Star trails above the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah almost look like a tunnel into hyperspace. These salt flats are made of approximately 90 percent common table salt, weighing millions of tons. The crust is up to 5 feet thick near the center of this unbelievable landscape that stretches over 46 square miles – just slightly smaller than the size of San Francisco. It’s the perfect way to celebrate #MayThe4thBeWithYou! Photo by Joseph Gruber (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).

Running along the Minnesota River, Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge is a natural escape from the nearby Twin Cities. The refuge provides valuable habitat for a diversity of waterfowl and other migratory birds, fish and resident wildlife. Sometimes it’s so beautiful, even the deer have to stop and admire the scenery. Photo by Erik Fremstad (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).

Upper Missouri Breaks National Monument in Montana remains largely unchanged in the nearly 200 years since Meriwether Lewis and William Clark traveled through this area on their epic journey. What’s more, the first skeletal remains of dinosaurs ever discovered in North America were found right here. The monument offers natural beauty in a remote setting and plenty of opportunities to explore by hiking, fishing, or floating along the National Wild and Scenic River portion of the Missouri River. Photo by Bob Wick, @mypubliclands

Spring might have started just a month ago, but we’re already dreaming of summer hikes and endless views like this one from Highline Trail at Glacier National Park. If this doesn’t inspire you to plan a trip to this Montana landmark, we don’t know what will. Photo by National Park Service.

Bathed in starlight from the Milky Way, the unique rock formations of Badlands National Park in South Dakota glow in the darkness. The ancient landscape and fascinating fossil beds make this place seem timeless. This stunning photo was the winner in the night sky category of the Share the Experience photo contest, which gives amateur photographers the chance to showcase their skills by capturing the beauty of the nation’s public lands. Submit your pics and maybe next year, you’ll be a winner! Photo by Erik Fremstad (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).

Happy Arbor Day! We’re celebrating with this pic of majestic trees offering a window to a gorgeous view of Yosemite Falls at Yosemite National Park in California. Cascading more than 2,400 feet above Yosemite Valley, it’s the tallest waterfall in North America. Photo courtesy of Tiffany Nguyen.

Here’s a spectacular sunrise over Reflection Canyon – a surreal landscape of the twisting and winding Colorado River through colorful sandstone cliffs. This amazing photo, captured by Yang Lu, is the grand prize winner of the Share the Experience photo contest, an honor that means his photo will appear on the 2017 America the Beautiful public lands pass.

For Yang, photography isn’t just about recreation, it’s also to inspire people to explore these special areas. Yang took this photo during a two-day backpacking trip to Reflection Canyon, which is located in a remote area at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Utah. “We did not see anybody for two days. There is no trail; we depended on my research,” Yang says of the experience. Yang visited during the winter when the temperature and water levels were low – thanks to meticulous planning, Yang’s efforts paid off. The curves and those formations – I have never seen anywhere.”

Photo by Yang Lu (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).

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Add a river adventure to your bucketlist! The Beaver Creek Wild and Scenic River has its headwaters in the White Mountains, approximately 50 miles north of Fairbanks, Alaska. The river flows west past the jagged limestone ridges of the White Mountains before flowing to the north and east, where it enters the Yukon Flats and joins the Yukon River.

The river’s clear water, modest Class I rapids, and unparalleled scenery make for a relaxing trip. Floating Beaver Creek can take from seven days to three weeks to complete, For shorter trips, arrangements can be made with an air taxi for a gravel bar pick-up near Victoria Creek. Others continue for several more weeks onto the Yukon River and take out at the bridge on the Dalton Highway. This 360-mile trip has been called the longest road-to-road float in North America.

Photos by Bob Wick, BLM

If you want to be the first person to see the sunrise in the continental U.S., you’ll need to take an early hike up Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park. As the sun peeks above the horizon and lights the Maine coastline, you’ll be treated to this gorgeous scene. Consider it a daily dose of nature’s love. Photo by National Park Service.

The colorful landscape at Vermillion Cliffs National Monument in Arizona looks like an imaginary creation from a Dr. Suess book. In real life, the brilliant red, orange and white bands of Lollipop Rock – the iconic geologic formation of the White Pocket area – display enticing curves stretching to cloudless skies. White Pocket is a great area to check out as an alternative to The Wave. Photo courtesy of Scotty Perkins.