We’re welcoming the first day of spring with a field full of wildflowers! This gorgeous photo from Cache Creek Wilderness Area in #California reminds us of the beauty and excitement this next season brings. Managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the 27,294 acres of Wilderness are centered on a 17-mile stretch of Cache Creek. Fire had burned this area not long before the fire-prone ecosystem recovered with a field of flowers. Photo by Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management.

Happy birthday, Badlands National Park in South Dakota. First established as a national monument in 1939, Badlands was redesignated as a national park in 1978. Visitors are often surprised by the park’s unexpected beauty. Wild pinnacles and buttes rise starkly out of the seemingly endless mixed grass prairie, a virtual sea of grasses that flow in the breeze towards the horizon. The landscape is dynamic – the light changes, the animals move, the tall spires weather and erode. Look closely and you’ll see every color of the rainbow painted in delicate brush strokes across this dramatic wilderness. And maybe a bighorn sheep, too. Photo by Jon Reynolds (www.sharetheexperience.org).

At more than a mile above sea level, Wall Canyon Wilderness in Nevada offers cool mornings and bright fall colors this time of year. Spread across over 46,000 acres of mountains, canyons, sagebrush hills and wide valleys, it’s easy to leave the outside world behind and immerse yourself in a landscape without roads or trails. Curious small fish swim in the streams and puffy sage-grouse strut through the grass. What a lovely autumn getaway. Photo by Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management.

Ahh, take in those gorgeous mountain views. Centennial Mountains Wilderness Study Area is some of southwest Montana’s wildest country. A vital corridor for wildlife movement, the Wilderness Study Area provides an east-west trending mountain range that connects the Yellowstone Ecosystem with the northern Rocky Mountains. Abundant wildlife such as wolverines, wolves, black and grizzly bears, peregrine falcons and bald eagles are spotted here. The scenic mountains and contrasting colors of the valley provide outstanding opportunities for photography and wildlife viewing. Exploring the backcountry always takes careful preplanning, but rewards you with beauty, especially when the fall colors start to show in September. Photo by Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management.

Handies Peak Wilderness in Colorado is a gorgeous alpine delight. Designated in 1980, the area boasts 12 peaks over 13,000 feet, three alpine lakes and three major canyons with streams. Though its geologic past includes erupting volcanoes and smothering glaciers, most visitors today are struck by the peaceful mountain slopes carpeted in summer wildflowers. Photo by Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management.

A vast view over a patchwork of peaks mimics a painting at the Jim McClure-Jerry Peak Wilderness Area in Idaho. A hike to the top of Jerry Peak greets visitors with magnificent panoramic scenes of surrounding mountain ranges along the way. Aside from great vistas, this rugged region features hiking, fishing, hunting and equestrian use. As a wilderness area, the opportunity to find solitude, “get away” and relax comes with responsibility. Be safe. Recreate responsibly in your public lands and please leave no trace. Photo by Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management. 

Soar over the Aleutian Range, and take in the incredible textures of Becharof National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Alaska. Adjacent to Katmai National Park & Preserve, this wonderland nurtures one of Bristol Bay’s largest sockeye salmon runs, part of the foundation for the local economy. Some six million sockeye salmon run here annually, supporting a wide array of wildlife while contributing to ancient cycles. At a size difficult to comprehend, the refuge protects 1,157,000 acres and includes an active volcano, unusual geological features, historically significant landmarks, and a federally designated Wilderness. Photos by Jeff Jones, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Happy birthday to the Wilderness Act! Wilderness designation now protects over 111 million acres of pristine wild places, providing all Americans a chance for soul-stirring adventures in nature. The Wilderness Act states that wilderness areas “shall be administered for the use and enjoyment of the American people” - and they’ve provided us that and so much more. Wilderness areas continue to inspire us and are vital to our physical and mental health. Photo of rainfall over Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve in Alaska by Neal Herbert, National Park Service.

Some of the wildest and most remote land in Oregon, Steens Mountain Wilderness covers more than 170,000 acres of rugged beauty. The area offers an extraordinary landscape of volcanic uplifts, deep glacier-carved gorges, stunning scenery, rushing rivers and rich diversity of plant and animal species. Popular activities include camping, picnicking, nature photography, hunting, fishing and exploring the open country on foot and horseback. Photo by Bureau of Land Management.

Otherworldly rock formations created by time and natural elements at Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness in New Mexico transport us to a fantasy world. The weathered rock forms pinnacles, spires, cap rocks and other forms that ignite the imagination. Translated from the Navajo language, Bisti (Bis-tie) means “a large area of shale hills” and De-Na-Zin (Deh-nah-zin) is from the Navajo words for “cranes.” This stunning photo by Jessica Fridrich won the Scenic, Seasons & Landscapes Category for the 2018 Share the Experience photo contest (www.sharetheexperience.org).