20 Awe-Inspiring Photos from the US Department of the Interior's Breathtaking Instagram

20 Awe-Inspiring Photos from the US Department of the Interior's Breathtaking Instagram

It's certainly no secret that the United States’ 58 National Parks are home to some of the most incredible landscapes in the world. The sheer number of parks alone is quite impressive, but the vast range of diversity is even more notable. From the towering rock faces of Zion Nation Park in Utah to the endless mountain ranges housed by Alaska’s Denali National Park, the United States contains breathtaking parks no matter what corner of the country you happen to reside in. In what is most likely aimed to regain visitors to these often overlooked gems, the United States Department of the Interior runs a very well maintained Instagram account to showcase our national treasures. Here are just 20 of their awe-inspiring images.

Yosemite National Park

Photo by Kari Cobb

Grand Teton National Park

Photo by Christina Adele

Yellowstone National Park

Photo by Cameron Patrick

Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

Photo by Katie McVey of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services

Sequoia National Park

Photo by Steven M. Bumgardner

Canyonlands National Park

Photo by Greg Sager

Glen Canyon National Recreation Center

Photo by Sylvia Zarco

Crater Lake National Park

Photo by Fstoppers' very own Michael Bonocore

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Photo by Christopher Ewing

Bryce Canyon National Park

Photo by Steve Perry

Vermilion Cliffs National Monument

Photo by Bob Wick

Yosemite National Park

Photo by Toby Harriman

Photo by Ethan Killian

Grand Canyon National Park

Photo by Steve Perry

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Glacier Bay National Park

Badlands National Park

Photo by Harlan Humphrey

Crater Lake National Park

Photo by Greg Nyquist

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

Photo by David Lane

Death Valley National Park

Photo by Mahendiran Mohan

If you’re itching to go outside and capture some landscapes of your own, consider hopping on the National Park Service’s website and locating a park near you. Grab your friends, some sleeping bags, and your camera and go have yourself an adventure. Just watch out for bears.

For more extraordinary photos, follow the US Department of the Interior on Instagram as well as several of the parks’ individual accounts.

[via PRI]

Sam Merkel's picture

Sam Merkel is a 19 year old photographer and student living in Madison, WI. He spends his winters traveling the midwest photographing various crews of snowboarders and his summers enjoying having feeling in his extremities.

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4 Comments

Hey thanks for including me Sam! :)

Overdone a bit in the HDR department don't ya think?

Hey mine is a 400 exposure star trail photo! :)

Hey Michael. That is a VERY nice image. As I'm sure you know, not what I was referring to. I mean look at the last one -'Death Valley National Park. And Crater Lake National Park. And Grand Canyon National Park. And the most egregious example - Canyonlands National Park. These images may as well be on a poster for "Examples of the overuse of HDR processing"
HDR can be cool when it's used correctly but it is easily overdone. IMHO