfect for sleeping under the stars, or in a cozy cabin.

Fall arguably is also the most colorful season of the year in the bulk of the park system, whether you head east or west.

From Acadia National Park in Maine south through Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina and even down into Alabama at Little River Canyon National Preserve, the varying hues of gold, umber, and rouge blend with the dwindling greens of maples, beech, oaks, and other hardwood species.

Experience fall in our Eastern national parks slowly cruising Skyline Drive in Shenandoah or along the Blue Ridge Parkway to catch the seasonal fireworks, or perhaps pedal one last time around the Carriage Roads in Acadia. You could forego the fanciful foliage for Cape Hatteras or Cape Lookout national seashores on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, anxious for the run of King mackerel,

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Essential Park Guide | Fall 2015

bluefish, or striped bass.

Western parks aren’t left out of this autumnal exuberance by any means, but by early October they’re at their peak.

Glades of aspen turn to gold and maples add red splashes to the mountainsides, offset wonderfully by the spruce, pines, and firs. And there’s always the chance for a dusting of snow for added contrast.

But those are just two regions in the National Park System. This fall maybe you should consider a Midwestern vacation to one of the four national lakeshores that dot the Great Lakes. From Apostle Islands and Pictured

Rocks to Indiana Dunes and Sleeping Bear Dunes, these four watery gems of the park system are great destinations for one last hurrah before winter’s arrival.

In the ensuing pages we’ll take a look at lakeshore fall vacations, point out where to see wildlife, and touch on some of the season’s best colors.

We will even supply a schedule of events so you can properly plan your trip.

So don’t call an end to your 2015 travels just yet. There are plenty more park experiences to enjoy! ~ Kurt Repanshek

So how does one take a picture like this, capturing in exquisite details the glorious Milky Way—that which is visible only in summer when the region from Sagittarius to Cygnus is displayed in all its glory; brilliant colors, saturated details, the veins of billions of stars creating a blissful mosaic? Perhaps the most important element to find are dark skies, really dark skies. The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is a fantastic dark sky location.

Michigan Island, where this image was taken, is several miles out in Lake Superior with nary an electric light within eyesight.

The other element that is significant in shooting the Milky Way is using an equatorial mount. What’s that? This image was a threeminute exposure. In that time, the Earth continues to rotate. If we didn’t counter that natural motion of our planet, the stars would not be sharp and crisp, but rather look like lines called “Startrails.”

So a camera sitting on an equatorial mount counters the Earth’s spin, and in three minutes one can capture an amazing amount of detail and color not normally seen with the naked eye. Then we take a second three-minute shot with the equatorial drive turned off.

This lets us capture the foreground and lighthouse and not concern ourselves with blurring the sky. After the fact, we combine the best of these images of sharp detailed skies and a crisp foreground into the single image we call “The Lights of Michigan Island.” ~ Mark Weller

More and more night programs are arriving across the National Park System as visitors explore the wonders of the stars above. At Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin, a series of nighttime photographs captures the Milky Way high over some of the lakeshore’s iconic lighthouses. Photographed by Mark Weller, John Rummel and Jon Okerstrom, these stunning shots let you enjoy the night show over the Apostle Islands every day of the year. And your purchase goes to a great cause— Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.

For details and to place your order, visit this website: www.friendsoftheapostleislands.org/lighthouse-photos.html

The Perfect Time To Escape To A National Lakeshore

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School Lake, rimmed in fall color, is a perfect fishing destination at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore / NPS

Taiga is a word of just two syllables, and yet it connotes remoteness. Its synonym – boreal – is slightly more familiar, though it too conjures the distant, the mysterious. But if you travel to the Great Lakes, to the national lakeshores that line the southern shores of those inland oceans known as Superior and Michigan, you can find yourself deep in the coniferous forests, the taiga or boreal forests, more familiar to the Canadian landscapes to the north.

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n fall the remnants of these forests are found at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin, and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore a bit farther east in Michigan. The

evergreens stand out against the showy, flaring golds, reds, and oranges of the hardwood stands of maples, beeches, and yellow birches, of the northern deciduous forest.

To the southeast on Lake Michigan, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in Indiana and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan have another key feature often associated with water: dune systems.

While lakeshores might inspire dreams of balmy summer vacation spots, the fall months along the country’s northern tier are as enticing and colorful as those in the Appalachians and the Rockies. Yet they’re still mostly undiscovered as fall destinations.

“Fewer visitors means more solitude and almost private beaches and trails. The pace is slower and the sites visited are more thoroughly enjoyed,” says Susan Reece, chief of interpretation for Pictured Rocks.

“The temperatures are moderate and there are few insects. With our maple-dominated hardwood forests, the fall colors are spectacular.”

Sound intriguing? Let’s take a somewhat closer look at each of these lakeshores.

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Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Wisconsin Twenty-one islands (actually 22, but more on that later) make up this national lakeshore, which was established in the fall of 1970. Paddling out to some of these islands in the fall is only recommended for experienced kayakers, but there are boat tours and ferry services that run through September and into October.

Once you’re on an island, the possibilities open up.

“Hiking the trail to the Sand Island Lighthouse in the fall would be spectacular,” says Apostle Islands Superintendent Bob Krumenaker.

“Red sandstone lighthouse, against blue water, northern hardwoods in fall foliage. But you’d need your own boat to get there.”

Even better, he says, would be to venture far out to Outer Island, which is obviously named for its remote location.

“My absolute favorite place to watch the sunset is the Outer Island sand spit,” Superintendent Krumenaker said, adding, though, that 3-to-5-mile

Solitude and spectacular sunrises are best enjoyed on Julian Bay in Apostle Islands National Lakeshore / NPS

stretches of open water crossings can make that paddle particularly dangerous.

But really, you don’t need to risk your life to enjoy fall in the Apostle Islands. The 55-mile “Grand Tour” cruise ($39.95 for adults, $23.95 kids 6-12, $1 for those under 6) offered by concessionaire Apostle Island Cruise Services through October 18 leaves Bayfield to navigate through the heart of the Apostle Islands’ archipelago.

The company also shuttles paddlers and island campers, though this service runs only until September 6.

There are a number of other businesses that perform shuttle services. Contact them directly for their rates and operating schedules.

Visit the Apostle Islands during the first two weeks of September and you can attend the 20th annual Lighthouse Festival. This cruise-based celebration involves guided boat tours to the lakeshore’s lighthouses. Schedules

and pricing can be found at www.lighthousecelebration.com/ schedule--rates.html.

Prefer to go it alone? Paddle, or take a ferry, out to Stockton Island.

Pitch your tent at the Presque Isle Campground, and rise early to watch sunrise from Julian Bay on the other side of the point.

“It’s one of the most beautiful parts of the park any time of year,” the superintendent says. “It’s a semicircular bay that looks out on the open water of Lake Superior. If you’re there in September or October, you’re most likely going to be the only one there.”

On the mainland, the Lakeshore Trail is the single best, most accessible, path in the fall. It leads to overlooks of the lakeshore’s fabled sea caves, provides views of the pounding Superior, and, of course, there’s a kaleidoscope of fall colors.

Oh, and the 22nd island? That would be Madeline, which is the not part of the national lakeshore, but does feature Big Bay State Park, as well as the Madeline Island Historical Museum, which showcases the region’s fur trade era.

~ Kurt Repanshek

Fall color, whether viewed along the Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk at Indiana Dunes (top), at Grand Portal Point at Pictured Rocks, (left) or along the Windy Moraine Trail at Sleeping Bear Dunes (right), brings rich contrast to the lakeshores / NPS photos

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Indiana Fall is a nice time to visit Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. The summer visitors are gone and the trails and beaches are less crowded.

After Labor Day, all areas of the park are fee-free, except entrance to the Indiana Dunes State Park, located within the boundary of the national lakeshore.

For fall colors, take a walk on the Glenwood Dunes Trail. With side trails and extensions, you can walk anywhere from one to 6.4 miles in a loop.

Horses are allowed on a portion of the Glenwood Dunes Trail—the only horse trail in the park. The elevation is mostly level with gentle rises and dips through the Glenwood Dunes, oldest of three earlier shorelines preserved in the park’s geography.

Another nice fall walk is through the Miller Woods unit of the park.

This dune and swale area features tranquil views of ponds (where you might spot a beaver or two) and oak savannah, where deer are common.

Start at the Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education where rangers can give you tips on current conditions, bird sightings, and rangerled activities. Enjoy hands-on family activities at the center, especially the outdoor Nature Play Zone where unstructured play is encouraged.

If the weather is good and the lake is calm, fall is a good time to kayak the Lake Michigan Water Trail—a National Recreation Trail.

There are numerous areas to put in and take out your kayak along the park shoreline. A personal flotation device is essential for paddling on the unpredictable lake.

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Cycling is increasingly popular in northeast Indiana and new trails and trail sections are constantly opening. Check these sites for the most current information. http://nirpc.org/media/3618/ greenwaysbluewaysmap_west.pdf http://nirpc.org/media/3621/ greenwaysbluewaysmap_east.pdf Of special interest – and high public demand – is the annual tour of four historic homes from the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. This one-day event, held each October, will be on Saturday, October 17.

These limited tours are available by reservation only. Each tour lasts two hours and includes an inside look at the Cypress Log Cabin, Florida Tropical, Armco Ferro, and the Wieboldt-Rostone houses.

The original 1933 “Century of Progress” houses featured innovative

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building materials, modern home appliances, and new construction techniques for their time. The houses were moved to northwest Indiana in 1935 to promote a new housing community and were included in the national lakeshore boundary in the early 1970s. Today, the historic homes are undergoing rehabilitation with private funds through a partnership with Indiana Landmarks and private citizens.

Tickets can be purchased on September 14 starting at 8 a.m. through the Dunes National Park Association website at DunesNationalPark.org. Tickets often sell out in only a day or two.

If you have questions, please call the national lakeshore information desk at 219-395-1882. ~ Costa Dillon, former Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore superintendent

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2015

While Lake Superior is gorgeous, the colors that fire the forests at Pictured Rocks are even more so / NPS

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan At Pictured Rocks the sandstone cliffs that inspired this lakeshore’s name are rimmed with hardwoods, a contrast to the boreal woods. Frothy waterfalls plunge, some directly into Lake Superior, from these ruddy sandstone walls.

“Hike to Chapel Falls and continue to Chapel Rock and the beach,” suggests Chief Reece. “Munising Falls is an easy 800-foot walk.”

Paddlers have more than 40 miles of Lake Superior shoreline to explore via sea kayak. And if the lake is too treacherous, well, there are nearby hikes.

“Some 90 miles of trail wind through 73,000 acres at Pictured Rocks. Much of the mileage follows the high cliffs above the lakes,” Traveler contributor

You’ll share the mouth of Hurricane River at Pictured Rocks with seagulls / NPS

Greg Breining noted in a summer story on Pictured Rocks. “We hiked to the precipice of Spray Falls, where Spray Creek launches into thin air in a free fall to the lake, and we walked White Pine Trail beneath mammoth beeches and hemlock. We were barely able to clasp our arms around a hemlock – at least 10 feet around.”

Or, you could head inland to Beaver Lake and Grand Sable Lake with your boats.

As with Apostle Islands, you’ll find boat tours that run out there into mid-October to help with your explorations.

“Pictured Rocks Cruises, Inc., offers non-stop narrated boat tours of the spectacular sandstone cliffs within Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore,” the park notes. “Each cruise is 2-1/2 to 3 hours long and travels approximately 40 miles round trip.”

The cruises, which depart from downtown Munising, Michigan, run $37 for adults, $10 for kids 6-12, and $1 for those under 6. You can choose from the “Regular Cruise” that runs 32 miles and shows off the lakeshore’s colorful cliffs and sea caves, slowly cruising past Lovers Leap, Indian Head and Miners Castle; “Spray Falls Cruise,” which takes you by this 70foot waterfall; and the “Sunset Cruise,” which follows the same route as the Regular Cruise, but later in the day to ensure you get the most vivid photos of the sun-soaked sandstone cliff faces.

Fall, as Chief Reece noted, is a great time to be out in the lakeshore, thanks in part to the lack of insects. Which makes camping a perfect way to experience the lakeshore, whether you find a site with Lake Superior access or head into the nearly 12,000-acre Beaver Basin Wilderness. The Wilderness includes 13 miles of Lake Superior shoreline from Spray Falls on the west to Sevenmile Creek on the east.

Hope to time your visit to peak fall colors? They can appear anytime between the last week of September and the end of the first week of October.

~ Kurt Repanshek

Sample the Historical Side to the National Lakeshores No matter which national lakeshore you visit, add these nautical elements to your vacation agenda.

Lighthouses and light stations were built to keep ships off the shoals, and you can see them at Apostle Islands, Pictured Rocks, and Sleeping Bear Dunes national lakeshores.

Plus, U.S. Life-Saving Service Stations, built with an eye to rescuing those unfortunate sailors whose ships did founder, are found in both Pictured Rocks and Sleeping Bear Dunes national lakeshores.

