North of Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Joshua Tree, and a host of other national park units in California, you might say Lassen Volcanic National Park gets no respect. You might also say it's a jewel in the rough, one that doesn't draw crowds, instead allowing you to enjoy this incredible landscape in relative solitude. A measure of solitude, of course, when compared to the Yosemite Valley, the Giant Forest, even sections of Death Valley come the cooler winter months.

In central New Jersey, just a short distance from New York City, the Continental Army hunkered down in a place called Jockey Hollow for a long, cold, harsh winter of monitoring the British troops across the Hudson River in New York City. Today you can get a feel for this setting -- though it's heavily urbanized these days -- with a visit to Morristown National Historical Park where General George Washington and 10,000-12,000 troops spent what's believed to be the coldest winter on record.

The Brooks Range is the northernmost portion of the Rocky Mountains, extending over 700 miles from the Bering Sea to the Canadian border. Steep, rocky slopes and glacier-carved valleys dominate this vast, rugged landscape along the east-to-west running Continental Divide. The Brooks Range is nearly entirely protected and open for all to enjoy.

"Chatham." That one word captures a rich and poignant chapter of American history spanning nearly 250 years.