You know it’s spring when baby bears 🐻 are out! This cute cub is lounging in a tree at Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee. Mother bears and their cubs usually emerge from their winter dens in late March to early April. Photo by Matt & Delia Hills (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).

Blooming over the Tidal Basin like a gorgeous cloud, the cherry blossoms welcome over 1.5 million people to the National Mall during the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival. Over 3,800 trees color America’s front yard with shades of white and pink. Walking among the blossoms and touring the memorials in Washington, D.C., is an experience you’ll want to repeat. Photo by Andrew Rhodes (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).

In every season, at every hour, Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming is a stunning and surprising landscape. Remote enough for dark skies to allow the Milky Way to shine and featuring steam rising from hot springs tinted with colorful bacteria and reflecting the aurora borealis, a night in the park offers enough wonders for a lifetime. Photo courtesy of Bryony Richards.

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for in DC: Peak bloom for the cherry blossoms has arrived at the Tidal Basin, and it is gorgeous! Photo courtesy of Buddy Secor. 🌸

Giant sequoias thrive at Case Mountain in California. Three small groves – which have never been logged – protect majestic trees that are 6-16 feet in diameter! These groves are part of the Case Mountain Extensive Recreation Management Area that has miles of mountain bike, foot and equestrian trails, and endless opportunities to be wowed! Photo by Bob Wick, BLM

Ten years ago, Augustine volcano in Alaska swelled, rumbled and erupted. A gigantic cloud of ash rose above the mountain and two lava flows crawled down its sides. The eruption resulted in ash fall throughout south-central Alaska and disrupted air traffic over the state. Historically, Augustine volcano has been the most active volcano in Alaska’s Cook Inlet region with recent eruptions in 1976, 1986 and 2006. Photo by Cyrus Read, @usgs. #tbt

Only one word can describe this pic from Tunnel View at Yosemite National Park: Epic! Photo by Xiaochen Zhang (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).

It may officially be spring, but you wouldn’t know it at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. The park had over 400 inches of snow this winter and is expecting more. Don’t worry, though. The roads should be clear by late May, so visitors can experience this incredibly beautiful place. Photo by Inge Johnsson (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).

Today is #WorldWaterDay, a day dedicated to highlighting the importance of water for our daily lives – from fishing to farming and recreation. It also makes for some spectacular views, like this one of St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in Florida. One of the oldest wildlife refuges, St. Marks protects coastal marshes, islands and other wetlands that are home to diverse wildlife. Photo by Viktor Posnov (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).

Mother Nature shows her power with this dramatic lightning storm over the Needles District at Canyonlands National Park in Utah. Photo from last summer courtesy of Claudia Castillo. ⚡