Happy Fathers Day! A father’s love runs as deep as the Grand Canyon. Thanks to all the dads for being such great teachers, providers and comedians. Enjoy your day (and if you’re heading outdoors, be sure to bring plenty of water – it’s going to be HOT)! Photo of Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona by W. Tyson Joye, National Park Service.

Wilderness areas are places untamed by humans. They protect America’s pristine wild lands from development so they will not disappear. Of Yosemite National Park’s 1,200 square miles, nearly 95 percent of it is designated as wilderness and many consider the park the gateway to California’s other unspoiled wilderness areas. Pictured here is Cathedral Peak along the John Muir Trail glowing with the setting sun.

This weekend, President Obama and the First Family are exploring the wonders of Yosemite. Follow along @whitehouse. 

Photo by Vivek Vijaykumar (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).

Handies Peak Wilderness Study Area in Colorado is breathtaking in the summer. Handies Peak rises 14,048 feet over the area, and this vibrant wilderness also hosts three major canyons, glacial cirques and three alpine lakes. Handies Peak is one of more than 500 wilderness study areas – lands unspoiled by roads or other development that provide outstanding opportunities for solitude. Photo by Bob Wick, @mypubliclands.

Similar to national parks, national conservation areas are designated by Congress and feature scientific, cultural, historical and recreational features. They’re places like California’s King Range National Conservation Area, where the dominate feature is a spectacular meeting of land and sea. Mountains seem to thrust straight out of the surf. King Peak, the highest point at 4,088 feet, is only three miles from the ocean. Showing dazzling spring colors, the unique landscape and abundant wildlife make this fascinating place perfect for everything from scientific study to extreme recreation.

Learn more about the different types of public lands: on.doi.gov/1PpdkFx

Photo by Bob Wick, @mypubliclands.