The largest trees in the world, giant sequoias can stand more than 250 feet tall and grow over 30 feet wide at the base. These huge trees at Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks in California are dressed for Christmas in their winter finery. Whatever your holiday tradition may be, we hope you enjoy a season of peace and joy. Photo courtesy of Susan Mapson Schleppenbach.

Cameras are the only way to safely see a caribou – also known as a reindeer – this close! More than half a million caribou migrate in summer and winter through the Central Brooks Range, which crosses Alaska’s Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. As they travel, caribou bring gifts to the land and those who depend on it, shaping plant communities by grazing and providing food for people and other wildlife like bears and wolverines. Looks like this reindeer is resting up for the big ride tonight. Photo by Zak Richter, National Park Service.

Snow coats the Grand Canyon in this gorgeous winter photo from a few years ago. For spectacular views of this geologic wonder, take Desert View Drive – a scenic 25-mile route on the South Rim of Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park. Photo from Pipe Creek Vista by Jeremy Evans (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).

Winter white and evergreen create a lovely palette at Olympic National Park in Washington. Snow in the lower Sol Duc Valley has added more beauty to an already stunning place. With over 875,000 acres of wilderness in the park, you’re sure to find many peaceful spots to enjoy. Photo by Megan Juran, National Park Service.