Delicate trilliums, glorious columbines, and flamboyant redbuds are some of the harbingers of spring found across the National Park System. This is a favorite season for birds, bees, and photographers. Wildlife is more easily seen in the spring in many parks, too, making the coming three months idyllic for exploring the parks.

Glacier National Park is an amazing place to capture incredible photographs during spring, summer and autumn, but have you thought about traveling there in the winter? Sure, the temperatures can sink below freezing and there might be more than a little snow on the road, but the photographic rewards are well worth the effort. Rebecca Latson took a short, January trip to this national park and returned with helpful advice to encourage you to make your own sojourn out to this mountainous winter wonderland.

In a move celebrated by groups ranging from the Blackfoot Natino and Montana Hunters and Anglers to the National Parks Conservation Association and U.S. Sen. Jon Testor, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management has canceled the final two oil and gas leases in the Badger-Two Medicine area within the Lewis and Clark National Forest in northwest Montana. The two lease cancellations address outstanding concerns about the potential for oil and gas development in this culturally and ecologically important area.