Apostle Islands has the best collection of lighthouses and light stations and, in fact, it’s the richest collection in the United States: • Devils Island Light (Built in 1856) • Old LaPointe (Long Island) Light (1858) • New LaPoint Light Tower (1897) • New Michigan Island Light Tower (1890) • Old Michigan Island Light (1857/1880) • Outer Island Light (1874) • Raspberry Island Light (1862) • Sand Island Light (1881) • Chequamegon Point Light Tower, Long Island (1897)

Devils Island Light is among the classic collection of lighthouses and stations at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore / NPS

Some of these facilities are quite rundown and in need of preservation, while others are currently undergoing preservation. Others are in fine shape.

At the Old LaPoint Lighthouse, for example, all that remains are the foundation ruins. Raspberry Light, meanwhile, is in the best condition, having been remodeled and refurbished in 2006-2007.

The U.S. Life-Saving Service was created by Congress in 1878. While the first stations were built along the Atlantic Ocean, they soon could be found along the Great Lakes and the West Coast.

In 1915 the Life-Saving Service gave way to the U.S. Coast Guard, but not before 279 stations were built. It’s estimated that more than 177,000 lives were saved by the men assigned to these stations.

On the Great Lakes, find these stations: • Grand Marais Lifeboat Station.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

906-387-2607.

• Munising (Sand Point) Lifeboat Station, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, 906-387-2607.

• North Manitou Island Life-Saving Station, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, 231-326-5134.

• Sleeping Bear Point Life-Saving Station, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, 231-326-4700.

• South Manitou Island Life-Saving Station, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, (not open to the public).

For more reading: Lighthouses, Sentinels of the American Coast The U.S. Life-Saving Service, Heroes, Rescues and Architecture of the Early Coast Guard

Perfect fall conditions can turn the landscape hugging North Bar Lake at Sleeping Bear Dunes incandescent / NPS

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan Is there any more bucolic setting among the national lakeshores than that found at Sleeping Bear Dunes? Farms quilted like patchwork into forests, pocket lakes, and the sweeping 35 miles of Lake Michigan mainland shoreline greet visitors to Sleeping Bear.

This is a sprawling lakeshore, pulled together from nearly 2,000 individual tracts. In autumn, the landscape erupts in color as the beech-maple hardwood forests slowly become cloaked in their fall finery.

While there are scenic drives to be enjoyed at Sleeping Bear, this is a lakeshore that begs you to park the car and get out and explore. There are towering, 400-foot-high dunes to climb, a century-old lighthouse to visit, and stories of bravery held in three historic stations of the U.S. Life-Saving Service.

And, frankly, there’s the peacefulness of the lakeshore to relish.

“Shell Lake is a really nice, secluded inland lake. It’s good for fishing (Bluegill, Northern pike and Smallmouth bass) and solitude,” says

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Superintendent Dusty Shultz. “If I had to pick one lake surrounded by wilderness to visit, it would be Shell Lake.”

“Wilderness” is a new aspect of Sleeping Bear. It was March 2014 when President Barack Obama signed into existence the 32,557-acre Sleeping Bear Dunes Wilderness. Cradling the shoreline on the northern and southern ends of the lakeshore, and surrounding the park’s namesake mother bear and her windswept dunes in the center, the wilderness preserves a place that the Ottawa and Chippewa tribes called home for 3,000 years.

The wilderness area, which also holds the not-quite-100-acre Shell Lake, just might be the most accessible in the National Park System. County Road 22 skirts it, and Route 669 even bisects it, to provide access to the bay and a picnic area.

“The nice thing about Shell Lake is there are no houses or anything around that whole lake,” the superintendent points out. “You’re out there, the lake and hills around you.”

It’s a perfect setting for a fall canoe or kayak paddle.

Other not-to-miss fall sites include

Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, with its iconic covered bridge; the Port Oneida Rural Historic District with its farms, and; the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail, a multiuse paved trail that runs more than 17 miles from Empire past the lakeshore’s “Dune Climb” and through the village of Glen Arbor to Port Oneida.

Crystal and Platte rivers also have great, watery, platforms from which to enjoy the season. Slowly navigating either one in a kayak brings the scenery, and wildlife, up close.

Also worth a visit are the wilderness settings of South and North Manitou islands, which Native American legend tells us were created by the Great Spirit Manitou to mark the watery graves of two bear cubs fleeing a forest fire on the Wisconsin side of Lake Michigan.

Ferries run from Leland, just north of the park’s mainland setting, to the islands, but only into early October.

While sea kayakers can paddle out to the islands from the mainland, the tricky waters of Lake Michigan test even the most-experienced paddlers, and fall storms can create treacherous conditions. Paddle smart, and have fun.

~ Kurt Repanshek

Natchez Trace

Imagine: An open road, the top rolled back, the windows down, pastoral views drifting by, with your favorite tunes streaming from your stereo. Once the Greatest Generation refocused on home life after World War II, they were able to, “See the USA in your Chevrolet.� Highways and byways meant relaxation, recreation, all with a backdrop of roadside nostalgia.

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W

hile those push-button dashboard radios of the 1950s are now antiques, the American music of that era can still be found along the Natchez Trace Parkway. Starting in Nashville, Tennessee, then south to Natchez, Mississippi, take your wheels and cruise from Music City to Muscle Shoals, Alabama, for blues, then end up at the boyhood home of Elvis Presley in Tupelo, Mississippi.

The Natchez Trace is, literally, an All-American Road; rich in heritage, history, and culture. It ties together the heart of the American Music Triangle; a cross-section of three states where blues, jazz, Cajun, bluegrass, and even rock ‘n roll were born and are embedded in the countryside.

Nashville for instance, can satisfy most musical tastes, from country to rock, blues to gospel, jazz to bluegrass.

Of course, the 444-mile Trace is much more than music. It was one of the first land-routes in America, used for centuries by Native Americans, trappers, traders and frontiersmen. The Civil War left its mark here too, from Vicksburg, Shiloh, and Tupelo’s Brices Cross Roads national battlefields.

Much of the Trace, as you head north, passed through the Choctaw Nation before moving into Chickasaw lands. A small band of Choctaw Indians is still found at Choctaw, Mississippi, but the entire Chickasaw Nation was forced to move to Oklahoma in the 1830s. Later, they would become a key player, working to preserve lands and springs that today are part of the Chickasaw National Recreation Area.

From an architectural perspective, the Natchez Trace Parkway Bridge, which spans Birdsong Hollow near Nashville, is a 1,648-foot-long double arch structure that relies on its concrete arches to support the upper deck, without any supporting columns. The bridge is as picturesque as it is practical, and is surrounded by colorful woodlands.

Near Muscle Shoals you’ll explore one of the state’s finest collections of antebellum homes, in historic Tuscumbia.

Visit Main Street and the brick building where Capt. Arthur Keller (Helen Keller’s father) edited a newspaper.

Some of these historic homes can also be seen in Natchez, including one

owned by William Johnson. Johnson, an Africa-American businessman, recorded a diary describing everyday life, available at the museum.

At Kosciusko, Mississippi, you’ll see one of the oldest original settlements along the Trace. Named for a Polish general who aided the colonies during the American Revolution (a separate unit of the park system, the smallest of all, that is dedicated to the general can be found far north in Philadelphia). Today, this site is anchored by the historic downtown square where you’ll find antique shops, restaurants, and B&Bs. The Parkway passes through many villages and towns, so there’s always a good reason to pull over and enjoy the maples, sweet gums, hickories and oaks that seem to set the countryside on fire with their vibrant displays.

Colorful dogwoods start to change along Tennessee stretches of the Parkway in early October, and mid-to-late October typically seems to bring the seasonal fireworks to their peak.

“The best conditions to create fall color are when the autumn days are mild and sunny, and the evenings are cool and crisp, but not freezing,” notes the National Park Service, so keep an eye on the forecast as you plan your trip, and check the Natchez Trace Parkway website for weekly color updates.

Enjoy this seasonal show along the Old Trace Drive at Milepost 375.8, in Fall Hollow at Milepost 391.9, along the Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail from the Garrison Creek Trailhead at Milepost 427.6, and at the Little Mountain Overlook in the Jeff Busby Campground at Milepost 193.1.

There are lots of celebrations, fairs, and events along the Parkway during the fall months. Visit the Keg Springs Winery in Hampshire, Tennessee, which features “Music on the Deck” most weekends during September and October. The Amber Falls Winery nearby has live music as well.

The roots of American music are celebrated during “Dulcimer Days” at the Natchez Trace Parkway Visitor Center at Milepost 266. Here, on the first Saturday during September, October, November, and even December, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., the North Mississippi Dulcimer Association provides a primer on the history of the Appalachian mountain

Explore the Cypress Swamp by boardwalk at Milepost 122 along the Natchez Trace Parkway / www.scenictrace.com

dulcimer—the first instrument created in the United States—with concerts afterwards.

Birders will want to hike along the Parkway with their binoculars in northwestern Alabama, where Barred Owls and wild turkeys are common.

Visit the Rock Springs Nature Trail north of Cherokee and watch for hundreds of migrating Ruby-throated hummingbirds, as they stop to rest among the orange jewelweed found on the edge of the wetlands.

If you’re passing through in late fall, look for bald eagles that winter near Waterloo, just west of the Parkway.

Once in Natchez, stop by the Natchez National Historical Park, managed by the National Park Service. With exhibits and displays you’ll learn that a French trading post was established here in 1714, that Spain gained control of the region in 1779, and finally that the United States took over in 1798.

Head north or south; it doesn’t really matter, and you’ll be rewarded along the Parkway as you slowly meander along at the posted 50 mph speed limit, which makes it that much easier to stop frequently and enjoy the landscape, history, and wildlife along the way.

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In The National Park System Fall, which is arguably the best season for hiking in the National Park System, is almost upon us. The cool days and bright colors provide hikers with plenty of incentive to hit the trails.

With that wonderful season in mind, we’ve selected some of the country’s “scenic trails” for your consideration. To those we’ve added a Yellowstone National Park classic, a hike in Canyonlands National Park, and another that traces one of the bloodiest days of the Civil War.

Ice Age National Scenic Trail Ice Age Trail Alliance

The Ice Age National Scenic Trail holds a geologic primer in the landscapes it traverses / Ice Age Trail Alliance

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Ranging almost 1,200 miles across Wisconsin, the Ice Age National Scenic Trail has a strong local following, and for just that reason alone you should add it to your list.

Running from Interstate State Park on the St. Croix River in western Wisconsin to Potawatomi State Park near Green Bay, the trail winds through thick forests and past the geologic wonders of kames, lakes, drumlins, eskers, and other landforms created during the last ice age 10,000 years ago.

“Near the end of the Wisconsin Glaciation, a series of ridges formed between two immense lobes of glacial ice in what is now southeastern Wisconsin,” notes the Ice Age Trail Alliance on its website.

These ridges are 120 miles long, and scattered among them are crater-like depressions that were created by large chunks of melting ice.

Established as Florida’s first backpacking trail, the Florida National Scenic Trail’s first blazes pointed north from Clearwater Lake by volunteers of the newly formed Florida Trail Association in 1966.

The Ocala segment of the Florida Trail was known as the “Ocala Trail” for many years.

It was designated a National Recreation Trail, and in 1983 the entire Florida Trail became a National Scenic Trail.

“Geologists named this region the Kettle Moraine,” it goes on. “Studies that began in the Kettle Moraine during the 1870s led to key discoveries and the first map of the extent of continental glaciation in North America.”

A consortium of agencies oversees the trail, from the National Park Service to the state of Wisconsin and local government entities. Some sections of the trail run across private property, so respect those landowners’ rights.

To find the best information on the trail, head to the Ice Age Trail Alliance’s website. There you’ll see valuable resources ranging from the Ice Age Trail Guidebook 2014 and the Ice Age Trail Atlas 2014 to a spreadsheet of waypoints and list of recommended hikes.

Turn to the Alliance’s suggested backpacking trips and you’ll find options ranging from 21-mile to 40-mile hikes. The PDFs provide snapshots of the details of each trip, complete with maps, camping options, and highlights. Here’s a snippet from the Chequamegon National Forest Backpacking Guidebook: “North of Forest Road 558, the segment continues to make its way northeast toward Lake Eleven on dramatic high-relief hummocky topography through a mix of conifers and hardwoods.

Hikers can experience a true remote feeling in this area. The segment highlights a classic icewalled lake plain as it passes by the south shore of a small pond, roughly a half-mile west of the Sawyer Avenue crossing. Beaver dams are in ponds, creeks, bogs

and marshes. Boardwalks are well placed, but some traversing of bogs and wet crossings is required. This area is full of logging history; logging railroads penetrated the interior lands between the rivers around 1890.”

If you like hiking but not sleeping on the ground, you might even be able to piece together an itinerary that ends each day at a bed-and-breakfast, conveniently located near the trail.

There’s a listing on the alliance’s website.

