Mangrove forests, clear bay waters, the northernmost Florida Keys, a portion of the world’s third-largest coral reef, and 10,000 years of human history await you at Biscayne National Park.

Photo: Matt Stock

Though a short distance from the urban areas of Cleveland and Akron, Cuyahoga Valley National Park seems worlds away. The park is a refuge for native plants and wildlife, and provides routes of discovery for visitors. The winding Cuyahoga River gives way to deep forests, rolling hills, and open farmlands. Walk or ride the Towpath Trail to follow the historic route of the Ohio & Erie Canal.

Photo: National Park Service 

Covering 3.3 million acres of rugged mountains, dynamic glaciers, temperate rainforest, wild coastlines, and deep sheltered fjords, Glacier Bay National Park is a highlight of Alaska’s Inside Passage and part of a 25-million acre World Heritage Site-one of the world’s largest international protected areas. From summit to sea, Glacier Bay offers limitless opportunities for adventure and inspiration

Here, just 200 years ago stood the snout of a 100-mile long glacier. Though icebergs no longer dot the waters of Bartlett Cove, the animals, plants, and landscape continue to change after being affected by the Neoglacial Ice Age.

Photo by T. Rains