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Travel / United States

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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