Helpful books: Ice Age Trail Guidebook, by the Ice Age Trail Alliance Ice Age Trail Atlas, by the Ice Age Trail Alliance Along Wisconsin’s Ice Age Trail, a photographic overview of the trail by Bart Smith

Florida National Scenic Trail Florida Trail Association Fall and winter are the best seasons to explore Florida with a pack on your back. The Florida National Scenic Trail has over 1,400 miles to explore, from Gulf Islands National Seashore in far west Florida, to southern Mississippi, to Big Cypress National Preserve at the southern tip of Florida.

A trek here brings you face to face with the state’s deep biodiversity, its history and, of course, its abundant wildlife.

The Florida Trail Association notes that while the footpath is continuous, some sections run along roads, as well

as private property. You can obtain a recently updated book of waypoints along the trail from the Association.

There are seven hiking shelters along the trail, but they’re stretched over 1,400 miles, which makes it impossible to spend every night in one. Understandably, it’s recommended that you carry a tent for your primary shelter.

The Association points out that the vast majority—95 percent—of thru hikers start out in Big Cypress and head north. They do so, “mainly because it’s cooler in South Florida in winter, and you move north with seasonal changes, and the hunting seasons (where certain campsites are closed) also move south to north over the same time frame.”

Planning a thru-hike is no small accomplishment, as it normally takes hikers two-to-three months to accomplish the task. To catch the coolest weather, thru-hikers head out on New Year’s Day. While the hiking season generally starts in earnest in late October, the Association says that due, “to unpredictable weather and hunting seasons in the fall, we recommend thruhikes start in the south in early January and end in the north by April. This schedule will avoid almost all general gun hunting restrictions and place your hike during the winter ‘dry’ season.”

Logistically, the longest stretch between refueling points is the 83-mile run through the Apalachicola National Forest. Additionally, the Association notes, “(T)here are a couple other long stretches (such as White Springs

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to Aucilla), where resupply is possible only if you can catch a ride to a town 8-12 miles from the trail.”

Helpful books: Florida Trail Databook, which contains GIS data along the trail.

Individual regions of this information can be downloaded from the Florida Trail Association’s website at this page.

The 2014-15 Thru-Hiker Map Packet w/ Databook ($99.95) from the association.

New England National Scenic Trail There are few better places to hike than New England in the fall. The orange, yellow, amber and red leaves cloak the hardwood forests.

This footpath, which runs for 215 miles, traces its short history to the Mattabesett Trail, Metacomet Trail, and Metacomet-Monadnock Trail in Connecticut and Massachusetts. In 2000, Congress directed the National Park Service to consider a “New England National Scenic Trail,” and the agency’s eyes were drawn to these three established trails.

Finally, after a number of studies, the new, combined trail was added to the National Scenic Trails system in 2009.

Head out on this trail and it’ll lead you through the wonders of the southern tier of New England.

From Long Island Sound to scenic mountain summits in Connecticut

and Massachusetts, the New England National Scenic Trail is a showcase of kaleidoscope panoramas and, “closeups of New England’s natural and cultural landscape: traprock ridges, historic village centers, farmlands, unfragmented forests, quiet streams, steep river valleys and waterfalls,” the National Park Service notes.

If there’s a downside to this trail, it’s that much of it runs across private property where you’re not allowed to camp. Still, there are “cabins, lean-tos and campsites” that you can connect with on long treks.

Details on these somewhat rustic shelters are provided on the New England National Scenic Trail’s website. “Select the shelter of your choice to learn more about it,” the site notes. “All inquiries about staying at overnight shelters are posted on our shelter schedule page. This is simply to let others know your intention to stay and does not represent a completed reservation. We will contact you directly to confirm a cabin reservation.

The lean-to operates on a first-come, first-serve basis.”

The nicest accommodation would be the Mount Holyhoke Outing Club Cabin. Inside you’ll find six cots and a queen-size air mattress, electricity, lights, a wood stove, dishes and silverware, and even a First-aid kit.

Helpful resource: New England Trail National Scenic Trail

The New England National Scenic Trail offers both day hikes and multi-day treks that offer sweeping views, such as this one from Mount Norwottuck / Eric Shaw White via Wikimedia Commons

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Essential Park Guide | Fall 2015

Lone Star Geyser is just one of the highlights of hiking from Old Faithful down to Shoshone Lake / NPS

Howard Eaton Trail To Lone Star Geyser And Shoshone Lake Yellowstone National Park You can hike this Yellowstone National Park trail for a day, with a turnaround at Lone Star Geyser, or you can continue on down to Shoshone Lake for a wonderful three-four day retreat into the park’s backcountry.

Just across the road from the Old Faithful Medical Center, the Howard Eaton Trail—named after an early outfitter—rambles through a lodgepole forest that still shows signs of the 1988 wildfire that roared through this part of the park.

The payoff for day hikers is the geyser. The cone rises 9 feet above the ground. Named by two hunters in 1879, the geyser erupts 35-40 feet about every three hours. Check with the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center for the schedule before heading down the trail.

The Firehole River and its bridge are just feet away from the geyser, and makes a perfect spot for a picnic in the shade. Those looking for a longer trek should continue south towards Shoshone Lake. The hike up and over 8,010-foot Grants Pass (and the Continental Divide) leads you to the shores of the country’s largest backcountry lake not accessible via road.

Squeezed between the Pitchstone Plateau and Craig Pass, at an elevation of 7,791 feet, the seven-mile-long lake has a handful of excellent campsites along the shoreline, and the Shoshone Geyer Basin is in the neighborhood, too.

After you’ve set up camp, walk the shoreline. If you’re interested in geology or volcanism you’ll be amazed at the diverse color and collection of rocks, stones, and gravels to be seen.

There are blackish-gray pumices, ruddy scoria, and speckled andesite, along with a mix of rhyolite, obsidian, and basalt.

The Shoshone Geyser Basin is a landscape of fuming steam and spewing boiling water, with features like Bead, Geyser, Black Boiler Spring, Iron Conch Spring, Kitchen Spring and more. The marshy area is rife with waterfowl and the occasional bald eagle looking for a meal.

The day hike to Lone Star Geyser is about a 5-mile roundtrip. The out-andback trip to Shoshone Lake is about 17 miles.

Helpful books: Top Trails: Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks, by Andrew Dean Nostrum

Most visitors to Canyonlands National Park never see the Great Gallery, as it requires a rather long, roundabout drive to the trailhead followed by a 3.5-mile hike to the gallery / Kurt Repanshek

Great Gallery At Canyonlands National Park There are pictographs all around the Southwest, many easily accessible by vehicle. But it takes a hike—and a good one at that—to reach what is arguably the most famous rock art display in the country.

The cool days of fall and spring are the two best seasons to visit the Great Gallery in the Horseshoe Canyon

Memorials, such as this marker to an Ohio regiment, dot the Bloody Angle at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park / Buddy Secor

annex of Canyonlands National Park.

Summer temperatures can feel like a blast furnace in the canyon bottoms.

From the canyon rim it’s about a 7-mile roundtrip hike down the trail that descends 750-800 feet to a sandy wash floor, and then meanders along that floor. You’ll pass some lesser rock art panels—the High Gallery, Shelter Site, and then the Alcove Site—but then you’ll arrive at the masterpiece.

The Great Gallery panel alone is wondrous. That it has survived the elements and erosion for tens of centuries is phenomenal.

Some archaeologists who have studied the Barrier Canyon images believe they were created by Archaic age shamans between 1900 B.C. and A.D. 300. The ancients are believed to have filled their mouths with red ocher-tinted paint and sprayed it out with a mighty burst.

There are benches beneath the golden cottonwoods, so you can sit and ponder the motivation behind the images, and the lives of the human beings who made them.

Helpful books: The Archeology of Horseshoe Canyon

The Bloody Angle, Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park

for nearly a full day as 20,000 Union troops attacked thousands of Confederate soldiers determined to hold their lines.

Today this corner of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park has returned to its pastoral serenity.

The battle’s aftermath of that deadly spring day is marked by placards and earthworks, which still reflect the undulations of the meadow.

Historians say the battle that day was, “the longest sustained intense fight of the Civil War.” You can trace its movements in a trail that winds its way across the fields. Less than a mile in length, the trail crosses features of the landscape called the “Mule Shoe Salient,” and the “Bloody Angle,” names taken both from a small “u” or “v”-shaped ridge, or salient, that the Rebel forces hoped to hold in a battle against the Union forces, and from the carnage that followed.

The Confederate forces built loglined earthworks at shoulder height, but as the battle slogged on they couldn’t protect the soldiers from the sheer mass of the Union onslaught.

Historians recount that the day’s battle, conducted in a light rain that created muddy conditions, led to dead stacked five deep.

During your walk, pause before the stone monuments that memorialize the troops that fought at the Bloody Angle, as well as the site where a tree, 22 inches in diameter, was felled by the rain of gunfire.

In 1864 a bucolic meadow turned into a roiling, bloody battlefield NationalParksTraveler.com

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Way Out There

By Michael Lanza

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Essential Park Guide | Fall 2015

The motorboat pulls away and disappears across Ross Lake, leaving us in a silence as expansive as the wilderness surrounding us. We shoulder our backpacks and hike up the Big Beaver Trail through a forest drunk on photosynthesis. Ancient cedar and Douglas fir trees rise taller than it seems our necks can tilt backward to view them. We pass red cedars as thick as 15 feet at their base—trees that germinated a millennium ago, around the time that Leif Ericson sailed the East Coast of North America.

True to the trail’s name, we pass sprawling beaver ponds.

in the North Cascades

O

n our second day, the scenery keeps growing more dramatic. We cross over raging Little Beaver Creek—grateful for the bridge spanning its snarling whitewater—and hike up its valley, where one waterfall after another tumbles hundreds of feet down soaring cliffs. Nearing Whatcom Pass, at 5,206 feet, we get views of 8,236-foot Mount Challenger and the heavily cracked face of the massive Challenger Glacier.

Beyond it stands a thicket of spires and peaks that may bear the most descriptively accurate place name on any map: the Picket Range.

My friend Gerry and I are backpacking 40 miles across the top of one of America’s most ruggedly mountainous and most overlooked national parks: North Cascades.

Three hours from Seattle—farther away than Rainier or the Olympics and mostly not visible from the city— North Cascades protects a huge swath of old-growth, temperate rain forest and steep, jagged peaks that harbor the greatest number of glaciers in the Lower 48, at least 300 of them.

Unlike many popular parks, North Cascades has little development or infrastructure—undoubtedly one of the reasons it sees so few visitors.

In fact, 93 percent of the North Cascades National Park Service Complex—which includes three units, the national park plus the adjacent

Lake Chelan and Ross Lake national recreation areas—is designated wilderness, named for the first director of the fledgling National Park Service, Stephen Mather.

North Cascades differs from most other parks in another significant way: You can’t see most of its severe, natural architecture from any road.

Just one snaking strip of pavement, Highway 20, crosses the park; and while it’s a scenic drive (closed in winter), it affords glimpses of the taller peaks behind the forested slopes rising on all sides. The valleys of the North Cascades are so deep and steepsided that you have to get up high to experience the majesty of these peaks.

And the only way to do that is on foot.

For that reason, North Cascades has always been a mecca for backpackers and climbers willing to invest the extra degree of sweat and effort required to earn the dividends: long vistas of the most vertiginous and icy mountains in the contiguous United States.

If the North Cascades are remote and untrammeled, the hike from Ross Lake to Hannegan Trailhead is downright lost. Climbing over three passes— and at times being a hard, two-day hike from the nearest road—you will encounter very few other people. I’ve day-hiked, backpacked, and climbed in many U.S. national parks, but the North Cascades is where I go to really get far away from civilization. In other

Michael Lanza writes about his outdoor adventures, many with his family, at his blog and website, The Big Outside, and is the author of the National Outdoor Book Award-winning Before They’re Gone—A Family’s Year-Long Quest to Explore America’s Most Endangered National Parks.

words: It’s exactly the kind of place we go backpacking to see.

Backpacking From Ross Lake to Hannegan Trailhead The 40-mile, east-west traverse from Big Beaver landing on Ross Lake to the Hannegan Trailhead normally takes four to five days and requires a vehicle shuttle. Take a water taxi to the eastern end of the Big Beaver Creek Trail at Big Beaver landing, provided by Ross Lake Resort; reserve it in advance. If you don’t want to take the water taxi, start hiking at the Ross Dam Trail, which begins at a parking area near milepost 134 on State Route 20, and hike the seven miles, mostly along the shore of Ross Lake, to the eastern end of the Big Beaver Creek Trail (making it a 47mile trip).

A free backcountry permit is required for backpacking , but reservations are not accepted. Because the park sees so little visitation, permits are not difficult to obtain— except for the very few popular backcountry campsites (including some on Ross Lake, but none on this hike). Get a permit at the Wilderness Information Center in Marblemount the day before or the morning you intend to start your trip.

Contact Wilderness Information Center, Marblemount, (360) 854-7245.

