Many visitors come to appreciate the most beautiful view of Delicate Arch in Arches National Park by hiking a 3-mile round trip trail and waiting until the last light shines on it. However, most of them leave after sunset, only a few knows the secret charms of the dark. With some little tricks of artificial lighting and long exposure, the prominent southwest landmark also shines under a starry night sky.

Photo: Wan Shi

At 13.2 million acres which is bigger than the country of Switzerland, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve stretches from one of the tallest peaks in North America, Mount St. Elias (18,008) to the ocean. Yet within this wild landscape, people have been living off the land for centuries and still do today. The park is a rugged yet inviting place to experience your own adventure.

Photo: National Park Service

Who is ready for summer? This photo from Glacier National Park is getting us excited for the warmer months right around the corner.

Photo: National Park Service

The Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, the largest of three sequoia groves within Yosemite National Park, contains approximately 500 mature giant sequoias. The significance of this grove was recognized by Abraham Lincoln when he signed the Yosemite Grant on June 30, 1864, a landmark bill that set aside and protected Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove. The giant sequoias are among the largest and oldest living things on earth.

Photo: National Park Service

If you were hiking in America’s great outdoors right now, this could be you.

For ideas on how to enjoy our public lands, check out www.recreation.gov today!

Photo: Bureau of Land Management

Mysteries of Sonoran Desert life are slowly revealed and abundantly displayed at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. This International Biosphere Reserve, is an ecorich collection of plants and animals that have adapted to living throughout this surprisingly diverse geological landscape. Scenic drives, wilderness hikes and camping can lead to unravelling the mysteries that await your discovery. 

Photo: National Park Service 

Lake Mead National Recreation Area offers year-round recreational opportunities for boating, fishing, hiking, photography, picnicking and sightseeing. It is also home to thousands of desert plants and animals, adapted to survive where rain is scarce and temperatures can soar.

Photo: National Park Service 

Yosemite Falls is flowing again! Thanks to recent rain and snow, it should continue flowing at least until mid to late summer next year.

 To learn more about Yosemite Falls, click here.

Photo: National Park Service 

Before highways and railways, before pioneers, even before Columbus…..the land we know as the United States was truly a vast wilderness. To protect these last remaining areas, in 1984 Congress created the Paria Canyon - Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness. Paria Canyon’s outstanding scenery, desert wildlife, colorful history, and opportunities for primitive recreation will remain free from the influence of man and are protected in this condition for future generations. Its 112,500 acres beckon adventurers who yearn for solitude, scenic splendor, and the chance to explore one of the longest and deepest slot canyons in the world.

Vermilion Cliffs National Monument Manager Kevin Wright hikes Coyote Buttes South in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness area within the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument in Arizona. 

Photo: Rachel Tueller, Bureau of Land Management

This landscape testifies to nature’s size, beauty, and diversity - huge mountains, rugged foothills, deep canyons, vast caverns, and the world’s largest trees.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks lie side by side in the southern Sierra Nevada, east of the San Joaquin Valley. Visitor activities vary by season and elevation (1,370 to 14,494 feet).

Photo: Kristin Glover, National Park Service