Like ribbons of gold, fall colors streak across the landscape at Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska. In these forests and across the tundra, animals fill their bellies and caches with enough food to last them through the coming winter. Every cold breeze is a reminder that this autumn beauty is a farewell to light. Each day sees a little less sun. Each night grows longer and darker. Soon, everything will come to a halt, and dream of spring. Photo by Nathaniel Gonzales (www.sharetheexperience.org).

Happy Summer Solstice! The official start of summer, today is the longest day of the year. Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska is so far north that the park will get over 20 hours of sunlight today and only a few hours of twilight. If we were there, we’d spend that extra daylight exploring this amazing landscape of mountains, forests and tundra while keeping our eyes open for fascinating wildlife. Photo by Kathleen Raine, National Park Service.

Summer green becomes autumn orange in the blink of an eye at Denali National Park in Alaska. Termination dust – what Alaskans call the high altitude snow that signals the end of summer – coats mountains and sprinkles onto valleys. The red leaves of blueberry bushes carpet the landscape and offer bears a last dessert before hibernation. It’s a feast for the eyes. Photo from a previous fall by Tim Rains, National Park Service.

Standing head and shoulders above the crowd, “the Mountain” dominates the landscape of central Alaska. On clear days, it can be seen from as far away as Anchorage and Fairbanks. Within Denali National Park, it appears and disappears as the Denali Park Road winds its way among the smaller mountains along the north edge of the Alaska Range. If you are lucky enough to catch good weather, the sight of the Mountain will leave you speechless. Photo from Stony Hill by National Park Service.

It’s Flag Day! On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress adopted a resolution, “that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field representing a new constellation.“ Changes have been made to the original design as our nation grew, but the Stars and Stripes remains a proud symbol of our country. Here it is flying near the highest place in the United States – Denali National Park & Preserve in Alaska. Photo by Jerome Ginsberg (www.sharetheexperience.org).

Happy Earth Day! Interior protects amazing natural landscapes at public lands across the country, sustains healthy habitat for fish and wildlife, and develops cutting-edge science to better understand the forces that shape the planet. From a family of kayakers at Everglades National Park in Florida to this majestic ground squirrel at Denali National Park in Alaska, we wish everyone and everything on our only home, a positive Earth Day. Photo by Tim Rains, National Park Service.

This time of year, Denali National Park in Alaska gets less than 6 hours of sunlight each day. The sun comes up around 10:30 a.m. and sets at 4:00 p.m. In the dark and cold, you quickly come to appreciate every streak of light across the sky and every moment of warmth on your skin. Still, there is beauty and spring is coming. Photo by Tim Rains, National Park Service.

It’s International Mountain Day! Not only are mountains majestic, they’re also critical to the water cycle, food production and tourism. Denali, America’s tallest mountain, is often shrouded in clouds, but on clear days at Denali National Park & Preserve in Alaska, you can see why its name means “The High One.” Photo by Jacob W. Frank, National Park Service.

Winters can be harsh, though starkly beautiful at Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska. Temperatures can be well below 0 degrees F by November, and on the winter solstice, Denali receives less than 5 hours of true daylight. Those who venture to the park in winter will find plenty to do – from skiing and winter biking to mushing and snowmobiling. Photo by Katie Thoresen, National Park Service.

Fall colors in Alaska are brilliant, but short lived. At Denali National Park and Preserve, the tundra and forests shine in deep reds and vibrant yellows. Already, winter’s blanket of white snow is beginning to cover the landscape and only the most resilient wildlife will remain active. Photo by Michel Hersen (www.sharetheexperience.org).