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National parks actually glow in autumn. From the fluttering gold of aspens and larch in the parks along the spine of the Rocky Mountains to the oranges, yellows and reds of the hardwood forests that cover Eastern parks and even on the Southwest’s sandstone, fall is the season of incandescence in the park system.

Where do you find these rainbows? Here’s your guide.

Arches National Park needs no trees to provide fiery fall colors, thanks to the park’s ample redrock / NPS, Neal Herbert

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Essential Park Guide | Fall 2015

Best Bets Shenandoah National Park, Virginia Shenandoah is renowned for its colorful fall kaleidoscope. Proof of its popularity is found in the bumper-to-bumper traffic you encounter on the Skyline Drive and the illuminated “No Vacancy” signs on area lodges, motels, and B&Bs. The 105-mile-long Skyline Drive reliably presents an artist’s palette of maroon, yellow, and gold from about mid-October to midNovember. Colors generally peak in Shenandoah during the last half of October.

If you don’t have the time, or patience, to drive the road’s entire length, pick one end of the park to explore and time your visit accordingly. Since this elongated park is oriented north to south, the colors vary considerably in elevation; colors arrive up to several weeks earlier in the north and at higher and middle elevations.

The extended season in the south, and at lower elevations, provides you with options. Many species of small trees and shrubs, such as sassafras and sumac, remain vibrant long after the oaks peak.

Recommended hike: Dark Hollow Falls to the Stony Mountain Trail and back to Big Meadows via the Rapidan Fire Road.

Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia/North Carolina This rolling, 469-mile two-lane road links the spectacle in Shenandoah with an equally colorful show in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. And there’s plenty of eye-catching display along the way.

The Cataloochee Valley of Great Smoky Mountains National Park holds great color, and great history, in its homesteads / NPS

Make sure, though, that you’re planning the “where and when” of a visit. As in Shenandoah, the foliage season unfolds from north to south and from higher to lower elevations. Depending on location, colors may peak from early October (elevations above 5,000 feet) to mid-October (3,0004,000+ feet) to as late as mid-November (lower elevations near Asheville/ Lake Lure).

Expect to share the splendor of the brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows with lots of other travelers.

On October weekends, the Parkway’s busiest time of year, it may seem that the whole population of the eastern United States has decided to take a leaf-peeping drive on the Parkway. Travel on weekdays if you can. Remember, gas stations are scarce, so fill your tank before you go.

Recommended photograph: Mabry Mill against a backdrop of sycamore and yellow poplar with the mill’s reflection in the pond in the foreground.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina/Tennessee Within the more than 521,000 acres of Great Smoky stands the largest tract of old-growth forest in the eastern United States.

And that forest, under the right conditions, bursts in so many hues of crimsons, yellows, purples, browns, and golds that the leafy display rivals those of the New England countryside.

Colors generally peak in mid- to late-October at higher elevations (which have a climate similar to New England’s), but can start as early as mid-September with the turning of “early” trees such as yellow birch, American beech, mountain maple, hobblebush, and pin cherry.

At lower and middle elevations, where the color tends to be most spectacular, the blend includes such beauties as sugar maple, scarlet oak, sweetgum, red maple, and hickory.

East-west trending Highway 441 (Newfound Gap Road) gets the bulk of the leaf-peeping traffic, which is typically quite heavy (especially on weekends), but the Clingmans Dome Road and the Cades Cove Loop are

very popular as well.

An alternative to the Newfound Gap Road is the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail near Gatlinburg. This narrow, steep, winding (but paved) one-way road passes through color-rich forests and offers glimpses of Roaring Fork Creek as a bonus.

If this experience is on your list, you’ll need to be willing to drive slowly in congested, stop-and-go traffic.

Recommended hike: Flee the crowds with a loop hike on the 7-mile Boogerman Trail in Cataloochee. Check with rangers on the state of missing bridges.

Acadia National Park, Maine When you see how Acadia blends its evergreens and hardwoods in a master artwork, you’ll understand why the Hudson River School of painters was so inspired by the landscape.

The park’s forests offer some of the best fall foliage in New England. Many visitors particularly like the vivid contrast of the flaming hardwoods, the dark greens of the spruce, fir, and pitch pine, the white bark of the

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birches, and the blues and greens of the sea.

Colors begin to show in the higher and cooler places by late September. Catch the fall foliage at its peak—usually during the first few weeks of October—and you can enjoy spectacular views along the Park Loop Road and atop 1,530-foot Cadillac Mountain.

For a more macro approach to the color season, wander the Wild Gardens of Acadia to see the transformation of native plants and shrubs from the growing season to dormancy.

While the Park Loop Road is an easy path to take to enjoy this showy season, park your vehicle and take to bikes to pedal the carriage roads to truly immerse yourself in the colors.

Recommended pedal: Rent a bike, if you don’t have your own, in Bar Harbor and tie into the carriage roads off Duck Brook Road.

Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Maine to Georgia This nearly 2,200-milelong footpath offers colorful vistas every step of the way.

Northbound thru-hikers, if they planned their trek with the color show in mind, will spend weeks-on-end cruising through the richly gilded forests on their way to Mount Katahdin. Southbound hikers, if they didn’t start too late, could catch a similar show as they walk along the Blue Ridge Parkway and through Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Day-hikers, meanwhile, can pick and choose when to head down sections of trail to ensure they are greeted by the peak displays. Early October in Shenandoah can be perfect, and you can avoid most of the traffic on the A.T. by jumping off onto trails that wind through the park’s officially designated Wilderness areas.

Recommended hikes: Just about anywhere along Shenandoah National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Western Colors

trailheads head off from the Bear Lake parking area.

Fall in the Rocky Mountain parks isn’t quite as colorful as the season is back East, as they lack the endless acres of hardwood forests.

But the high peaks, sometimes dusted in snow, make up for that. Watch the aspens, larch, scrub oak and maples paint the landscape with masterful strokes.

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado In Rocky Mountain National Park a sunlit afternoon in late September can surround you with sweeping vistas of gold set against the green of evergreens. Time your visit for late afternoon or early evening and you just might be able to pair the colorful surroundings with the shrill whistling of bugling elk.

From Estes Park, enter the park via the Beaver Meadows Entrance and then turn left onto the Bear Lake Road. Stop in Moraine Park for a short hike along the Cub Lake Trail to enjoy the deep reds and yellows of the riparian vegetation, or choose a hike in Glacier Basin, to Sprague Lake, or one of those whose

Recommended hike: From Bear Lake, head up to Nymph, Dream, and Emerald lakes.

Glacier National Park, Montana Glacier National Park in Montana takes on golden tints thanks to an unusual evergreen: the larch. Found mainly on the western side of Glacier, the trees that rise to 150 feet turn a vibrant gold, usually by mid-October, before dropping their needles like hardwoods drop their leaves.

Park officials suggest a ride along Highway 2, which runs along Glacier’s southern boundary, to get the best views of these trees.

By mid-September the park can have showy, vibrant orange displays of Rocky Mountain maple, and red and orange vaccinium (huckleberries, whortleberries). As the month wears on and October gets under way, the colors descend, generating gorgeous yellow, gold, and orange birch, cottonwood, and aspen at mid-elevations.

Recommended hike: Leave Lake McDonald behind for the gentle, colorful, walk to Avalanche Lake for an afternoon picnic.

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming Grand Teton National Park’s color season can be short and spectacular as groves of aspen on the park’s flats and mountainsides and stands of cottonwoods along river bottoms shimmer with gold in mid- to lateSeptember.

The Jenny Lake area is a renowned destination, though if you cruise along the Moose-Wilson Road you’re eyes will feast on vibrant aspens contrasted by the rouge of chokecherry and huckleberry bushes… whose tasty berries also lure bears, black and grizzlies.

And, of course, the peaks are always towering above.

Recommended hike: Turn your back on the crowds at Jenny Lake and instead head for Phelps Lake up from the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve.

Though not quite as spectacular as Eastern parkscapes in fall, the mountains of Glacier National Park put on their own treasured color show / NPS

Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona Canyon de Chelly National Monument, located on a Navajo Indian Reservation in the Four Corners region of northeastern Arizona, does not normally leap to mind when you think of fall foliage. But the park’s river-bottom aspens and cottonwoods are gilded in gold and yellow by late October, and the blend of brilliant foliage and ruddy sandstone cliffs is especially pleasing.

Scenic drives from the visitor center and along the canyon rim lead to ten overlooks (three on the North Rim Drive and seven on the South Rim Drive) providing excellent views of the canyon below.

Recommended experience: Spend a day with a Navajo guide touring the canyon floor with its rich Native American history.

Mount Rainier National Park, Washington Mount Rainier National Park in Washington takes on a rich, red appearance in fall as vine maple and huckleberry bushes turn.

Tossing contrast into the scene are the yellows of cottonwoods and willows, reds of mountain ash, and golds of tamarack, another species of larch.

The leaves begin turning in early September. If you hit the leaves at their peak (usually late September to early October), driving on State Route 410 through Chinook Pass or on the White Pass Scenic Byway (U.S. 12) will be a truly memorable experience. In the Chinook Pass and White Pass areas, you can still see gloriously golden tamarack when the serious snow begins to fall in November.

Park your car and hike around Reflection Lakes, where the bright stands of mountain ash are offset by the yellows of hellebore.

Recommended hike: If you’ve got some energy after Reflection Lakes, hike down to Narada Falls to catch the stink currants and Devil’s club that add reds and yellows to the setting.

Golden foliage, tawny sand dunes, and snow-capped mountains offer a unique fall color display at Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado / NPS

Fall Surprises

New River Gorge National River, West Virginia

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan

The focus of New River Gorge National River usually is the river, but in fall the West Virginia mountains are ablaze with colorful hardwoods that challenge New England’s show. Here the color peaks about the third week of October. Enjoy them from a seat in a raft or while hiking or biking the trails that wind through the forests.

At Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, colorful hardwoods abound along the park roads beginning in late September, and peaking in mid- to lateOctober.

Sections of Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive are lined with maple, beech, and birch trees that form a gorgeous canopy for windshield touring. The reds and yellows of the maples and beeches vividly contrast with the white birches, and the nearly white dunes and the blue of Lake Michigan provide a dramatic background.

Recommended photograph: Visit Sandstone Falls to catch the sun’s rays setting the hardwoods’ leaves ablaze against the cascading falls.

Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, Kentucky/Virginia/ Tennesee Enjoy the fall colors as Daniel Boone did by heading to Kentucky and Cumberland Gap National Historical Park.

Here the Pinnacle Overlook (elevation 2,440 feet) offers spectacular views into mountains and valleys in Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee—and of course the namesake Cumberland Gap. Come fall this landscape blazes with color and Skyland Road, the winding, four-mile route that takes motorists from the visitor center up the mountain to the overlook, is a leaf peeper’s delight. Big-rig

Recommended drive: Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, with its covered bridge and hardwood forests, is idyllic as the fall colors peak.

Fall color abounds around every hillside and down into the hollows of Cumberland Gap National Historical Park / Harold Jerrell NationalParksTraveler.com

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Frothing spillwaters add contrast to fall colors at Alley Spring in Ozark National Scenic Riverways / Marty Koch

RVers beware: Skyland Road is closed to vehicles longer than 20 feet.

Recommended hike: Head into the park’s backcountry, but first reserve a couple nights at Martins Fork Cabin with its fireplace and three wooden bunk beds.

Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Missouri Another water-centric park, the Ozark National Scenic Riverways in Missouri, lets you enjoy the colorful show from your kayak or canoe.

Leaf peeping from the road in this long, narrow park is easier than you may think, since several state highways cross the park, and other roads roughly parallel the river (much of the time you’ll actually be outside the park boundaries and encountering a mix of farms and forest).

to the upper reaches of the Current River and string together a couple nights at the backcountry campsites.

Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park, Utah Head to southeastern Utah to enjoy another fall color display, created by the setting sun’s rays firing the sandstone of Arches National Park. While Delicate Arch offers an amazing glow as the sun goes down, not everyone cares to hike to the arch. Other great spots abound, however, from the Windows Section to the Fiery Furnace. And the

Recommended float: Take your canoe or kayak

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Essential Park Guide | Fall 2015

golden cottonwoods against the blue sky are electric.

Canyonlands National Park next door shouldn’t be overlooked. The best viewing, though, is in the Needles District, about an hour’s drive from Moab. Here the minarets and pinnacles

in various shades of red, tan, and cream are showcased both by the sunrise and the sunset.

Head down into the wash of Horseshoe Canyon— another long ride from Moab, but well worth it—and you’ll hike beneath glowing cottonwoods while en route to one of the grandest collections of pictographs on Earth, the Great Gallery.

Recommended hikes: Take the Primitive Trail via Landscape and Double O arches in Arches National Park, and the head at least partway down into Chesler Park at Canyonlands National Park.

Sunsets provide more color, year-round, at Arches National Park. This one was captured at Turret Arch / NPS, Kait Thomas

Practically wherever you roam in the National Park System this fall you’ll see spectacular fall colors. Share your photos with fellow park travelers on National Parks Traveler’s website, flickr page, and Facebook page.

