If you’re visiting Glacier National Park in Montana, we recommend adding Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument to your trip. Famous for its riverside cliffs, the monument spans 149 miles of the Upper Missouri River and includes six wilderness study areas. This amazing landscape has remained largely unchanged in the more than 200 years since Meriwether Lewis and William Clark traveled through it on their epic journey. Within the monument you can float the river, fish, hike, hunt, drive for pleasure, find a little solitude, enjoy a sense of exploration in a remote setting, or simply marvel at the variety of natural beauty. Check out more national park neighbors to add to your next adventure: https://on.doi.gov/SideTrips. Photo by Bob Wick, @mypubliclands.

DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge in Iowa and Nebraska lies on the wide plain formed by the flooding and shifting of the Missouri River. Each spring and fall since the end of the last ice age, spectacular flights of ducks and geese have marked the changing seasons along this traditional waterfowl flyway. Land clearing, drainage projects and flood control measures during the past 150 years have transformed the Missouri River floodplain from diverse wildlife habitat to farmland. DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge is part of a network of refuges devoted to preserving and restoring increasingly scarce habitat for migratory waterfowl and other wildlife. Photo by Andrew Loftis (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).

Wildflowers carpet the hillside at Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area. The 23,000-acre area is truly an oasis in the desert with four perennial waterways that are the lifeline for this remarkable place. The Gila River canyon section, known as the Gila Box, is composed of patchy mesquite woodlands, mature cottonwoods, sandy beaches and grand buff-colored cliffs. Bonita Creek – popular for birdwatching, hiking and picnicking – is lined with large cottonwoods, sycamores and willows. Cliff dwellings, historic homesteads, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and over 200 species of birds make this year-round watery Arizona spot worth the drive. Photo by Bob Wick, @mypubliclands.

The superbloom has migrated north to California’s Central Valley, and the show is simply indescribable at Carrizo Plain National Monument. The Valley floor has endless expanses of yellows and purples from coreopsis, tidy tips and phacelia, with smaller patches of dozens of other species. Not to be outdone, the Temblor Range is painted with swaths of wildlflowers in oranges yellow and purple like something out of a storybook. Visitors are flocking to the area to see this explosion of color, and travelers should be prepared with a full tank of gas as there are no services in the monument. Photos by Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management (@mypubliclands).

The beauty of nature is a joy we can all share. Every sunrise is a chance to reflect on how we are all connected to the world we live in. For tens of thousands of years, humans have changed, and have been changed by these lands and waters. At Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida, first came the Calusa, followed by European explorers of the 1500s, then the Miccosukee, Seminole and other settlers to the area. The rugged terrain challenged many early travelers as they established the watery wilderness of the swamp as their home. Photo by National Park Service.

Many Glacier is considered the heart of Glacier National Park in Montana. Massive mountains, active glaciers, sparkling lakes, hiking trails and abundant wildlife make this a favorite of visitors and locals alike. Photo from last summer at Swiftcurrent Lake courtesy of Tiffany Nguyen.

Some cleared roads in Yellowstone National Park opened for bicyclists this week. Work continues to open major routes to cars by April 21. Soon, millions of people will visit the park to enjoy its amazing natural wonders. Just remember, bison always have the right of way. Photo by National Park Service.

March is the start of Florida’s sea turtle nesting season. 🐢  Female sea turtles leave the ocean to dig nests and lay golf ball-size eggs in the sand. Visiting a Florida beach? Do your part to help sea turtles – leave the beach as natural as possible by removing beach furniture and other obstacles before sunset each day. Photo of Loggerhead hatchlings by Tonya Long, Florida Fish and Wildlife.

An impressive mix of pine savannas and wetlands, Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge straddles the border of Alabama and Mississippi and preserves a uniquely southern environment. With only 5 percent of wet pine savanna remaining across its originally range, the refuge is home to many unusual plants, including 9 species of carnivorous plants. Discover these and other marvels as you explore this remarkable place. Photo by Tom Carlisle via U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

It’s Manatee Appreciation Day! These gentle giants can grow to over 14 feet in length and weigh in at over 3,000 pounds. Also, known as “sea cows,” manatees feed on seagrasses and other aquatic plants. Today, the total population is estimated to be at least 13,000 manatees, with more than 6,500 in the southeastern United States and Puerto Rico. When aerial surveys began in 1991, there were only an estimated 1,267 manatees in Florida. Photo from Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge by David Schrichte, SUP Photographer. More fun facts about manatees: http://ift.tt/2o76yBe