The festival will celebrate the monarch butterfly during its migration and bring attention to the species’ declining numbers. Gorges State Park lies along the monarch’s migratory route. The butterflies can be seen in late September each year flying over the park’s visitor center on their way south to the high-elevation fir forests of Mexico’s Neovolcanic Mountains, where they overwinter until early spring. Monarch butterflies have two sets of deep orange and black wings and a wingspan of three to four inches. The migratory subspecies of the monarch was recently added to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s “red list” of the most threatened species on Earth and is now listed as endangered. Those who wish to help monarchs return to healthy population levels can plant locally native milkweed and nectar flowers in their yards and support efforts to reduce pesticide use.

The park requests that those who plan to attend register by clicking here.

This event is FREE and open to the public!

The festival will be held rain or shine.

Please come join us for this first annual event! We can’t put on these events without your support!
Vendors will be selling their hand crafted goods, native plants and much much more!
See beautiful shots of monarch butterflies in our region!
Come join in on the family-friendly fun with activities and crafts, including face painting!
Work your way through all the festival has to offer with your own Monarch Migration passport!
Local food trucks will be there serving up delicious offerings! See logos below for participating vendors.
From lifecycle presentations to guided hikes and conversations with monarch specialists, you’ll be sure to learn a lot during the event!
The Gorges State Park Visitor Center will have Mountain Monarch gear for sale!