More fall color can be found along the Buffalo National River near Ponca, Arkansas / Marty Koch NationalParksTraveler.com

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SPONSORED CONTENT

The Mountains Are From enjoying the park’s waters, to relishing the changing scenery and observing the raucous wildlife, autumn in Rocky Mountain National Park is full of adventures and sights you won’t want to miss.

You might call them “relics” or perhaps “throwbacks,” but the Greenback cutthroat trout that have sanctuary in Rocky Mountain National Park could rightly be viewed as an angler’s dream fish.

Calling T

hought to be extinct back in the 1930s, the species was rediscovered in 1957 inside the park. Today the Greenback is still considered a threatened species by both Colorado and the federal government, and so you must release any you catch back into the stream. While the purity of this population’s DNA have recently been in question, the beauty and prestige of the park’s Greenback cutthroat can’t be denied, and local anglers will tell you that the possibility of landing one, if only for a minute or so, is an honor. One that ties you to a species that for 20,000 years has been at home in these waters.

Fishing the park’s waters, which also are home to brown, brook, and rainbow trout that you can take home for dinner, is one of the most sublime ways of experiencing Rocky Mountain National Park.

It’s not the only way, though, as there are more than 60 peaks in the park that rise above 12,000 feet, and the spectacular alpine scenery draws visitors from around the world. The cliffs, lakes, meadows, canyons and rivers have been carved into an exquisite wilderness. With over a quarter of a million acres, it’s a great place to find tranquility and adventure.

Leave Your Car Behind

To really experience the mountains, get away from the roads and go boating, horseback riding, fishing, hiking, cycling or climbing. Your escape might be

Whether you’re angling for Greenbacks, photographing wildlife, or just looking for a great fall hike, the opportunities abound at Rocky Moountain National Park / James Frank (angler), Darcy Kiefel (photographer), VisitEstesPark.com

as simple as spending an hour at an overlook, watching the wildlife in a meadow move around.

Taking just a few minutes to step away from your car can open up a whole new world. Just make sure you’re carrying a raincoat, sunscreen and water; the weather changes quickly in the mountains.

Rocky Mountain is a hiker’s paradise, with more than 350 miles of trails, from easy ambles to tough scrambles. One of the best hikes has to be the trail up 12,880-foot Mount Ida; the top is a bit of a scramble, but there’s little exposure and the view is phenomenal. You could also head down the Ute Trail, an easy hike

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along Tombstone Ridge, or take the more challenging 8.4-mile-roundtrip hike to Chasm Lake, with its outstanding views of The Diamond, the east face of Longs Peak. The short Tundra Communities Trail, which begins at the highest point on Trail Ridge Road (over 12,000 feet), provides an incredible alpine experience and spectacular 360-degree sunset views.

You’ll be glad you got to stretch your legs, and you will be rewarded.

Take note that the park’s altitude can affect your performance, so take it easy and keep hydrated. There are a number of kid-friendly and accessible trails, so ask at one of the park’s visitor centers for directions and pick up Junior Ranger booklets for some extra fun.

Of course, for the more adventurous there are plenty of climbs—easy and epic—to test your mountaineering skills.

Longs Peak is the iconic grand lady of the park at 14,259 feet. It stands as a sentinel and is easily seen from many areas, even downtown Estes Park. If you feel secure with you footing, and you’re in decent shape, try the classic, 15-mile round-trip Keyhole Route up the peak. Thousands of visitors every year clamber up the rocky, exposed rock ledges on the way to the summit, and fast-moving storms increase the challenge. It’s much more than a hike—it’s a climb, and once at the top, you’re only halfway—there’s still the descent. If you’re looking for less of an endeavor, there are many easier and moderate climbs in the park.

Family friendly hikes, with plenty of fall color, can be found in Rocky Mountain National Park / VisitEstesPark.com

Pedaling, Paddling and Angling

If wheels are your deal, get your road bike out and pedal along the park’s roadways. Pay attention to any closures or construction areas, and these mountain roads often have narrow shoulders, so watch for traffic. Early morning and evening rides encounter fewer vehicles and offer the most scenic views, with perfect lighting on the peaks. In the end, your legs and lungs will get a good workout, and your spirit will be renewed.

If you’re in search of the wily trout, these mountain streams will test your mettle and techniques. Head to the highcountry for catch-and-release, or take a boat out on the bigger lakes. Where else can you cast a fly while elk wander nearby, while autumn leaves burst with color all around? Moraine Park is an ideal spot for this, or a bit west along the Big Thompson River between the Fern Lake and Cub trailheads.

If you seek the Greenback, you might be able to find them in Fern Lake, Dream Lake, or the Roaring River. And in fall, the fish are hungry, preparing for winter.

Speaking of the park’s waters, canoes, paddle boards and kayaks are permitted on all park lakes, with the exception of Bear Lake, and as you paddle quietly, you may see wildlife on these lakes.

You might also opt to take a day to ride horseback through the high country.

The Glacier Creek Stables and Moraine Park Stables can set you up for a trail ride, where you’ll cover a lot of country by saddle.

With a backcountry permit, you can head beyond road’s end with your house on your back, and really get away without leaving trace of your presence.

Backpacking the wilderness is a way to truly seek the serenity of the wild.

The trout aren’t the only wildlife visible in the fall. Head to Horseshoe Park or Moraine Park to watch the bull

Fall is a wonderful time to work on your technique, or admire elk at the height of the rut, in Rocky Mountain National Park / VisitEstesPark.com, Darcy Kiefel (bugling elk)

elk as they bugle their haunting whistles in search of mates. Elk tours and even a festival—the first weekend in October— are offered in Estes Park and teach you more about this annual phenomenon.

In the park, you might also spy some of the park’s bighorn sheep. Overhead, eagles and hawks soar the ridgeline thermals, and coyotes howl under the midnight skies.

There are so many things to do this fall in Rocky Mountain Park, especially if you make an effort to get away from the road and revel in the alpine scenery first-hand, surrounded by the natural world.

After a long day with one of these activities, rest, refuel and re-energize in Estes Park. This base camp for Rocky Mountain National Park offers a variety of spots to relive the day’s feats and regroup for another day in the wild.

For more ideas on what to do in the park and nearby Estes Park, and for lodging and dining options, be sure to visit VisitEstesPark.com.

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In The Right Place, At The Right Time To See WildlifeThis Fall

While all national parks have abundant wildlife throughout the year, fall is prime time. Birds and animals are on the move, preparing for winter, and courting.

They’re busy and plentiful.

In the Rocky Mountains, elk are retreating from the high country before winter’s snows set in. In Yellowstone, Glacier, and Grand Teton as they head to the lower river valleys, the wolves follow them, and are often spotted.

You’ll hear the ear-piercing bulging of bull elk as they work to build their harems. It starts as a shrill, rising whistle, then ends in a guttural grunt. You won’t forget that sound for the rest of your life.

Bugling elk are best seen—and heard—shortly before sunset, and shortly after sunrise. Bison, another icon of the parks, are seen throughout the day in parks where they live.

In the mountainous parks of the East—Shenandoah, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and Great Smoky to name just three—black bears are drawn to the tasty fruit of long-abandoned apple orchards and ripe berries for sweet snacks; anything to put that fat on for the winter.

Across the National Park System the birds are migrating.

Raptors soar high and songbirds are flying south to their wintering grounds in Central and South America.

We’ve provided links, when available, to specific parks’ websites where you can download birding and animal lists. These sites frequently have suggestions on where to look for wildlife by the season.

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Here’s a region-by-region overview of where to go this fall to see, and hear, wildlife throughout the National Park System:

East

Acadia National Park, Maine Best bets: Raptors Scan the skies over Acadia and you won’t go home disappointed as you watch for migrating birds. The mountains of Mount Desert Island, anchored just off the coast of Maine, are a great spot to spy them.

The park’s annual Hawk Watch season gets under way in late August and runs into October. Thousands of birds of prey, including falcons, hawks, ospreys and eagles, migrate through Acadia’s airspace during autumn. Park visitors join Hawk Watch to see and learn more about these fascinating birds.

During the migration, weather permitting, park rangers and volunteers atop Cadillac Mountain will help you spot and identify birds passing by, and provide natural history information on raptors and related topics.

Frequently sighted species include Sharp-shinned hawks, American kestrels, and Broadwinged hawks.

Resources: Wildlife checklists

Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia/North Carolina Best bets: Raptors, black bears, white-tail deer The Blue Ridge Parkway follows the Appalachian ridges for 469 miles, and you can spot birds the entire way.

They soar on the thermals pushed up by the mountains as they head south.

In North Carolina, Mills River Overlook at Milepost 404.5 is a popular place to scan the sky for hawks. At Milepost 364.1, walk up Craggy Pinnacle and see Broad-winged, Red-tailed, and Red-shouldered hawks, Cooper’s hawks and Sharp-shinned hawks.

The base of Mount Mitchell at Ridge Junction Overlook, Milepost 355.3, at Black Mountain Gap, is one of the best spots in the Blue Ridge to watch the migration of warblers and other passerines.

Hawks also pass through, heading south about the third week of September.

Continuing north on the Parkway, Mahogany Rock in Virginia at Mile Post 235 has a long history of excellent hawk watching in September and October.

Resources: Birding Mammals

Wildlife abounds in the National Park System in fall, and is easy to see at Great Sand Dunes National Park (top), Zion National Park (lower left) and Yellowstone (lower right) / Elk and bison, NPS, desert bighorn sheep, Kurt Repanshek

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TOP 5

Parks for Wildlife Lovers Yellowstone National Park: From grizzlies and wolves to bison and elk, Yellowstone has it all. Tour the Hayden Valley in the heart of the park or the Lamar Valley on the northern range for success.

Grand Teton National Park: The park is home to many of the same animals found in Yellowstone, though they’re not always quite as visible. The Moose-Wilson Road is reliable for black bear sightings, while the flats above the Snake River are good bets for bison and pronghorn.

Everglades National Park: Alligators and crocodiles and colorful birdlife are the hallmarks of a fall-winter wildlife safari at Everglades. Stay alert along tidal creeks and you might spot a West Indian Manatee, an endangered species.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee/North Carolina Best bets: Elk, black bears, white-tail deer, turkeys Whether you’re visiting Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, or Olympic National Park, the best time to search for bugling elk is right around dawn or dusk.

In the Smokies, the elk rut is most reliably witnessed in the Cataloochee Valley on the southeastern end of the park through October. Look for the volunteers stationed there to help you view and enjoy the elk.

Wild turkeys, too, are active and toms strut their stuff through the fields, with their big feathers spread out.

Elk and turkeys aren’t the only highly visible wildlife in the Smokies in the fall. On the western side of the park, in Cades Cove, deer can be seen in the open fields. While bucks with large antlers keep weaker males away and attract a harem much like elk bulls do, deer don’t bugle. Still, their antics during the rut are something to watch...but keep your distance.

Cades Cove is a magnet for black bears, as the bruins come down into the orchards for some ripe fruit.

At higher elevations, flocks of migrating broad-winged hawks are seen when the first cold front comes through during the first half of September. With the cold front, raptors follow the Appalachian Range, riding the thermals.

The best vantage points include Newfound Gap, Clingmans Dome, Look Rock, and Indian Gap. Resources: Wildlife viewing Birding Mammals

•• Shenandoah National Park, Virginia Best bets: Black bears, raptors, white-tail deer In Shenandoah the fall wildlife viewing is as rewarding as the leaf-peeping. Bears, deer, and migratory birds are all visible if you take the time to look.

Many folks come to Shenandoah specifically to see the black bears. The many old apple orchards established by homesteaders before they left for creation of the park attract bears, so be careful while you’re hiking.

The park’s white-tail deer seem almost tame, but they’re not. A doe will protect her young as ferociously as a grizzly sow does, so give them space. You often can spot them congregating in the fields by Skyline Lodge. Black bears and bobcats hide in the forest, and are harder to see. Coyotes, an adaptable predator not native to the area, are moving eastward.

Scan the forest for wild turkeys when you’re out hiking, though they are wary. Keep your eyes on tree trunks, too, for pileated woodpeckers with their flashy red crowns.

Resources Birding Mammals

Great Smoky Mountains National Park: From black bears to elk, with wild turkeys and white-tailed deer in the blend, the Smokies harbor a good deal of wildlife that’s visible, and an astonishing array that is not to the casual observer, as the park’s alltaxa biodiversity survey reminds us.

Point Reyes National Seashore: Tule elk in the highlands, migratory birds overhead, and sea lions and harbor seals in the coastal waters make this national seashore a great fall wildlife-watching destination.

