Last light falls across the Painted Desert. A window in the Wupatki Pueblo, reveals stories from the past.  

Visiting Wupatki National Monument in Arizona leaves one in awe of those who once lived there. The Hopi call these pueblos “The footprints of our ancestors.” Though no longer inhabited, these stone homes still hold the history of today’s Pueblo people.

Photo by Brad Sutton. Photo description: A sunset colored sky with clouds sits behind the shadowed remains of an old stone home.

Located on the Colorado Plateau in northern Arizona, the @mypubliclands Vermilion Cliffs National Monument is a geologic treasure. Known more for its colorful stone waves, the secret to this monument is the pristine night skies.

Photo by Lawrence Pallant. Photo description: A night sky filled with stars hangs over a plated rocky hill with a lone green pine tree in the middle

Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument in Arizona preserves a story of destruction and renewal that was written in the landscape over 1000 years ago. Memories of the eruption live on in the stories and traditions of today’s Pueblo people. 

In the immediate aftermath of the eruption, the area around Sunset Crater volcano was no longer farmable. People relocated to nearby Walnut Canyon and Wupatki, where they found that thinner layers of ash and cinders helped the soil hold precious moisture and actually benefited crops. Agriculture and trade flourished for about 100 years before people once again moved on. 

The history and stories preserved at the monument and with the descendants that once lived there, teaches how nature and humankind affect each other—and how rebirth and renewal happen in the wake of disaster. 

Photo by Jim Kiser (sharetheexperience.org) Photo description: Hundreds of yellow wildflowers scatter across a field while the sun sets near a large cinder volcano in the distance.

Canyon de Chelly National Monument in Arizona is part of the traditional homelands of the Diné people, who have lived there for over 1,000 years. Many still reside within the canyon and its rim. This photo was taken in 2005, and shows Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and her child Somáh. On this Mother’s Day, we’re wishing you peace and nourishing time in the outdoors. Photo courtesy of Alexandra N. Harris

Grand Canyon National Park remains a homeland and a sacred place to a number of Tribal communities. The canyon offers us an opportunity to consider the powerful and spiritual ties between people and place. Eleven contemporary Tribes have cultural links to this homeland, and their oral histories are rich with references to the creation of this great chasm and torrential river. National Park Week Photo by Michael Swindle (sharetheexperience.org)

Team Public Lands Tip: Know before you go. Check agency websites or stop by a contact station before you set out to learn about fees, pick up permits, check the weather and make a plan. Know your limits and pack the proper gear for your public lands adventure. Photo of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area by Darsh Patel (www.sharetheexperience.org). https://www.doi.gov/blog/welcome-team-public-lands  

Swirling sandstone with smooth edges makes for a striking contrast in this remote section of Vermilion Cliffs National Monument in Arizona. Home to extraordinary formations, this area, known as White Pocket, is only accessible by ATV’s or 4-wheel-drive vehicles. Please bring plenty of your own water, proper hiking footwear, and a #TeamPublicLands mindset, that will leave this place for others to enjoy. Photo by Jessica Fridrich (www.sharetheexperience.org)

Do you hear the buzzing of spring? The desert lily’s sweet fragrance attracts many types of bees and butterflies. The flower grows in southeastern California and western Arizona, and this photo was taken at Bureau of Land Management’s Desert Lily Preserve. Desert lilies grow from a bulb deep within the ground, with a thick stem of 1-4 feet tall. Its large flowers are cream-colored and funnel-shaped and appear in clusters that can be up to a foot long. When spring hits the desert, these blooms are a welcome sight. Photo by Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management

Colorful cottonwoods deliver a brilliant fall display in this shot of Canyon de Chelly National Monument in Arizona. Canyon de Chelly is on Navajo Tribal lands and has over 5,000 years of continual human occupancy. Beginning with the archaic hunter and gatherer people and followed by the Basketmaker People, the Ancestral Puebloan People and then the Hopi Tribe. After the Hopi, the Early Navajo people occupied the canyons, and they are still the current people who call the canyons home. The monument is currently closed to visitors and tourism.  

Photo by Nina Mayer Ritchie, who pulled over on her way home from work to marvel at the valley’s glow from the descending sun.  

Happy birthday to us! Our lack of wrinkles is from all the low stress recreation we do on America’s public lands. Here’s to another 172 years of conserving the nation’s natural and cultural heritage, honoring our relationship with Tribes and managing our public lands. Photo by Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management.