You see some amazing things on America’s public lands, like this cute little bobcat hanging out within the snow-covered trees in eastern Oregon. Can you spot it? While common, bobcats are rarely seen. Sometimes called wildcats, bobcats are roughly twice as big as the average house cat. They have long legs, large paws, and tufted ears, and gets its name for its tail, which appears to be cut or “bobbed.” Photo by Kevin Eldredge, @mypubliclands.

Badlands National Park in South Dakota can seem like a formidable and forbidding landscape, but with proper planning and a sense of adventure, the park is a nature lover’s paradise year round. The spires, pinnacles and ravines, which frustrated earlier travelers, provide a visual “gateway to forever” with views that can stretch over 50 miles. Winter scenes, like this, are particularly impressive. Photo by Mike Pflaum, National Park Service.

Two spectacular western landscapes are now permanently protected as our nation’s newest national monuments – Bears Ears in Utah and Gold Butte in Nevada. Today, President Obama designated these monuments that preserve sacred land for Native American tribes, gorgeous red rock scenery, and important cultural sites such as rock art and ancient cliff dwellings. Bears Ears National Monument protects the history of hundreds of generations of native peoples who have lived in the surrounding sandstone canyons, desert mesas and meadow mountaintops – it’s also one of the densest and most significant cultural landscapes in the U.S. Gold Butte National Monument – a rugged desert adorned with dramatic red sandstone and twisting canyons – protects significant cultural resources, important geological formations, rare fossils and vital plant and wildlife habitat. https://on.doi.gov/monuments 

Photos by Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management.

As bright as freshly fallen snow, the gypsum sands at White Sands National Monument in New Mexico are a mesmerizing sight. And just like snow, you can even go sledding on the dunes – while you may not need a winter coat, it can still get chilly. Be sure to stay for sunset and the cotton-candy colors that shine on the dunes and mountains. Photo by Amy Proctor (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).

The solitude and beauty of a winter sunrise at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon is unmatched. The park protects the United States’ deepest lake, which rarely freezes even in cold temperatures. Make the most of the season by strapping on snowshoes or skies to explore this volcanic landscape of scenic views and old-growth forests. Photo courtesy of Jordan McFall.

Nothing compares to staying up all night, watching the stars twinkle overhead. Derek Culver captured this amazing pic at Mount Rainier National Park in Washington. The lights on the mountain: A few climbers getting an early start to the summit under the Milky Way.  Photo courtesy of Derek Culver.

The largest trees in the world, giant sequoias can stand more than 250 feet tall and grow over 30 feet wide at the base. These huge trees at Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks in California are dressed for Christmas in their winter finery. Whatever your holiday tradition may be, we hope you enjoy a season of peace and joy. Photo courtesy of Susan Mapson Schleppenbach.

Cameras are the only way to safely see a caribou – also known as a reindeer – this close! More than half a million caribou migrate in summer and winter through the Central Brooks Range, which crosses Alaska’s Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. As they travel, caribou bring gifts to the land and those who depend on it, shaping plant communities by grazing and providing food for people and other wildlife like bears and wolverines. Looks like this reindeer is resting up for the big ride tonight. Photo by Zak Richter, National Park Service.

Snow coats the Grand Canyon in this gorgeous winter photo from a few years ago. For spectacular views of this geologic wonder, take Desert View Drive – a scenic 25-mile route on the South Rim of Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park. Photo from Pipe Creek Vista by Jeremy Evans (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).

Winter white and evergreen create a lovely palette at Olympic National Park in Washington. Snow in the lower Sol Duc Valley has added more beauty to an already stunning place. With over 875,000 acres of wilderness in the park, you’re sure to find many peaceful spots to enjoy. Photo by Megan Juran, National Park Service.