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White-water enthusiasts are drawn to New River Gorge National River in West Virginia, but there’s great birding to be had, too, as this Great Blue Heron demonstrates / Gary Hartley

Mountain goats are not native to Olympic National Park, but since being introduced there in the 1920s, they’ve made themselves at home / NPS

South

Buffalo National River, Arkansas

Best bets: Elk Though you might not naturally associate a river-based park with land-based wildlife, the forests and fields of Buffalo National River in Arkansas are home to about 500 elk. During the rut in October and November a good place to view these majestic animals and catch the bulls bugling is the Boxley Valley.

Resources: Mammal checklist Bird checklist

•• Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia Best bets: Song birds, raptors, pelicans, turkeys It takes a ferry to reach, but this island park off Georgia’s coast is a favorite stopping point on the Atlantic Flyway: more than 335 species of birds have been recorded at Cumberland Island National Seashore.

Pick up a birding list at the visitor center at St. Mary’s before boarding the ferry.

Roseate spoonbills and even white pelicans can often be seen from the boat on the way to the island. Once on the island, the freshwater pond areas provide excellent rookeries for wood storks, white ibis, herons, and egrets. In the forest canopy you’ll spot warblers, buntings, wrens, and woodpeckers.

On shore you may see osprey, peregrine falcons, and occasionally bald eagles and golden eagles. Wild turkeys are plentiful on the south end of the island where the ferry lands.

They’re protected, so they’re not so skittish.

Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida Best bets: Raptors and songbirds, grunts, groupers, and parrotfish At Dry Tortugas fall migration is more prolonged than spring migration, and not as influenced by weather. Large flights of raptors are common during September and October into late November.

According to park officials, “A scant assortment of water birds, most notably gulls and terns, winter in the area.” You’ll also see hundreds of warblers and other songbirds stopping to rest and refuel here.

The island is a favorite refueling spot for raptors like Peregrine Falcons and Sharpshinned Hawks; they use the songbirds for food. It might be disconcerting to see a Peregrine Falcon pick off the Blackpoll Warbler you just identified, but such is the circle of life. The falcons know a good hunting spot in the fall just as well as the birders do.

You’ll also likely spot Double-crested cormorants, Ruddy turnstones, Royal terns, and Laughing gulls.

Don’t miss the snorkeling either, since you’ve traveled all this way. Beneath the water is a colorful world, as the coral reefs here attract such species as yel-

low smallmouth grunts, Red groupers, Stoplight parrotfish, and Goliath groupers.

Glacier National Park, Montana

Resources: Wildlife viewing Wildlife checklists

•• Everglades National Park, Florida Best bets: Raptors, wading birds Wildlife in the Everglades is easier to spot in the fall due to the arrival of the dry season: from December through April wildlife congregates around waterholes.

The park is renowned for its birdlife, with more than 350 species counted, and many head to the park during the dry season to hang out and nest.

In fall, patient birders might be rewarded with a sighting of a rare Short-tailed hawk. Only about 50100 of these raptors can be found in the Everglades, from October to late February, so you have to be in the right place at the right time.... and be lucky.

Other common species include Pied-billed grebes, brown pelicans, Double-breasted and Anhinga cormorants, Great blue herons, Little blue herons, Black-crowned night herons, White ibis and a variety of ducks and shorebirds.

Resources: Wildlife checklists

North

Best bets: Mountain goats, bighorn sheep, raptors Glacier seems to have almost every large mammal from elk to black bears, grizzly bears to moose. More frequently seen than the grizzlies, though, are the snow-white mountain goats that thrive on the steepest of slopes along the Continental Divide.

These animals, with their trademark goatees, can often be seen in the alpine meadows along Logan Pass, and even on the trails to the Granite Park and Sperry chalets. Sometimes you can spot bighorn sheep on the cliffs along the Garden Wall, which follows the divide through the park.

Glacier is a large park surrounded by public land, and was created early enough (1910) that it protects many of these animals. With a lot of luck, you might see a wolf, mountain lion or lynx. Look at the park’s mammal checklist to know exactly what to watch for.

Fall also is a great time to see bird migrations in Glacier.

Watch for golden eagles migrating along the Continental Divide fly-way in mid-October. These big birds fly south

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from Alaska and Canada along the west side of the Continental Divide. They’re visible from Mt. Brown Lookout on the west side of the park. It’s a steep hike (5.3 miles one way), but worth it to view hundreds of golden eagles headed south.

though, and only somewhat easier to notice in the South Unit, near its northern border.

Resources: Birding Mammals

Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota

•• Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan Best bets: Waterfowl Diving ducks, grebes, and loons head south in massive numbers once late September arrives. Tens of thousands of Red-breasted Mergansers will pass by the Manitou Islands of Sleeping Bear.

Birders need to have a good spotting scope and the tenacity to stand on a wind-swept Lake Michigan bluff in October, but the sight of a Red-throated Loon makes it worthwhile.

Resources: Wildlife checklists and viewing guide

•• Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota Best bets: Bison, elk, feral horses Elk, bison, and feral horses can be seen if you visit Theodore Roosevelt National Park in western North Dakota this fall.

Campers in the Cottonwood Campground in the South Unit often are surprised by bison meandering through the campground. They graze the nubs of grass, and rub against the cottonwood trees’ thick trunks.

If you’re looking for elk, park officials suggest you look in the open grasslands in the Buck Hill area, or in the southeastern quarter of the park, which is visible from Interstate 94. These animals can be seen early and late in the day.

Pronghorn antelope can be hard to spot in the North Unit,

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Resources: Wildlife checklists Wildlife viewing

•• Best bets: Bison The highlight of a visit to Wind Cave is going underground into its miles of caves.

But don’t ignore the surface if you want to see some bison, and perhaps a black-footed ferret, or elk, These animals, as well as pronghorn antelope, were restored to Wind Cave’s landscape by conservationists.

While they all once roamed across the prairies here, by the early 1900s most had been eradicated by hunters.

Now, though, bison are commonly seen across the park. Just be careful when driving, though, for after sundown the bison can blend right into the dark, and you don’t want to hit them.

Black-footed ferrets, once on the brink of extinction, have recovered to a large degree through captive breeding and a return to their natural habitats, such as the prairies at Wind Cave.

Check with park staff during your visit to see if there will be any campfire talks about ferrets, or night hikes to try to spot them.

Resources: Wildlife checklists

••

West

North Cascades National Park, Washington

Best bets: Raptors Watch for raptors as they head south from Alaska at North Cascades National Park. Ross Lake and Lake Chelan national recreation areas also sit along the flyway for birds of prey like the Sharp-shinned hawk en route to the subtropics.

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2015

Grizzly bears, wolves, mountain lions, bighorn sheep and mountain goats all live in the North Cascades, but are difficult, if not impossible, to spot. Check with the visitor’s center for recent sightings.

Resources: Wildlife checklists

•• Point Reyes National Seashore, California Best bets: Waterfowl, shorebirds, sea lions,Tule elk Point Reyes has the wildlife trifecta: marinelife, birdlife, and charismatic megafauna, aka elk.

Check out the fall migration in October by visiting Drakes Estero at Point Reyes. The park’s coastal location and its wealth of unspoiled habitats, estuaries, grasslands, coastal scrub and forest all attract many migrating and wintering birds.

On foggy days during the fall migration, unusual songbirds, warblers, and grosbeaks may be seen near the Point Reyes Lighthouse, according to park officials.

Another good fall birding spot is the Olema Marsh, where migratory water birds come to rest.

Nearly 490 species of birds have been spotted at Point Reyes, making it the unofficial champion of bird diversity in the National Park System.

The peninsula is a geographic magnet of sorts when it comes to birds on the Pacific flyway.

The shore itself attracts a wide variety of fowl, shorebirds, with rarities often showing up.

Look for Tule elk and hear them bugle once you’re done birding for the day. Look and listen for elk in the Limantour/ Glenbrook area, and in the grasslands above Drakes Beach.

Want to spot marinelife? Sea lions might be seen and heard year-round at the appropriately named Sea Lion Overlook near the Lighthouse Overlook parking area, while harbor seals can be found in Tomales Bay and Drakes Estero.

Resources: Wildlife checklists Wildlife viewing

••

Fall is a great time to spot wildlife against the seasonal colors, whether you’re looking for elk in Yellowstone (left) or bighorn sheep at Rocky Mountain / NPS, Neal Herbert and Ann Schonlau

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming Best bets: Elk, bison, black bears, pronghorn, white pelicans, raptors The folks at Grand Teton help you watch wildlife in the fall by publishing a two-page flyer on where visitors can find animals. For example, the lush meadows nudging up along the northern shores of Jackson Lake attract mule deer and elk.

In Willow Flats, a marshy expanse right behind the Jackson Lake Lodge, you often can spot moose and elk.

Pronghorns, similar to antelopes and the fastest land animals in North America, might be seen at the southeast end of Jenny Lake or, better yet, along the sagebrush flats along the Snake River and surrounding Mormon Row. In early September, the Moose-Wilson Road is very reliable for spotting black bears, as they come to feast on the tasty hawthorn berries. The bruins are so fixated on gorging themselves that they pretty much ignore the cars on the road.

Just remember that they’re wild bears and keep your distance.

The Oxbow Bend stretch of the Snake River also is famous

for its bird-life. White pelicans, trumpeter swans, osprey, and even bald eagles are often seen.

Otters occasionally frolic on the riverbanks here, and it’s a natural spot for moose.

Resources: Wildlife viewing Wildlife checklists

•• Olympic National Park, Washington Best bets: Roosevelt elk In Olympic, the Hoh Rain Forest is an excellent place to see Roosevelt elk. These animals don’t migrate, but prefer to stay in the Hoh area year-round and band together in herds of around 20 females and calves.

September is a great time to hear the bulls bugle.

The park also has a sizeable population of mountain goats, a non-native species. To glimpse some, head to the high country, particularly along the trails surrounding Hurricane Ridge. They can be particularly dangerous during the fall rut, which extends into December, so watch from a distance.

With its long, rocky coastline, you might also get a chance to glimpse some marinelife on its migratory comings and goings.

The coast just happens to lie along the migratory path of both California and Steller’s sea lions, according to park officials, en route to foraging areas in the Strait of Juan de Fuca California.

Sea lions feed in the coastal waters in the late summer and early fall.

“They haul out in masses on the abundant offshore rocks, amiably alongside their larger cousins. These whiskered creatures are often visible on the islands off the coast of Cape Flattery and Cape Alava, arriving in late summer or early fall, and often staying through spring,” park biologists say.

Resources: Wildlife viewing Wildlife checklists

•• Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado Best bets: Elk, bighorn sheep, raptors Elk in Rocky Mountain were hunted extensively and almost vanished by 1890 as people settled the Estes Valley. But animals transplanted from Yellowstone, just before the establishment of Rocky Mountain National Park in 1915, rebuilt the herds. Predators such as wolves and grizzly bears were hunted extensively in the area, which helped the swift growth of the elk population.

Currently, the elk population in the park fluctuates dramatically from summer to winter.

More than 3,200 elk roam the park in summer, though that number can dwindle to 600800 during winter as elk mi-

grate to lower elevations outside the park.

The best places to view and hear elk are Moraine Park, Horseshoe Park, and Upper Beaver Meadows on the east side of the park and Harbison Meadow and throughout the Kawuneeche Valley on the west side of the park.

Plan your visit for early October and take part in the 18th Annual Elk Fest. This affair (Oct 3-5) offers everything from science on these big ungulates and elk bugling contests to bus tours to view elk.

Rocky Mountain also has spectacular fall vistas and great avian migrants. Raptors follow the ridges, sometimes migrating simply from higher elevations down tributary ridges to lower areas for the winter. Watch for resident Red-tailed Hawks as they chase other hawks out of their territories as they pass through.

When leaves are shed in late fall, it’s a great time to hunt for some of the boreal residents of the mountains like the American Three-toed Woodpeckers and Gray Jays.

Resources: Wildlife viewing Wildlife checklists

••

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming Best bets: Bison, elk, Yellowstone overflows with wildlife — moose, elk, pronghorn, bison, wolves, grizzlies, black bears and so much more.

So much wildlife exists in Yellowstone, and so much is highly visible, that the park probably should have trademarked the phrase “Bear Jam.” The Hayden Valley is highly reliable for bison sightings, as is the Lamar Valley in the northeastern corner of the park.

Elk even hang out all around park headquarters at Mammoth Hot Springs. In the fall this can be dangerous for visitors, as bulls in rut have charged visitors and vehicles. You can observe them, from a safer distance, along the Madison River that parallels the road running from West Yellowstone to Madison Junction.

Head out to the Firehole, Madison, and Gibbon rivers to look for white pelicans, mergansers, and possibly trumpeter swans. In treetops overlooking the lakes, osprey, common loons, and even bald eagles are seen. In early November, look for tundra swans on the water and trumpeter swans on the rivers.

Resources: Wildlife viewing Wildlife checklists

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SPONSORED CONTENT

By Kim A. O’Connell

I

t was a beautiful late summer evening, and my family and I had spent the day hiking in Badlands National Park.

As the setting sun cast a golden glow on the park’s signature peaks and plateaus, my family and I pulled into a nearby guest ranch, where we had booked a cabin for the night.

