Carrizo Plain National Monument is one of the best kept secrets in California. Only a few hours from Los Angeles, Carrizo Plain offers visitors a rare chance to be alone with nature. This remote monument – traversed by the San Andreas Fault, which has carved valleys, and created and moved mountains – is seen in subtle alignment of ridges, ravines, and normally dry ponds. When conditions are right (like this year), numerous wildflowers carpet the valley floor. Although short lived, it can be breathtaking. Check out a few tips for planning a trip: https://on.doi.gov/2o5lICE.  

Photo of Monday’s full moon 🌝  + 🌼 by Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management (@mypubliclands). #TrackTheBloom

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Florida was once a part of the 140,000 acres of land acquired by NASA for the John F. Kennedy Space Center. In 1963, the wildlife refuge was established on some of the unused land. Today, the refuge is home to over 1,000 species of animals and plants, making it an ideal place for birdwatching, hiking and fishing. If you plan it just right, you can see a rocket launch. Photo by Mike Ballard  (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl). Check out other public lands side trips: https://on.doi.gov/SideTrips

From the bottom of the deepest glacial fjord to the summit of its highest peak, Glacier Bay National Park encompasses some of our continent’s most amazing scenery and wildness. If we need a place to intrigue and inspire us, this is it. Alaska’s Glacier Bay is a living laboratory, a designated wilderness, a biosphere reserve and a world heritage site. It’s a marine park, where great adventure awaits by boating into inlets, coves and close to its dynamic, namesake glacier. It’s also a land park, with its snow-capped mountains, spectacular glaciers and vast forests. Photo by National Park Service.

Of the seven sets of dunes in Death Valley National Park, Mesquite Flat Dunes are the most famous and easiest to visit. If you look closely, you can see visitors enjoying a hike along the ridgeline of the dunes. Photo courtesy of Josiah Roe.