Early morning sun creates a tunnel of light along the Craggy Pinnacle Trail on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. As fall colors fade and snow covers the upper elevations, the Blue Ridge Parkway offers amazing views of rolling mountains trimmed with frost and fog. This is a park that keeps you coming back. Photo by Michael Sherburne (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).

A serious bird with a playful look, Northern Hawk Owls live year round in Alaska. Able to spot prey a half mile away, this skilled hunter can also seize small animals hiding under a foot of snow. This one at Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge is keeping his eyes on you. Photo by Lisa Hupp, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The sky is ablaze with color during sunset at Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge in Montana. This wildlife refuge rests among the prairie potholes of the Mission Valley to serve primarily as a refuge and breeding ground for native birds. Photo by Dave Fitzpatrick, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Covering over 400,000 acres in southeast Georgia, Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is one of the largest intact freshwater ecosystems in the world. The swamp is home to over 600 plant species and provides habitat for an amazing variety of amphibians and birds. You can also see black bears and of course, American alligators. Here’s one swimming towards a rainbow. Photo by Sarah Wyatt, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

It’s International Mountain Day! Not only are mountains majestic, they’re also critical to the water cycle, food production and tourism. Denali, America’s tallest mountain, is often shrouded in clouds, but on clear days at Denali National Park & Preserve in Alaska, you can see why its name means “The High One.” Photo by Jacob W. Frank, National Park Service.

Winters can be harsh, though starkly beautiful at Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska. Temperatures can be well below 0 degrees F by November, and on the winter solstice, Denali receives less than 5 hours of true daylight. Those who venture to the park in winter will find plenty to do – from skiing and winter biking to mushing and snowmobiling. Photo by Katie Thoresen, National Park Service.

We hope you enjoy the weekend as much as this fox playing King of the Hill at Lake Clark National Park and Preserve in Alaska. Photo by J. Mills, National Park Service.

A golden sunrise warms the frosty morning at Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota. With over 40 percent of the park covered by lakes, rivers and streams, Voyageurs is a maze of interconnected waterways. These waters were the transportation corridors for the park’s namesake, the voyageurs, and are the basis for recreation in the park today. Winter visitors can enjoy skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, ice fishing, sledding and driving on ice roads. Photo by National Park Service.

On a quiet morning 76 years ago today, Imperial Japanese forces attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. More than 2,400 Americans were killed and 1,100 more wounded. Twenty-one ships of the Pacific Fleet were sunk or damaged, including the USS Arizona. Shocked and angered by the attack, the country joined the Allied forces to fight World War II, inspired by the call of “Remember Pearl Harbor.” A moving reminder of the service and sacrifice of those who fought, the USS Arizona Memorial is jointly administered by the U.S. Navy and the National Park Service. Photo by National Park Service.

On this day in 1947, Everglades National Park was established, protecting one of the largest wetlands in the world. Seventy years later, it remains an international treasure attracting visitors from all over who come to see the park’s mangroves, River of Grass, and unique array of plants and animals found nowhere else on the planet. As we celebrate the 70th anniversary of this south Florida park, test your knowledge with 10 interesting facts about the Everglades: https://on.doi.gov/2j0PyMd 

Photo by James Pion (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).