Fort Washington Park

10/24/2026

🌇Enjoy the fort after dark on this special tour.🌇

Join our rangers for a guided tour on 10/31 from 6:00pm to 7:30pm at the Visitor Center Circle.

Learn what life was like for the soldiers that were garrisoned at Fort Washington in the early 1860s. This will be a guided tour around the fort; some parts of the fort will be inaccessible due to safety. Bring a flashlight and comfortable walking shoes.

For more information: https://www.facebook.com/share/1EBwemrUVg/

🎃This is not a ghost tour or paranormal investigation; it will focus on stories of people that once lived and served Fort Washington.

NPS Photo/C. Kosasih

10/16/2026

⭐Urgent dispatch from headquarters: Upcoming tour!⭐

Noble patriots! Sons of the Union! Join your countrymen for our Fort Washington by Candlelight tour.

Spend an evening with the Fort Washington Guard.
🗓️October 31st
⏰6:00 pm to 7:30 pm

Our staff will show you the ins and outs of the fort and explore the history that took place at the site as the Civil War began in 1861.

Wear comfortable shoes and bring a flashlight.

For more information, check out our Facebook event page here: https://www.facebook.com/share/1K6vXxJDEc/

NPS Photo/M. Woollard & C/ LaBarge

10/11/2026

Get ready to forge some new memories at this year's fall festival! 🔥

Mark your calendars for October 17! The National Park Service will be hosting a fall festival at Oxon Hill Farm from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. The free event will feature a collection of fall-themed activities for all ages, including a blacksmith!

For more information and a schedule of events please visit: https://go.nps.gov/fall-festival

NPS Photo/ C. LaBarge & J. Alvares

10/10/2026

Join a park ranger tomorrow for our new "Nuts About Black Walnuts! Ink Making and Art Drop-In" program!

🗓️ Oct 11th, at 9:30 AM
📍Fort Washington Park
✅Free, no registration required
⏰Drop-in program. Join at any time!

Black walnut trees are a staple of Maryland’s ecosystem. The tree and nut have many uses from shelter and medicine to food and art! Join a ranger and help them make black walnut ink. Then let your creativity shine painting outdoors with that very same ink!

We suggest wearing something you don’t mind staining as black walnut ink is difficult to remove and stains easily. This is a drop-in program so feel free to join anytime during the activity.

Learn more: https://go.nps.gov/1f2w6m

NPS Photo/Rock Creek Park, M. Woollard

10/07/2026

What better way to start the cozy season than joining us for a brand-new interactive ranger program?

Come to our site for "Nuts About Black Walnuts! Ink Making and Art Drop-In"
🗓️ Oct 11th, at 9:30 AM
📍Fort Washington Park
✅Free, no registration required
⏰Drop-in program. Join at any time!

Black walnut trees are a staple of Maryland’s ecosystem. The tree and nut have many uses from shelter and medicine to food and art! Join a ranger and help them make black walnut ink. Then let your creativity shine painting outdoors with that very same ink!

We suggest wearing something you don’t mind staining as black walnut ink is difficult to remove and stains easily. This is a drop-in program so feel free to join anytime during the activity.

Learn more:https://go.nps.gov/1f2w6m

NPS Photo/M. Haddock, KSU, Tallgrass Prairie National Reserve

10/05/2026

Today’s homework: thank a teacher.

National parks are places where students can learn about history by standing where it happened, explore science by observing nature, and discover stories that help us better understand the people and places that shaped our world.

Behind those experiences are teachers helping students ask questions, make connections, and learn about the world around them.

On World Teachers’ Day, we celebrate the educators who inspire curiosity, encourage exploration and remind us that learning can happen just about anywhere. (Including places with a really good view.)

Learn more at: https://www.nps.gov/teachers/index.htm

NPS Image

10/05/2026

Every day from October 12 to November 5, 2026, visit Mission San José's granary during park hours (9am-5pm) to view the mission descendant community's family ofrendas.

