United States

Winter on Empire Beach, a popular tourist destination at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Massive sand dunes, Lake Michigan shoreline, northern hardwood

Monomoy Point Light at a distance, Monomoy Wilderness

Monomoy Wilderness

Migratory birds, shifting sand dunes and hundreds of gray seals

Bearce Lake in Moosehorn Wilderness, Maine

Moosehorn (Baring Unit) Wilderness

Migratory birds, wooded lakes and rolling hills

The summit of Caribou-Speckled Mountain

Caribou-Speckled Mountain Wilderness

Spectacular fall colors, moose and stunning vistas

Royal Tern (Sterna maxima) nesting colony on Chandeleur Island, Breton Wilderness

Breton Wilderness

Thousands of seabirds, geologically young island formations and saltwater marshes

Kisatchie Hills at sunset

Kisatchie Hills Wilderness

Flat-topped mesas, steep cliffs and feral hogs

A rock climber in Clifty Wilderness

Clifty Wilderness

Hemlock thickets, sandstone arches and scenic river vistas

The shoreline of Lake Monroe, which borders the Charles C. Deam Wilderness Area to the west

Charles C. Deam Wilderness Area

Geode-laden streams and Karst topography

Garden of the Gods Wilderness captured at sunset

Garden of the Gods Wilderness

Carved ridges, bird-watching, massive sandstone formations

Seven Devils Mountains at sunset

Hells Canyon Wilderness

Deep river gorge, Seven Devils Mountains, ponderosa pine

Lava blocking the roadway on the South Coast

Hawaii Volcanoes Wilderness

Erupting vents, Mauna Loa, shadeless lava fields

The Blue Ridge Mountains in Ellicott Rock Wilderness

Ellicott Rock Wilderness

Rugged terrain, tall peaks, Wild and Scenic Chattooga River

Cypress tree trunks in wetland at Everglades National Park

Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness, Everglades National Park

Tropical climates, pine rocklands, Florida panther

Two Brown pelicans on Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge circa 1972

Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge

Small, island, pelicans

Rock formation in Colorado's Lost Creek Wilderness

Lost Creek Wilderness

Bighorn sheep, spectacular rock formations, alpine foothills

With Desolation Wilderness's Crystal Range in the background, a woman hikes with her dog through a field of wildflowers

Desolation Wilderness

Glacially smooth, expansive, Pacific Crest Trail

Dry Creek Bridge in Dry Creek Wilderness, Arkansas

Dry Creek Wilderness

Sandstone bluffs, pine-hardwood forest, steep slopes

Joe McConaughy is trying to finish the Pacific Crest Trail faster than anyone ever has.

This Hiker Is Trying to Make It from Mexico to Canada in Just 59 Days

Hikers and runners are trying to cover the country's longest, most iconic trails, faster than anyone ever has before

Camel statues mark the Desert of Maine, which is actually not a true desert.

The Science of a Tourist Trap: What's This Desert Doing in Maine?

Maine's "most famous natural phenomenon" is also a reminder about responsible land use

Smithsonian Best Small Towns 2014

The 20 Best Small Towns to Visit in 2014

From country music to herbal cocktails to horseshoe crabs to Rodin, our third annual list takes you to cultural gems worth mining

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