If you’ve never experienced the Blue Ridge Parkway in the fall, you’re missing out on something special. The rolling mountains and forested ridges North Carolina and Virginia shimmer in the sunset like copper and gold. While we marvel at the views, birds soar higher on the rising winds; their sharp calls echoing from mountaintop to valley bottom. A short walk off the parkway puts you into a landscape of stout trees and rushing streams. You won’t want to leave. Photo by Norman Lathrop (www.sharetheexperience.org).

As National Wildlife Refuge Week comes to a close, we hope you’ve taken the time to learn more about these amazing places. There’s a wildlife refuge in every state, many of them near urban centers. From the everyday relaxation of a walk in the fresh air, to the unexpected thrill of seeing a rare bird or dramatic landscape, experiences at wildlife refuges can make terrific memories. See you out there! Photo of fall foliage at Kenai National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska by Lisa Hupp, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Here’s another spot to celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week. Located in the gorgeous Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge serves as an important resting, feeding and nesting ground for migratory birds along the Atlantic Flyway. With almost 10,000 acres to explore, visitors can enjoy bird watching, fishing, boating, hiking and photography while learning about wildlife and the environment. Photo by Doug Racine, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Don’t you just love a nice autumn walk? The crisp air, the colorful leaves and the creak of the boardwalk under your feet. Located within parts of four New England states: New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut, Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge is the only refuge of its kind to encompass an entire watershed and a great place for the ideal fall stroll. The refuge includes a wide variety of unique habitats such as northern forest valuable as nesting habitat for birds, rivers and streams teeming with fish, and fresh, brackish and salt marshes where you can spot anything from moose to turtles. Photo by David Eisenhauer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Like ribbons of gold, fall colors streak across the landscape at Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska. In these forests and across the tundra, animals fill their bellies and caches with enough food to last them through the coming winter. Every cold breeze is a reminder that this autumn beauty is a farewell to light. Each day sees a little less sun. Each night grows longer and darker. Soon, everything will come to a halt, and dream of spring. Photo by Nathaniel Gonzales (www.sharetheexperience.org).

I like fat bears and I can not lie. Fat Bear Week is finally here! In preparation for the long, harsh winter, brown bears at Katmai National Park & Preserve in Alaska have spent the last months stuffing themselves and packing on the pounds. The chubbiest bears are the ones most likely to emerge healthy next spring. Every year, Katmai features before and after photos of some of the park’s bears so that the public can vote for their favorite husky bears. It’s tons of fun. Vote now: https://explore.org/fat-bear-week Photo of 128 Grazer by A. Ditta, National Park Service.

Flat calm, soft babble, rushing current or thundering rapids, an individual river can change its own mood and character on any given day. Depending on the flow, sitting by a river can be calming or exhilarating. One of the oldest rivers in the world, the New River runs through New River Gorge National River in West Virginia. In all that time, its moving waters cut a canyon more than 1,000 feet deep in the hard stone of the Appalachian Mountains. From riverbank or rim’s edge, it’s an impressive sight. Photo by National Park Service.

Our country’s first national monument, Devils Tower National Monument was established on this day in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt. Unforgettable to all who see it, this ancient volcanic column rises above the rolling grasslands in eastern Wyoming like a sentinel. Northern Plains Tribes have lived near this remarkable geologic formation for thousands of years, and today, several tribes continue to hold traditional ceremonies in the park. The rock tower is called “Bear’s Lodge” or “Bear’s Tipi” by the Arapahoe, Cheyenne, Crow and Lakota tribes. Made famous in the 1977 movie, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” the monument holds an undeniable attraction to many people. Photo by Raymond Lee (www.sharetheexperience.org).

Happy First Day of Fall! Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio is gorgeous in every season, but there’s just something special about Blue Hen Falls as the autumn shades come into their full glory. Over 125 miles of trails are available for your hiking pleasure in the park. These trails range from nearly level to challenging, and pass through various habitats including woodlands, wetlands and fields. Some trails require you to cross streams with stepping stones or log bridges, while others, including the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, are nearly level and are accessible to all visitors. The cooler temperatures and lovely fall colors combined are the perfect invitation for an autumn stroll. Photo courtesy of Gabe Leidy.

Often cloaked in haze and fog, the Cherokee people called the Great Smoky Mountains, “Shaconage,” which means “Land of Blue Smoke.” When the first white settlers reached the area in the late 1700s they found themselves in the land of the Cherokee. The tribe had permanent towns, cultivated croplands, sophisticated political systems and extensive networks of trails. Most of the Cherokee were forcibly removed in the 1830s to Oklahoma in a tragic event known as the “Trail of Tears.” The few who remained are the ancestors of the Cherokees living near Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee today. Photo by Rieza Soelaeman (www.sharetheexperience.org).