Home | Hiking Tours | Featured: Full Moon Hike

 

Tour Description: The full moon was very important to early settlers as well as Native Americans. By providing additional light at night, the full moon allowed early Americans to work late into the evening and made nighttime travel safer. On this trip, you will follow in the footsteps of early pioneers and the paw prints of the current residents.

 

Appalachian wildlife such as black bear, cottontail rabbits, flying squirrels, red fox, and many others live their lives opposite of ours: sleeping by day and roaming the night. Thus, just after the sun dips below the horizon, many of the Park’s mammals roll out of their dens and head out on a nocturnal journey in search of food and water.

 

Along the way, take a shot at catching a few fireflies with a little help from your guides headlamp, hunt for salamanders, and listen closely for the elusive coyote’s howl emanating from the ridgelines in the distance.

 

The Sounds of Nature: Humans rely heavily on our sense of sight, which explains why we are afraid of the dark. In the wilderness, we hear unknown sounds and our imaginations run wild. In reality, harmless animals create most of the scary sounds we hear.

 

While on our full moon nature tour, listen closely to the sounds you hear. You might be surprised to learn that the forest’s small, harmless creatures are creating many of those terrifying sounds. Their shrieks, shrills, and piercing cries help protect them from predators, communicate with their peers, and navigate the night.