Ofrendas are an essential part of Dia de los Muertos/Day of the Dead. The word ofrenda means offering in Spanish. They are also called "altares" or altars, but not for worship. These altars are not only full of family pictures, but of symbols and meaning, honoring the ancestors who have passed, and offering them items of the celebration such a "pan de mu**to" and marigold flowers.

NPS Photo

10/04/2026

Whew, what a landing! Maybe he’s in a rush for lunch?

This young sharp shinned hawk swooping in for a landing at Fort Washington Park is just one example of the many animals you can see while exploring here. With so many incredible animals around us it's hard to pick just one for World Animal Day!

Wondering how we know this is a young hawk? Here's a fun fact: sharp shinned hawk eyes change color as they age. Juveniles have yellow, yellow-grey or brown eyes that shift with age into a striking red. It’s a nifty feature for the young to ensure they’re hidden.

If you keep an eagle eye out, you might just spot one of these amazing birds on your next visit to Fort Washington Park. 🦅

What's your favorite bird fun fact?

NPS Photo/Fort Washington Park

10/04/2026

“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” — Anne Shirley, Anne of Green Gables

And we’re rather glad there are national parks to experience them in. Fall is a great time to get outside and enjoy the spectacular spectacle (say that five times fast) of changing leaves. There is plenty of room for imagination when you find yourself surrounded by forests painted in brilliant shades of red, orange, and gold. In our experience, you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will. So consider this your invitation to find a little wonder, a little enchantment, and perhaps a kindred spirit among the trees.

Forests, woods, and shrublands in national parks put on their autumn colors from September through December. There’s a whole world of beauty waiting to be explored!

Image 1: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Image 2: Great Smoky Mountains NP
Image 3: Great Sand Dunes NPP
Image 4: Rocky Mountain National Park
Image 5: TheodoreRooseveltNPS

10/03/2026

“On October 3rd, he asked what day it was.” — Cady Heron

It’s October 3rd.

October is kind of a big deal around here. The autumn months splash many national parks with a rich array of fall colors, while cooler temperatures have wildlife getting ready for winter. Some are migrating. Some are gathering food. Some are putting on extra layers.

Same, honestly.

So whether you’re here for the foliage, the wildlife, or simply to judge the leaves on their color palette, national parks are a pretty fetch place to experience fall. Fetch? We’re making it happen.

And if you want to keep up with what’s happening in parks this season, you can find more ways to connect with your national parks at the link below.
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/npscelebrates/fall-season.htm

Image: Red Osier Dogwood leaves stand out against aspen trunks at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. NPS/Patrick Myers

10/02/2026

10/02/2026

Wherever military life takes you, there’s likely a park adventure nearby.

Active-duty military members, Veterans, and Gold Star families can get a free America the Beautiful Pass, providing access to national parks and federal recreation sites across the country.

Active-duty military families can also find free events, nearby outdoor opportunities, and resources for exploring national parks, public lands, and waterways through the Military Families Outdoors Program, wherever military life takes them. Visit: go.nps.gov/mfo

Whether you’re PCSing, exploring near your duty station, or looking for a weekend adventure, your next park visit may be closer than you think.

NPS Photo: Rangers at Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park recently teamed up with Blue Star Families and community partners for a day of fishing, outdoor fun, and family time at Fletchers Cove.

Blue Star Families Defense Public Health

10/01/2026

Fat Bear Week has officially lumbered to a close.

What a week. As they say, a journey of roughly 3,000 to 4,500 calories begins with a single salmon. Something like that. There might be some steps involved too.

In the end, 16 bears entered. Bear 89 “Backpack” became champion. Talk about the hunger games. And several ate their way into our hearts. Figuratively. And thousands of us humans spent an unreasonable amount of time judging bears for being excellent at being, well, bears.

It was a week of big bellies, bigger appetites, and absolutely no regrets. We shared some science, learned about the Alaskan ecosystem, stood around for hours watching large mammals eat, and found multiple way to incorporate “chonk” in everyday vocabulary.

Now the bears have more important things to do, such as eating then sleeping, a bit more eating, sleeping, and finally preparing to sleep after eating. As for the rest of us, we all return to our regularly scheduled programming.

