Stretching from the Maine coast to inland forests and dotted with lakes and marshes, Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge welcomes 300,000 nature enthusiasts a year. Exploring miles of trails from dawn to dusk, visitors can observe wildlife and take in the beauty of nature all while honoring the memory of world-renowned marine biologist, author and environmentalist Rachel Carson. Photo by Judy Grabowicz (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).

A vibrant sunset over a carpet of wildflowers at Pine Forest Range Wilderness in northern Nevada. The area is an island in the sky rising almost 6,000 feet above the desert floor to rocky peaks that top out at around 10,000 feet. The range has been glaciated, and has several cirque lakes which are very uncommon in the Great Basin. It makes for some exceptional views, doesn’t it? Photo by Bob Wick, @mypubliclands.

The first sun rays at Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah cast light and shade over a stone forest of amazing rock formations. Photographer Daniel Madrigal was at the park to shoot this inspiring scene. “The shadow, texture and color explosion that is Bryce is absolutely stunning. The light changes by the minute. One could spend a lifetime there and never capture the same thing twice.” Photo courtesy of Daniel Madrigal.