Western Cwm, Mount Everest Photograph by Cory Richards, National GeographicAt dawn, a sliver of moon shines above the Western Cwm.
Half Dome, Yosemite National Park Photograph by Jimmy Chin, National GeographicAlex Honnold takes on the third zigzag of Half Dome without a rope. He has just one more difficult section, or pitch, in the last three before reaching the summit.
Sunset, Mount Everest Photograph by Cory Richards, National GeographicThe sun sets over the west shoulder of Mount Everest (right) and Mount Nuptse.
Alatna River Valley, Gates of the Arctic Photograph by Michael Christopher Brown, National Geographic“I paddled across this deep, slow-moving river in my small pack raft,” says adventurer Andrew Skurka. The Alatna meanders south from the Gates of the Arctic National Park. Download Wallpaper (1600 x 1200 pixels)
Sunset at Lower Lewis River Falls, WA Photograph by Scottyboipdx Weber, My ShotThe sun sets over Lower Lewis River Falls in Washington State’s Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The falls mark a wild and scenic stretch of the river, but other sections of the Lewis, which drains the state’s mighty Cascade Range, boast large dam and reservoir systems. Hydroelectric plants produce power, but they’ve changed the river’s natural character—to the special detriment of migratory fish like salmon. Utilities have agreed to begin trucking fish around the dams along the Lewis River, moving them from below these looming barriers to prime habitat upstream, above the dams.
Fraser Island, Australia Photograph by Peter Essick, National GeographicTannin–rich runoff from Fraser’s interior stains the sea in the aftermath of a summer storm. Download Wallpaper (1600 x 1200 pixels)
Snake River, Wyoming Photograph by Michael Melford, National GeographicSnake River Headwaters Bridger-Teton National Forest, Wyoming 387.5 miles protected since 2009 Download Wallpaper (1600 x 1200 pixels)