News Release

Moonlight Hike

News Release Date: May 22, 2018

Contact: Mike Weinstein, 505-425-8025 ext 248

Watrous, NM: Fort Union National Monument will be sponsoring a guided tour of the fort by full moonlight on Monday evening, May 28 beginning at 8:30 pm. This will be an opportunity for visitors to experience the tranquility of Fort Union by the beauty of moonlight!

A park ranger will lead this lovely evening tour, and bring together the history of the fort and stories from the stars. This is a free program and will last till 10:00 pm. The evening stroll along the park trail will be about one mile in length over flat terrain. Visitors should bring water, a light jacket, and wear comfortable shoes.

The monument will be open from 5:00 pm through the moonlight tour, so this is an opportunity for visitors to have a picnic dinner at the park before enjoying the night-time program!

Fort Union National Monument has applied to be an officially designated International Dark Skies Park. The park and the area is a spectacular resource that reflects the criteria as a dark sky resource. Due to its remoteness, high elevation, distance from urbanization, dry air and clear skies, and status as a unit of the National Park System, Fort Union has the ability to preserve, protect, and promote night sky values. The Starry Skies in Northern NM are some of the best in America!

This is the second of four night sky programs at your favorite backyard National Park!

Fort Union (1851-1891) was the largest frontier military post and supply center of the southwest. The National Park Service preserves and protects the historic Fort Union and ruts of the Santa Fe Trail.

To visit the monument, take Exit 366 off I-25 at Watrous, NM, onto State Hwy. 161, 8 miles. Park hours are 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. For more information and a complete schedule of events, contact
Fort Union National Monument at [phone] X 0, or visit www.nps.gov/foun.