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)

Home to some of the country’s largest seabird breeding populations, Quillayute Needles National Wildlife Refuge in #Washington swells with raucous flocks of migrating seabirds in excess of one million during fall and spring migrations. Photo by Melissa Hahn (ShareTheExperience.org).

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.  

Visitors to the Atlantic Coast of South Florida who want a break from the hustle and bustle of this mostly urbanized area will find a welcome respite in northern Palm Beach County. The 120-acre Jupiter Inlet Outstanding Natural Area in Florida packs in a remarkable array of natural and historical resources in addition to its spectacular namesake lighthouse. Photo by Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management.

We crave these wide views of the sky and open road. Desert National Wildlife Refuge’s wild beauty in Nevada is found a short trip from the Las Vegas Strip but feels worlds away. It forms one of the largest intact blocks of desert habitat, and the variety of elevation and rainfall support its diverse patchwork of life zones. Bristlecone pines, bighorn sheep, desert tortoise, collared lizards and golden eagles are just a few of the residents found in the refuge’s 1.6 million acres. A drive through this desert landscape at sunset is simply astounding. When was the last time you could see for miles? Photo by Joshua Contois, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Located close to the Canadian border, Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge is nestled in the corner of northern Maine. Providing lovely wide trails for walks or snowshoeing, the refuge holds the intriguing beauty of a northern hardwood forest. With gorgeous skies and forested habitats interspersed with streams, ponds, wetlands and grasslands, the refuge is 7,750 acres of vital wildlife habitat. Look for moose and moose tracks along the 13 miles of foot access trails. Enjoy tree cover of black and red spruce, balsam fir, white cedar, aspen and red maple. Find calm and quiet comfort in the beauty of this place. Photo sunset over beaver pond by Keith Ramos, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Vermillion Cliffs National Monument in Arizona is a remote 280,000-acre geologic treasure with spectacular trails and views. The cliffs are the second of five “steps” which make up the Grand Staircase of the Colorado Plateau. The time closest to sunrise and sunset, almost always offers the best light for photography and this is especially true in the Vermilion Cliffs and other areas of the Colorado Plateau. Here the rock colors come alive with vibrant reds, oranges and golds with low sun angles, but become washed out during the mid-day. Photo by Bob Wick Bureau of Land Management. 

“Rocks and minerals: the oldest storytellers.” - A.D. Posey

So true! Listening to the City Of Rocks National Reserve in Idaho means letting your eyes dance over fascinating textures and rock formations. Our guess is if the rocks could talk, they’d say something like “Be Boulder” or “Take Nothing for Granite.” But for a place nicknamed the “Silent City”, this may be too much. The rugged landscape attracts scientists, rock climbers, campers, hikers, hunters and those with the spirit of adventure. The scenery tells a geologic story of the massive granite rocks undergoing weathering, mass wasting and erosion. Take the Geological Interpretive Trail and learn their rock and roll history. Photo by National Park Service.

A creamsicle sky over the mountains at Shenandoah National Park in Virginia delivers mesmerizing eye candy. Shenandoah National Park straddles the Blue Ridge, a unique line of mountains forming the easternmost rampart of the great Appalachian Range. The park is bursting with spectacular vistas, cascading waterfalls, fields of wildflowers and quiet wooded trails. Fall colors have mostly come and gone, but many visitors flock each year to see the incredible autumn display during its peak. Shenandoah is only 75 miles from the bustle of Washington, D.C., and a visit brings a breath of fresh mountain air to those who make the journey.

Overlooking a dramatic view of crashing waves and rugged cliffs, it’s always a surprise how much exhilarating views can put the mind at ease. At Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge in Hawaii, the place offers a beacon of hope for wildlife and people alike. Photographer Ryan Fitzsimons explains “out of all of the places on the Hawaiian islands, the Northern side of Kauai is my favorite. It’s quiet, tropical and beautiful. It’s like stepping into the past with minimal people and lots of great birds and other wildlife.” Sometimes, we all need a bit of a break. Why not go where the waves break? Photo courtesy of Ryan Fitzsimons.