A great blue heron enjoys an amazing sunset at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Located on the southern coast of Virginia, Back Bay provides feeding and resting habitat for migratory birds. The refuge contains over 9,250 acres and is a great place for boating, biking and enjoying the beautiful views. Photo by Robert Merrill (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).

Channel Islands National Park in California encompasses five remarkable islands and the dynamic ocean waters around them. Isolation over thousands of years has created unique animals, plants and archeological resources found nowhere else on Earth. And if that isn’t enough, the sunsets are amazing. Photo by Kurt Schuette (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona protects spectacular wilderness in the heart of the Sonoran Desert. The park is the only place in the United States where visitors can see large stands of organ pipe cacti, which can live to be more than 150 years old. Explore this Southwest gem with activities like hiking, camping, wildflower walks, scenic drives and night sky gazing. Sunset photo by Jim Dunham (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).

Incredible sunsets are one of the many rewards of hiking along the Appalachian Trail, a national scenic trail that stretches from Georgia to Maine. Native to the Appalachian Mountains, rhododendrons bloom in this gorgeous photo that was taken along the trail near the Roan Highlands on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina. With so many great vistas to choose from, this scenic area is a favorite with day hikers and backpackers alike. Photo courtesy of Serge Skiba.

Red rocks and curving, swirling bluffs rise up out of the desert, creating a surreal landscape at Stud Horse Point. Part of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Stud Horse Point is a remote area near the Utah-Arizona border that’s worth the visit. On a tour of the Southwest with his buddies, Aron Cooperman drove through rain, wind and even some snow, made some wrong turns but they eventually found their way to the this spot. They stuck it out, rain clouds cleared and eventually, the sky started to have this incredible color explosion at sunset. Photo courtesy of Aron Cooperman.

Katmai National Park & Preserve in Alaska provides some of the few remaining unaltered habitats for bears. With about 2,200 brown bears in the park, scientists are able to study bears in their natural habitat, visitors are able to enjoy unparalleled viewing opportunities (from safe distances) and the bears are able to continue their life cycle largely undisturbed. Photo by Mike Clime (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).

Rising nearly 5,000 feet above Yosemite Valley and 8,800 feet above sea level, Half Dome is a Yosemite National Park icon and a great challenge to many hikers. At least a 14-mile round trip through wilderness with an elevation gain of over 4,800 feet, this hike is not for the unprepared. Permits are required to reduce crowding – protect natural and cultural resources, and improve safety. But for those who make to the top, the view is indescribable. Photo by National Park Service.

Assateague Island National Seashore protects sandy beaches, salt marshes, maritime forests and coastal bays along a strip of barrier island that stretches across the Maryland and Virginia border. In this dynamic coastal environment, the island is continuously being reshaped by wind and water. Explore life on the edge of the sea by crabbing, clamming, kayaking, biking and camping – be sure to plan ahead, as campsites for the summer start filling up in March! Sunrise photo by Jake Breach (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).

The waters of Leigh Lake at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming reflect the deep green of the surrounding trees. Photographer Dennis Liew enjoyed this perfect moment with his girlfriend. “We canoed to the eastern side to watch the sun light up the mountains. It was a serene moment; the air was calm and not a soul there disturbed the peace.” Photo courtesy of Dennis Liew.

Lightning rips through the sky over White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. Here, great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert, creating the world’s largest gypsum dunefield. Photo courtesy of Donald Palansky.