The Great Smoky Mountains National Park proves that the eastern part of the country has some pretty spectacular mountains to visit.

Photo: Dan Sherman

Happy National Fishing and Boating Week everyone! We hope you all get a chance to get outdoors a cast a line like this person at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina. 

During National Fishing and Boating Week, many areas – including the District of Columbia – provide free fishing (no license required) as a way to encourage people to go fishing. Local activities that promote fishing, boating and conservation can be found here. 

Photo: Sharon Canter

Swans taking flight at sunset over Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina.

Photo: Ginny Gillam

Happy Mother’s Day everyone! Here’s a picture of a Red Wolf with its cubs at Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina, which serves as the core area for reintroducing Red Wolves into the wild.

Photo: Greg Koch

The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is located in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. The refuge consists of over 112,000 acres of forested wetlands. Lake Drummond, at 3,100 acres and the largest natural lake in Virginia, is located in the heart of the swamp.

The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge trails are open everyday for hiking and biking from sunrise to sunset unless otherwise posted. The refuge headquarters is located at 3100 Desert Road in Suffolk, Virginia, and is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 am - 4:00 pm. The headquarters is closed on weekends and federal holidays, the hiking and biking trails remain open.

Photo: Brian Hawkins, USFWS 

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is world renowned for its diversity of plant and animal life, the beauty of its ancient mountains, and the quality of its remnants of Southern Appalachian mountain culture. This was America’s most visited national park in 2011, with over nine million visitors.

Photo: National Park Service 

This January 2012 photo captures morning light on the Pines Trail at Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge along the North Carolina - Virginia border. The refuge consists of over 112,000 acres of forested wetlands. Lake Drummond, at 3,100 acres and the largest natural lake in Virginia, is located in the heart of the swamp.

Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service