The Volcanic Tablelands near Bishop, California, are a vast, rugged landscape formed over 700,000 years ago by the Long Valley caldera. In this high desert environment, generations of Paiute and Shoshone Indians once resided, leaving behind an extensive collection of carefully chiseled petroglyphs in the rocks. Now a destination for rock climbers, these fragile treasures are protected by the Bureau of Land Management. Photo by Abhilash Itharaju (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).

It’s National Wildlife Refuge Week! Whether you’re looking for flippers, feathers, fur, fins or fangs, you can find amazing animals at wildlife refuges. Refuges across the country provide habitat for more than 700 species of birds, 220 species of mammals, 250 reptile and amphibian species and more than 1,000 species of fish. There’s at least one national wildlife refuge in every state and territory and within an hour’s drive of most major metropolitan areas. Photo of seals at Nantucket National Wildlife Refuge in Massachusetts by Amanda Boyd, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Fall has arrived at Glacier National Park, and it’s stunning. Crushing clouds and rain greeted Nate Luebbe at Glacier, but as he crested Logan Pass he was treated to one of the most spectacular alpenglow sunsets we’ve seen. “The sun shot golden fingers between jagged peaks and illuminated the clouds from below, and I couldn’t help but admire the timing. Montana was welcoming me home.” Photo courtesy of Nate Luebbe.

Fall foliage lights up the lakeshore at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico. Along with changing leaves, late season sunflowers provide a colorful contrast to red-wing blackbirds that swoop and dart through grasses. The refuge protects a wide stretch of the Rio Grande river where sandhill cranes, geese and other waterfowl spend the winter each year. Photo courtesy of Robert Dunn via USFWS National Wildlife Refuge System.