Tlikakila River, Alaska, USA

Alaska had no national parks until 1980, but now the state has eight, plus numerous monuments and preserves that protect more than 630,000 square kilometres. In fact, many of the United States’ largest national parks are in Alaska, including the biggest of all, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. When President Carter signed the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, the public was granted the right to appreciate stunning locations like the one in today's photo: the braided river delta of the 82-kilometre-long Tlikakila River in Lake Clark National Park.
© Dawn Wilson Photography/Getty Images