Must we?

We must.

We will miss you, Fat Bear Week. Until next year: stay chunky, stay hungry, and remember: there’s always room for one more salmon.

NPS Images

10/01/2026

10/01/2026

Now that Fat Bear Week is over, it's time for Chunky Puppy Day! Tune in to the Puppy Cam tomorrow, Thursday, October 1, at 2pm AK time to find out how big the America's Best Idea litter got this summer.

How much do you think they weigh now? Share your guesses in the comments below.

NPS Photo: Graupel from the Weather litter during a weigh-in last year.

09/30/2026

This is the ideal marmot body. You may not like it. You may not understand it. But this is what peak performance looks like.

Now that Fat Bear Week is over, we’re returning to our regularly scheduled programming: other fat mammals.

The tundra-dwelling yellow-bellied marmots have been preparing for hibernation for the last couple of months. Since marmots spend more than half their lives hibernating, they’ve developed some impressive adaptations for surviving the winter:

✅ First, they’ve been building up healthy fat reserves (sound familiar? Bears. Us too, but that’s another post) to sustain them for up to eight months. Basically, a nice winter savings account.

✅ When they finally enter hibernation, they become true hibernators, slowing their heart rate from around 200 beats per minute to as low as 30. It’s an impressive energy-saving strategy.

✅ Speaking of saving, they also save on utilities by cuddling up with the colony in a communal burrow. Because heating is expensive, and roommates are the answer. Was that on the lease?

NPS Photo: A rotund marmot standing on a rock at Rocky Mountain National Park

09/29/2026

The days are getting shorter and fall is in the air -- I could use a cup of coffee! 🍵

Since the Boston Tea Party, coffee has been second to none as America's favorite drink. No one knows this better than our men and women in uniform who rely on it to get the job done.

Coffee was vitally important for morale and productivity. Sutlers, civilian merchants who sold provisions to the military, knew this very well. Given that sutlers often sold to a captive audience, they were not allowed to set their own prices. The record pictured here from Fort Washington during the civil war shows prices agreed on ahead of time. Coffee was to be sold for 45 cents per pound.

While 45 cents is not a lot today, privates in the Federal army were paid $12.00 a month. That means a pound of coffee cost more than a day's wages!

What role does coffee play in your life?

Have you had a nice hot cup while overlooking the Potomac lately?

Photo Credit/National Archives; M. Woollard

09/27/2026

On September 13, 2026, the Maryland Army National Guard held an activation ceremony for the newly formed 628th Intelligence and Electronic Warfare Battalion right here at Fort Washington.

Fort Washington has hosted many military ceremonies throughout its history. The 628th activation ceremony kept that storied tradition alive. These soldiers are in good company alongside many other men and women who served at Fort Washington.

Pictured here are the 628th Battalion in 2026, Battery A, 4th Artillery Regiment in 1898, Students of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps in 1935, and the 67th WAC Detachment in World War II.

1. MD Army National Guard, 2. NPS/ Charles Towers, 3. National Archives, 4. NPS/ Shirley Hassler

09/26/2026

Don’t be sheepish...join us for a fun filled day at the Oxon Hill Farm Fall Festival!

Mark your calendars for October 17! The National Park Service will be hosting a fall festival at Oxon Hill Farm from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. The free event will feature a collection of fall-themed activities for all ages, including a sheepdog demonstration!

For more details and a full schedule of activities, please visit: https://go.nps.gov/fall-festival

NPS Photo/C. LaBarge and J. Alvares

09/25/2026

What a “deer”!

Mom is away on a foraging trip, and this little guy is holding down the fort. This white-tailed fawn is an example of a deer found at Fort Washington Park! If you see a white-tailed deer on your next visit to the park, please be a “deer” and give them ample space to forage.

Approaching deer is never advisable and is especially dangerous in the winter. In the colder months deer need to store energy as foraging becomes scarce. Fleeing from curious humans can burn precious and vital energy stores.

Please admire all wildlife from afar no matter the weather.

NPS Photo