Located in northern California, Lassen Volcanic National Park is a true winter wonderland. Silent, snow-covered volcanoes hide magma beneath their calm surfaces – clues to the area’s three million years of volcanic activity show up in steam vents, boiling springs and bubbling mudpots. Even in winter, these hydrothermal (“hot water”) features melt nearby snow and ice. Photo by Mike Matiasek, National Park Service.

Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia is one of the most visited refuges in the United States, providing visitors with opportunities to enjoy wildlands and wildlife. The refuge includes more than 14,000 acres of beaches, dunes, marsh and maritime forest. Established in 1943 for migratory birds, the refuge today provides habitat for amazing plants and wildlife – including the famous Chincoteague ponies. Photo of Swan Cove by Ben Spires (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).

Snow clings to the jagged sides of Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming. This astounding geologic feature is considered sacred to the Northern Plains Indians and other tribes, who called it “Bear’s Tipi” or “Bear’s Lodge.” Hundreds of parallel cracks make it one of the finest crack climbing areas in North America. Devils Tower entices us to explore and define our place in the natural and cultural world. Photo by National Park Service.