Our Badlands adventure came halfway through a cross-country road trip that included stops at some of the most iconic national parks of the West, including Yellowstone and Grand Teton. We knew we wanted to enhance the experience by choosing accommodations that captured the true spirit of the West while also offering fun activities. A guest ranch, also known as a dude ranch, perfectly fit the bill. Although we were just passing through, we enjoyed the comfortable furnishings in our rustic cabin, where we could watch cattle grazing against the panoramic backdrop of the Badlands. Our favorite part was heading up to the main house to share a hearty cowboy breakfast alongside our fellow guests, including heaping piles of scrambled eggs and freshly made biscuits and jam.

Afterwards, our kids headed outside to feed the resident burros and chickens. We felt thoroughly at home.

Dude ranches can be found throughout the West, bringing you close to the national parks while offering additional outdoor experiences such as horseback riding, fishing, hiking, zip-lining, and more.

Travelers can make new friends with other guests around a campfire or on a horseback ride, or they choose to read, paint, or write in solitude. Private cabins or rustic rooms, filled with warm and welcoming furnishings, help you kick back and unwind. Most ranches offer all-inclusive package vacations, making your stay easy and fulfilling.

The following dude ranches stretch from Montana to California and are within easy driving distances of national parks. All are members of the Dude Ranchers Association, which has been holding its members to a high standard of hospitality since 1926. You can be assured that any one of these facilities will provide a Western experience that is comfortable, authentic, memorable and fun.

Arizona Dude Ranches

When you visit the Stagecoach Trails Guest Ranch, it feels as if you’re stepping into the past. Located in the Mojave Desert of northwest Arizona, the ranch has the feel of an old Western town. The ranch borders more than 360,000 acres of desert landscape, dotted with Joshua trees and ringed by the Mohave and Hualapai mountains. As with most dude ranches, horseback riding is the most popular activity, but travelers can enjoy a range of evening entertainments, too, including cowboy singers, campfire talks, and line dancing. Or you could opt to sink into a comfy armchair by the fireplace in the ranch’s Frontier Lodge. Grand Canyon National Park is only 2.5 hours away.

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Essential Park Guide | Fall 2015

On the southern end of the state, the White Stallion Ranch in Tucson has attracted both tourists and Hollywood filmmakers for 75 years. Several movies and TV shows, including Arizona (1936) and High Chaparral (1968-72) as well as more recent science and nature programs, have been filmed here. You can tour the surrounding desert by horseback by day (the ranch offers both slow rides and fast rides, as well as specialty rides such as “wine and cheese” trips) and relax by night in your Spanishstyle casita. The ranch is only minutes from Saguaro National Park, known for its majestic namesake cactus that is a widely recognized symbol of the West.

California Dude Ranches

Nestled on the banks of the Klamath National Wild and Scenic River, in the green mountains of northern California, sits the scenic Marble Mountain Ranch.

This dude ranch, which has been in operation for more than 45 years, treats its guests to signature “saddle and paddle” vacations combining horseback riding and river rafting for all experience levels.

The kids in the family will be treated to a summer camp-like atmosphere that will get them off their screens and into nature. The

ranch is not far from the Marble Mountain Wilderness Area and a stay here could be combined with a trip to Redwood National and State Parks along the coast.

Western history and stunning scenery combine at the Hunewill Circle H Guest Ranch located not far east of Yosemite National Park in central California’s Bridgeport Valley. The ranch dates to 1861 and has served as a guest ranch since the 1930s. After a hearty breakfast, enjoy a horseback ride through lush meadows, with the Sierra Nevada in the distance, and then kick up your heels at an evening dance or talent show. If you’re not in the mood for a trail ride, channel your inner cowboy and help drive the cattle, or fish for trout in a nearby river or stream.

whether you explore the old wagon trails on Alexander Mountain or take a rockier ride up Eagle Ridge. Sylvan Dale raises most of its own horses right on the ranch.

Plan an early summer visit and newly minted ranch hands can help drive the cattle herd when it is moved to its summer range. Other special events include “adults only” weeks and healthy living retreats.

The C Lazy U Ranch, located to the west of the national park, offers a full resort experience, cowboy-style. In addition to horseback riding, you can treat yourself

Colorado Dude Ranches

For sheer grandeur, few mountain ranges can compare to the Colorado Rockies. Located only an hour north of Denver and an hour east of Rocky Mountain National Park, Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch is ideally situated for a fun and fulfilling dude ranch vacation that capitalizes on the stunning Rocky Mountain landscape. Horseback rides are tailored for every level and interest,

C Lazy U Ranch

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The Tetons and their national park are always in sight at the Goosewing Ranch in Wyoming.

to a massage, facial, manicure/pedicure, or the ranch’s signature “Cowboy Soak,” a relaxing moonlit soak in deep copper tubs overlooking the creek, with a side order of champagne and strawberries.

The staggering list of available activities includes hiking, archery, tennis, a ropes course and zip-line, arts and crafts, and even panning for gold.

For many people, being in nature is a spiritual experience, and the Wind River Christian Guest Ranch understands that feeling completely. Located in Estes Park along the eastern border of Rocky Mountain National Park, this ranch offers all the horseback riding, outdoor activities, and relaxation you’d want in a dude ranch vacation, as well as spiritual elements, such as daily bible study, to fill your soul.

Montana Dude Ranches

After touring Glacier National Park, famous for its rugged peaks, alpine lakes, and the jaw-dropping Going-to-the-Sun Road, the Bar W Guest Ranch is the perfect place to extend your big-sky Montana

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adventure with horseback riding, hiking, and more. Perched on the edge of Spencer Lake just beyond the western border of the park, the Bar W offers guests three lodging choices—rooms in the traditional Western lodge (which includes common areas and a game parlor), rustic cabin suites, or one of its two “Glamping” tents, which include a private bath and are the opposite of “roughing it.”

Located just 90 miles to the south of Glacier is the Deep Canyon Guest Ranch.

Stay in either the rustic Guest Lodge or in one of three private duplex cabins, whose front porches are perfect for unwinding after an active day out on the trails. Here, to paraphrase author Norman Maclean, a river truly does run through it, namely the North Fork of the Teton River. The river is only a short walk from the ranch and a frequent destination for fly fishermen (and women) searching for some native cutthroat trout. Horseback riding and hiking round out the ranch’s most popular offerings.

Generations of Montana ranching

tradition are embodied at the Sweet Grass Ranch, which dates to 1880. In true dude ranch fashion, horseback riding is the main event here, but guests can also take a dip in Sweet Grass Creek. Another nearby creek even includes a natural water slide that feeds right into the Sweet Grass.

For road-trippers, it’s only a 2.5-hour drive to the northern entrance to Yellowstone and its geyser basins, waterfalls, and wildlife-filled valleys.

New Mexico Dude Ranch

Serenity is the name of the game at the Geronimo Trail Guest Ranch, hidden away amid stands of Ponderosa pines in the Black Range Mountains of southwest New Mexico. You’ll want to turn off your cell phones (you won’t get coverage anyway) and unplug from the pressures of everyday life with a long horseback ride or hike, or a book borrowed from the ranch library.

The ranch is located on the Geronimo Trail, a New Mexico scenic byway, in the Gila National.

You can work on your cowboying skills, or ride a zip line, at the Red Reflet Guest Ranch in the Bighorns of Wyoming.

Wyoming Dude Ranches

Wyoming is known for its incredible scenery and natural wonders, especially in such places as Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks and Devils Tower National Monument. Yet Wyoming also has a plethora of dude ranches that offer adventurous new ways to experience this ruggedly beautiful state.

In northern Wyoming, Bighorn National Forest is centrally located between Devils Tower and Yellowstone and encompasses more than 1.1 million acres in one of the oldest federally protected forests. Located just west of Bighorn National Forest, the Hideout Lodge & Guest Ranch is an upscale working ranch that features cattle drives, horseback rides, fly-fishing and more for a clientele that is limited to only 25 people at a time. Accommodations include Western-themed cabins and luxe log homes with every amenity.

Also in the shadow of Bighorn National Forest lies the Red Reflet Guest Ranch,

a working cattle ranch and resort set in a landscape that changes from red rimrock and limestone canyons to alpine forests and mountain meadows. Along with horseback riding and cattle herding, visitors can get dusty on their mountain bikes or ATVs, try their hand at zip-lining or riflery, or relax with a dip in the pool.

To the east of Grand Teton lies one of the oldest dude ranches in the country— the CM Ranch—which dates to 1927 and is included on the National Register of Historic Places. Stunning red sandstone formations and tree-covered mountains surround the ranch, which is contiguous with the Shoshone National Forest, allowing guests to tailor their horseback rides, fishing trips, and hikes in countless ways depending on how far they want to go. Those who want to stay back at the ranch can look forward to card games or ping-pong, a weekly slide show by the ranch’s on-site photographer, or cowboy poetry and music. Accommodations include log cabins along Jakey’s Fork, a tributary of the Wind River. Anglers can try

for brook, rainbow, and brown trout while they’re there, too.

Goosewing Ranch is located in Jackson Hole, the famous southern gateway to Grand Teton. This dude ranch, which features a main lodge and private guest cabins, places a strong focus on sustainability, recycling, and reuse, whether that means giving guests reusable water bottles, composting on site, or harvesting timber from downed trees for ranch projects. In addition to horseback riding day trips, you can opt for multinight pack trips, where riders camp high in the mountains for one or two nights, before spending the rest of the trip unwinding back at the ranch.

Fall, winter, spring, or summer, dude ranches let you sample the West in all its glory in a fashion as embracing or flexible as you desire.

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Seeking Solitude

in the Smokies

By Robin Pfeifer

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Visitors come to Great Smoky Mountains National Park for many reasons. They want to hike the more than 70 miles of the rugged Appalachian Trail that meander through the park, to camp in its dense forests, to cool off in one of its many streams, or to take a leisurely drive along the scenic Newfound Gap Road that crosses the heart of the park to connect Tennessee with North Carolina.

Regardless of the reason, they come—in droves. Every year, 8-10 million people travel to the

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2015

Smokies, making it the most-visited national park in the country.

Whether you’re planning a trip to the park this fall, or any other season, how do you avoid seeing it through the tailgate of a stranger’s station wagon? Simply bypass the most popular attractions around Cades Cove and Gatlinburg and head east to Cosby and Cataloochee. Spending time in these lesser-known areas affords you the unique opportunity to get a quintessential Smoky Mountains experience without the crowds.

Left: If only the walls could speak of the early settlers in the Cataloochee Valley. Stand in the Palmer Barn and you can get a sense of their life here / Luke Daniel Photo

Camp In This Quiet Corner

Cosby Campground is located just outside the tiny hamlet of Cosby, Tennessee. Much like the town, this is one of the quieter campgrounds in the park. It rarely fills up, even on holiday weekends.

There are 131 sites available on a firstcome, first-served basis and 26 sites that can be reserved in advance.

The sites are beautiful and spacious, with tall trees perfectly situated for hanging a hammock, a terraced-off camp pad, a fire ring, and a picnic table. Restrooms with flush toilets and drinking water are a short walk away. And the camp hosts do an admirable job of clearing out the overgrown daddy long-legs that have taken-up residence near the sinks.

Once you select your site and get situated, stretch your legs on a moderate 4.4-mile round-trip hike to Hen Wallow Falls. The trailhead is located just off the parking lot adjacent to the picnic area. Follow the Gabes Mountain Trail through a forest thick with rhododendron and ferns growing densely under the shady canopy of hemlock and yellow poplar. Roughly two miles in, watch for a wooden sign marking a short side trail that leads to Hen Wallow Falls.

The trail down to the falls is steep, requiring sturdy shoes along with your full attention. You will begin to hear the sound of Hen Wallow Creek cascading down over 90 feet of glistening rock and neon-green moss. Linger here as long as you like. Odds are, you will have the view to yourself.

Head For The High Country

Most visitors have a vision of how they’d like to see the park, and it typically involves climbing to the top of a mountain like 4,928-foot Mount Cammerer. This is a very strenuous hike involving a breathtaking amount of elevation gain along the rugged Low Gap and Appalachian trails. Weather in the Smokies is unpredictable; it can change rapidly, so you should carry a daypack containing rain gear, a warm layer, food, water and a trail map. Get an early start, particularly during the shorter days of fall, because this 15-mile round-trip hike takes approximately six to eight hours to

It can be a challenging, uphill hike, but make the trek to the top of Mount Cammerer and enjoy the view from the historic fire lookout tower / State of Tennessee

complete. Plus, you’ll want to have plenty of time to explore the historic fire tower located atop Mount Cammerer.

To get there, make your way through the Cosby Campground toward Cosby Creek and pick up the Low Gap Trail. Follow the well-defined path through the dense hardwood forest running parallel to the creek. The Low Gap Trail climbs up and out of the Cosby Creek Valley for the first three miles. Each step forward is also a step up over uneven tree roots and rocks.

