Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Spending time along the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina and Virginia can feel like coming across a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Here’s to that feeling of luck and for the next few months bringing the verdant green forests to life. Photo courtesy of Benji Barnes.  

Rare sighting! Male painted buntings bring a burst of color to any scene - with spectacular feathers that look unreal. They are some of the most recognizable and striking songbirds in the country. This particular painted bunting has become a celebrity along the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park for the past several weeks. Normally found much farther south, this bird has stuck around, enjoying the park’s accommodations. Stretching 184.5 miles, the C&O Canal travels through Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C., offering views and access to the stunning Potomac River. Throughout the year, many of the park’s 3 million annual visitors come to enjoy the outdoors, hike, bike, jog, ride horses and if they’re lucky, observe wildlife both expected and unusual. This bright bird has drawn in birders and curious onlookers, respectfully catching glimpses of it as it scours the surrounding plants for food.

Photo courtesy of Stacy Beck. Male painted buntings are the most spectacularly colored of all North American songbirds, with their bold combination of red, blue, green and yellow feathers.

At the end of the Cape Royal Road (and on this August evening, the end of the rainbow), Wotans Throne is a stunning sight along the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. Supported by natural steps and bedecked with green scrubs, the plateau and its finned tail are a massive natural sculpture. Beyond it and far below, the Colorado River flows through the bottom of the canyon, continuing its endless work of shaping this incredible landscape. Photo by Charles Robinson (www.sharetheexperience.org).

Along the Continental Divide, Glacier National Park in Montana sparkles like a crown jewel of public lands. Established in 1910, this glorious park is famous for rugged mountains, pristine forests, spectacular lakes, sublime alpine meadows and wonderful wildlife. Following guidance from the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and state and local public health authorities, Glacier has increased recreational access and services on a limited basis to the western areas of the park, including the stunning Lake McDonald. Photo by National Park Service.

A place of unique and mesmerizing beauty, Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming has a mystical quality that automatically connects people to this amazing place. A stone monolith looming almost 900 feet over the surrounding landscape, it is sacred to the Northern Plains Indians and other tribes, who call it “Bear’s Tipi” or “Bear’s Lodge.” Geologists and Sci-Fi fans are also drawn to it. It really does mean something. Photo by Shu Xu (www.sharetheexperience.org).

A rainbow streaks the desert sky and leads the way to Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Nevada. You won’t find a pot of gold in the refuge, but there are priceless treasures. Nearly 30 species of plants and animals that don’t exist any place else on Earth are found in this isolated wonderland. This unique blossom of life is fed by springs of water flowing up from an ancient aquifer. It’s a special and surprising place. Photo by Alan Nyiri, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service volunteer.

The landscape of Badlands National Park in South Dakota is rough mix of rugged rock formations and grassy prairie. The striking scenery of the stripped spires and jagged canyons may draw your attention, but as you spend more time in this place, the soft prairie comes alive. Stay awhile and get to know the prairie plants and animals as well as the stark badlands and fossil resources. Photo by Sara Feldt, National Park Service.

The waterfalls and granite cliffs provide endless wonder at Yosemite National Park in California. With scenery sculpted by glaciers carving and smoothing the mountains, Yosemite’s waterfalls flow over the rock cliffs making a moonbow or “lunar rainbow” possible. In the spring and early summer, if the sky is clear and the moon is full, it can produce enough light to create a rainbow from a waterfall’s mist. Just another reason why Yosemite is a magical place. Pic courtesy of Dave Lyons.  

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! It takes a bit o’ luck 🍀to capture a scene this epic. This bald eagle crossed in front of a vibrant rainbow, right after a storm on Lake Vermilion. As the fifth largest lake in Minnesota, it’s also known as one of the most beautiful. The lake has hundreds of small public land islands that vary in size, offering a variety of camping options and world-class fishing. Looking for a photo opportunity like this treasure? Keep adventuring on #publiclands. Photo by Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management (@mypubliclands) .

In 1792, America’s first planned industrial city was established around the Great Falls of the Passaic River. Harnessing the power of the falls, cotton and silk mills began to spring up along the river. It was here in Paterson, New Jersey, that the American Industrial Revolution was born, making our country an economic player on the world stage. Today, the history and the stunning falls are protected as Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park. Photo by volunteer Terry McKenna, National Park Service.