Visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park for the Mountain Life Festival and stop by Cataloochee to enjoy the fall colors along the creek/NPS

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.

Alleghany Portage Railroad National Historic Site, Pennsylvania

• 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 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 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 Saturday September 26, Sunday September 27, and Tuesday October 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 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.

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, West Virginia

• 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 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 off ered 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

• 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 runs 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.

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.