Around the three-mile mark, you’ll come to a clearing in the woods and see a small wooden sign marking the Appalachian Trail. At this point, you will have already climbed more than 2,000 feet.

The hike gets easier once you’re on the A.T. The path begins to level off around mile four, and sporadic breaks in the foliage reveal incredible views of the

Cosby and Toms Creek valleys below.

Roughly five miles in, you will follow a short side trail to the summit of Mount Cammerer. The last half-mile forces you to scramble over large boulders and follow a series of disorientating switchbacks. But your efforts are rewarded the moment you set eyes on the wooden fire tower built high on a base of granite boulders.

Local laborers and the Civilian Conservation Corp built the fire tower in the 1930s. Each year between February 15th and May 15th, then again from October 15th through December 15th, the structure was manned by lookouts who lived on the premises for two weeks. This system was replaced in the 1960s by more modern fire detection methods.

Views from the wooden platform lining the perimeter of the tower are breathtaking. Before you is an endless

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Catch the fall colors along Cataloochee Creek in Great Smoky Mountains National Park without the crowds / NPS

expanse of undulating forest stretching to the horizon. Mountains rise gracefully from the forest floor. Clouds float swiftly below, momentarily obscuring the unparalleled beauty surrounding you. This is the view of Great Smoky Mountains National Park you came to see.

History And Wildlife Abound In Cataloochee

After a big day of hiking, give your legs a rest and drive to Cataloochee, North Carolina.

Distance-wise, it’s only about 40 miles from Cosby, but Cove Creek Road is a narrow, twisting, gravel road that skates along the side of deep ravines and dips in and out of the backwoods. The scenery is outstanding, but this drive is not for those who are in a hurry or sensitive to motion sickness.

After bouncing over rocks and winding around curves for an hour, you’ll start to descend into the Cataloochee Valley. Nestled inside some of the tallest mountains in the southeastern United States, the valley was once a thriving community. In 1910, approximately 1,200 people lived, worked, worshiped and went to school here. Few people remained in the area after the establishment of the national park in 1934.

All that remains today are a handful of homes and barns, two churches, and a school scattered 46

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2015

across the Little and Big Cataloochee valleys.

There are no tour guides present to usher you through the structures and no ropes restricting access to certain areas. Unlike the very popular Cades Cove area, there are virtually no crowds to compete with either, so you can explore the wellpreserved buildings at your leisure.

In Big Cataloochee you’ll find homes with wallpapered bedrooms, kitchens with dining room tables, and barns stocked with hay and old equipment. The Beech Grove School has desks organized in neat rows facing the chalkboard. And the Palmer Chapel has an open Bible on its pulpit.

Perhaps the valley’s best-known attraction is its flourishing elk population. Once prevalent in the region, elk were eradicated by the 1700s due to over-hunting and loss of habitat. The National Park Service began returning elk to the Cataloochee Valley in 2001 and the population has been growing ever since. They can be a bit illusive to spot, but if you arrive early in the morning or remain into the evening you may be able to see a herd grazing alongside wild turkeys in the fields.

Come visit the eastern side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park this fall and experience the best the park has to offer instead of its traffic jams.

Events Acadia National Park, Maine • Don’t miss the 7th Annual Night Sky Festival, which is right around the corner (September 10-14). Live music, poetry readings, art exhibits, and sciencerelated programs are on the agenda. A unique event will be the Bioluminescent Night Paddles, which will take place nightly except for the last night. There are opportunities for stargazing from different sites in the national park throughout the festival.

Alleghany Portage Railroad National Historic Site, Pennsylvania • On September 5, a star party will be led by Dr. Martin Rice, an adviser to the Pitt-Johnstown astronomy club. He’ll tell you how to locate and identify constellations in the night sky and provide pointers for observing features of the Moon and selected deep sky objects.

The event gets under way at 8 p.m. at the park.

For information, call 814-886-6150.

• On October 10, head to the park for an evening ghost tour and learn about the darker side of life and death on the Portage Railroad.

Hear about the hazards that workers and travelers of the 1830s and 1840s faced as they crossed the Allegheny Mountains.

These family-friendly tours will be held at: 6 p.m.; 6:20 p.m.; 6:40 p.m.; 7 p.m.; 7:20 p.m.; 7:40 p.m.; 8 p.m.; 8:20 p.m. and 8:40 p.m.

Space for the 50-minute tours is limited to 15 people per tour so reservations are

required. Tours will be held rain or shine. The cost is $2 per person and National Parks passes do not apply.

For more details, call (814) 886-6150

Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, Virginia • Lantern tours will lead you through the park in the evening so you can gain a feeling for how the village would have looked way back in the mid-19th century. True stories of real people from Appomattox County and/or people associated with the Civil War are portrayed by actors.

This event is sponsored by the park’s friends group, the Appomattox 1865 Foundation. Each evening there are six tours that begin at the flagpole in the main parking lot. Tour times are 6:30 p.m., 6:50 p.m., 7:10 p.m., 7:30 p.m, 7:50 p.m., and 8:10 p.m.; tours last approximately 45 minutes.

Tours are planned for September 24, September 25, and September 26. For more information and ticket details, visit the Appomattox 1865 Foundation event website.

Aztec Ruins National Monument, New Mexico • There will be full-moon hikes in August and September, as well as Star Talks during those months.

Check with the park staff for specific dates and times.

(505) 334-6174 x230

Bent’s Old Fort Historic Site, Colorado • On September 23-26, Bent’s Old Fort will host the National Fur Trade Symposium. For the first time in 27 years, this

Throughout the fall there are many reasons to visit your national parks.

Here’s a look at some of those excuses to hit the road...if you really need one!

For more details on a specific event, check the individual park’s website.

symposium will return to the southern trapping and trading areas of the 19th century. Registration and a fee will be required for the on- and offsite parts of the program. This affair will be an opportunity to learn from the most highly qualified speakers, see and experience what life was like for all those involved in the Southern Rockies and Southern Plains fur industry.

For the details, check out this website.

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah • Full-moon hikes are a great way to experience Bryce Canyon. Due to their popularity, and the need for good footing, the following procedures are in place for those hoping to hike along: Tickets for the Full Moon Hike will be distributed via lottery on the day of the hike. Each person in your group must be present at the lottery with the hiking shoes/boots they plan to wear. Once your footwear has passed inspection, ONE lottery ticket will be issued per group. The Ranger giving you the lottery ticket will write the number in your party (maximum of 6) on the back of your lottery ticket. If your lottery ticket is drawn, only the number of people written on the back of the winning lottery ticket will be issued hiker tickets.

Fall dates for these hikes are Friday August 28, Saturday August 29, Saturday September 26, Sunday September 27, and Tuesday Oct. 27.

Capitol Reef National Park, Utah • Fall is harvest time in this red-rock beauty in central Utah. Whether you want peaches, pears, or apples, this is the time to visit Capitol Reef.

A number of apple varieties are grown in the park’s orchards, including heirlooms such as Ben Davis and Grimes Golden, and classics such as Braeburns and Golden Delicious, as well as Capitol Reef Reds, which are unique here.

Typically, peaches and pears are ripe for harvest from early August into early September, while apples are ready from early September into mid-October.

Check the park’s website for the latest on the fruits’ ripening.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio • Farmers’ markets, train excursions, and concerts are on tap at Cuyahoga Valley through the fall months.

Market days generally are Thursdays and Saturdays, excursions Wednesdays through Sundays, and concerts are set for September 22 (the Steel Wheels), September 29 (Tannahill Weavers), October 25 (David Wilcox), November 6 (Pine Leaf Boys), and November 13 (Heather Maloney Duo) at the Happy Days Lodge. For concert ticket availability, call 330-650-4636, ext 228.

Everglades National Park, Florida • The cooler days of fall are perfect for touring Everglades, whether you choose to explore the Ten Thousand Islands area, Shark Valley, Florida Bay, the

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Events Flamingo backcountry, or the Gulf Coast.

Check the park’s website for dates, times, and fees.

Gettysburg National Military Park, Pennsylvania • Head to this national military park on September 19 and learn about the history of the Gettysburg Cyclorama. Sue Boardman, a licensed battlefield guide and author/historian with the Gettysburg Foundation, will lead an exclusive afterhours program with the Gettysburg Cyclorama at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center. You’ll hear the history of cycloramas and in particular the history of the Battle of Gettysburg Cyclorama and the massive multi-year conservation effort. The program is limited to 50 participants. For tickets and further information, visit gettysburgfoundation.org.

Grant Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site, Montana • Western heritage comes alive at Grant Kohrs with a host of special activities this fall. For starters, on September 16-19, the Montana Academy of Living History will be displaying such “heritage skills” as team driving, quilting, and Dutch oven cooking. For details on the various classes, visit montanalivinghistory.com.

• “Pumpkin Sunday” will be celebrated at the ranch on October 18 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina • Head to the North Carolina side of the Smokies and enjoy harvest season during the Mountain Life Festival at the park’s Mountain Farm Museum. The festival, set for September 19, has demonstrations on homemade soap, apple cider, sorghum molasses, hominy, and there will be music.

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Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, West Virginia • A number of special programs this fall at Harpers Ferry bring history to life.

Start on September 5-6, when 19th century Historic Foodways Expert Carol Anderson demonstrates how foods were preserved for winter consumption.

• On October 3, Mr. Lincoln Returns to Harpers Ferry during presentations at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Jim Getty portrays the nation’s 16th president.

• On October 10, “Under Fire: The Battle of Bolivar Heights” will be recreated at the Bolivar Heights Battlefield at 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. by artillery crews as they demonstrate the might and power of field artillery.

• On October 17 & 18, a living history demonstration will be offered at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. on the 1859 capture of abolitionist John Brown by U.S. Marines.

• Developing a thirst for history? Then visit Harpers Ferry on October 24 & 25 for a demonstration of a time-honored tradition: the preservation of harvesttime apples and the making of cider. This event will be staged at Roeder’s Confectionary and Roeder’s White Hall Tavern.

• Finally, on October 31 and November 1, artillery crews once again will station themselves at the Bolivar Heights Battlefield to demonstrate the firing of field artillery.

• On any weekend in October, take a guided tour through this historic town. Tours run from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. and start at the information center.

Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, Pennsylvania • Visit this historic site on September 26 for a demonstration of harvests during the 18th and 19th

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2015

centuries. The day’s activities coincide with the park’s apple picking season.

Visitors are invited to pick apples from the orchard, watch the farm animals, view harvesting tasks, and stir the apple butter.

Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado • If you’re visiting Mesa Verde in the fall, you might consider attending the Four Corners Lecture Series. On September 18, Paul Morey, the park’s wildlife program manager, will discuss “The Elk of Mesa Verde.”

• On September 24, David Lee will present, “Honoring Ancient Ancestors: How We Can Use the Lessons of the Past to Build a Better Future.”

Both programs will be offered at Far View Lodge at 7 p.m.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan • Visit this colorful national lakeshore on Au Sable Day, September 19, to help celebrate the 141st birthday celebration of the Au Sable Lighthouse.

Sequoia National Park, California • Sequoia will have a night sky festival September 11-13.

Special programs will be taking place all weekend, including star programs, telescope demonstrations, and campfire talks. All programs are free and open to the public.

• Visit Sequoia on September 26 and have some birthday cake as the park celebrates its 125th birthday. For details on where to join the party, call the park at 559-565-3341.

Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota • Boat tours for the fall have been added to the schedule of events at Voyageurs in Minnesota for late August and September.

The Kettle Falls Cruise will run August 27 to September 19 on Tuesdays and

Thursdays at 11 a.m. from the Kabetogama Lake Visitor Center. This cruise to the historic Kettle Falls Hotel has a two-hour landing to dine at the hotel or enjoy a picnic lunch, and to explore the hotel and nearby dam.

The boat can handle 20 passengers, and tickets are $40 for those 17 and older, and $25 for kids age 4-16. Kids 3-years-old and younger are free.

The Grand Tour offered August 27 to September 7 departs Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 1 p.m. from the Rainy Lake Visitor Center.

This cruise can handle 49 passengers. Tickets are $30 for those 17 and older, and $15 for kids age 4-16. Three and under are free.

The boat’s captain will navigate Rainy Lake in search of bald eagles and other abundant wildlife, view a commercial fishing camp, and stop at Little American Island (1/4 mile accessible walk) where gold was discovered in the 1890s.

Reservations can be made in advance online at recreation.gov or by calling the National Call Center at (877) 444-6777. Advance reservations are available until midnight the night before the tour departs.

Same day tickets can be purchased, by credit card only, at the Rainy Lake and Kabetogama Lake Visitor Centers if space is available.

All ticket sales will stop 30 minutes prior to departure of the tour.

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado • The 18th Annual Elk Fest arrives in the park October 3-5. There are elk bulging contests, a mountain man rendezvous, Native American musicians and story tellers, a beer garden, and daily seminars that delve into the “rut” and how the park manages its elk herds.

Parting Shot

Fall clouds and colors wash over Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, which straddles parts of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. Photo by Harold Jerrell

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