Join Allen Miller and Dale Kirchner for an evening stroll to explore the nocturnal world at Cacapon State Park!

PVAS Host: Master Naturalists Allen Miller and Dale Kirchner

Free and open to the public. All ages are welcome, though youth must be accompanied by an adult. Registration is required.

Join us to celebrate the full moon and enjoy a silent walk in the dark. If the sky is clear, we will hike by the light of the full moon along the trails at Cacapon State Park. If the evening is cloudy, we will still enjoy an evening stroll as a group. Regardless of the weather, we will enjoy the unique sights, sounds and smells of the nocturnal world together!

Depending on the number of people attending, we might split into smaller groups and partipants can choose between a shorter and a longer hike.

Please dress for the weather. We recommend bringing a flashlight for emergency use only. Please keep the light off unless necessary for safety reasons.

The group will meet outside the Cacapon Resort State Park Lodge entrance. From there they will walk up a road to Upper Lake and back, along the way seeing bats, looking for owls, and looking through a telescope! Those wishing for a longer walk can continue to the North Fork cabins and Allen will share interesting information about the history of the cabins!

Pace: Moderate – steady but able to maintain a conversation.

Terrain: Road

Distance: 1-2 mi

Register Here!

About Allen: Allen Miller was a teacher for 35 years where he spent a large chunk of that time teaching science. Allen is a Morgan County WV resident and currently, a seasonal naturalist at Cacapon Resort State Park. He is a Master Naturalist member in the 2021 cohort.

About Dale: Dale Kirchner retired from Verizon after 30 years of employment and retired from Maryland School for the Blind after 10 years of service. Dale’s passions are nature, history, and baseball. He is currently working on moving and restoring a cabin from 1870 that is on the 15th hole of the golf course at Cacapon. Dale is a member of his local (across from the park entrance) community’s Board of Directors and repeatedly volunteers over a 100-hours per year for the Potomac Valley Master Naturalist chapter.