Fall brings dramatic color to Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in Colorado. Dense colonies of aspens grow in moist soil, sharing a root system and changing their leaves in unison. Like a river of gold, these gorgeous trees fill Morris Gulch, high in the mountains above the sand dunes. Photo by Patrick Myers, National Park Service.

Fascinating animals, muskoxen look like survivors of the Ice Age. Whiles other arctic animals spend their winter in hibernation, muskoxen live in open, unsheltered tundra enduring the unforgiving elements that come their way. One secret to muskoxen survival is their two layers of fur – a very long outer layer of fur that looks like hair and a short fuzzy underlayer of qiviut. You can find muskoxen on several public lands in Alaska, including Cape Krusenstern National Monument. Photo by Doug Demarest, National Park Service.

Rafting is a popular way to experience Dinosaur National Monument’s remote canyons. From origins high in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, the Green and Yampa Rivers wind their way past steep canyon walls and across sagebrush-covered plains. Some stretches are calm and peaceful, others promise the thrill of swift rapids. All offer amazing views and fun outdoor adventures. Photo by Alan Nyiri, National Park Service volunteer.

Guess who’s excited for Sea Otter Awareness Week! Sea otters have the thickest fur of any animal with up to 1 million hair follicles per square inch, are one of the few mammals that use tools, and are critical to how their ecosystems function. What’s your favorite sea otter fact?

More fun otter facts: https://on.doi.gov/otters 

Photo of a group of sea otters at Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve by Becky King, National Park Service.

Happy birthday Sequoia National Park – our nation’s 2nd national park! On this day in 1890, Sequoia National Park was established to protect this California park’s iconic sequoia trees, which are some of the largest and oldest trees in the world. From rolling foothills to immense forests to sheer granite peaks rising above lush meadows and broad lake basins, Sequoia National Park astounds visitors with their wild beauty. Photo by Daniel Suh (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).

Fall colors in Alaska are brilliant, but short lived. At Denali National Park and Preserve, the tundra and forests shine in deep reds and vibrant yellows. Already, winter’s blanket of white snow is beginning to cover the landscape and only the most resilient wildlife will remain active. Photo by Michel Hersen (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).

Today is National Hunting and Fishing Day, and there’s no better place to celebrate than on America’s public lands like the Molalla River Recreation Area pictured here. Located in Oregon, the Molalla River is a great place for fishing, picnicking, swimming, camping and whitewater boating. Photo by Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management, @mypubliclands

It’s the first day of fall, and we’re looking forward to amazing autumn colors. Soon, public lands across the country will transform into a tapestry of red, orange and gold. Where is your favorite place to go leaf-peeping? Here’s a breathtaking shot from a previous fall at Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. Photo by N. Lewis, National Park Service.

Located in central Idaho, Jim McClure-Jerry Peak Wilderness is a mountainous area that features a patchwork of riparian willows, abundant bunch grasses, aspen and conifers. The area provides habitat for elk, mule deer, moose, mountain goat, bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, greater sage-grouse, bear, wolverine and wolves. Jerry Peak Wilderness is the perfect place for backcountry experiences such as hunting, fishing, hiking, wildlife viewing, backpacking, skiing and horseback riding – not to mention a chance to just get away and enjoy some solitude. Photo by Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management @mypubliclands

Last week, Glacier National Park in Montana received its first snow of the season. While it closed Going-to-the-Sun Road from St. Mary to Logan Pass for a short time, that section of the road has reopened, offering visitors as chance to enjoy a beautiful, wintery world. Photo by National Park Service.