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With the start of the new year comes new resolutions for many. As you make your list of goals to accomplish for 2015, this year resolve to explore America’s great outdoors and experience the beauty of our country’s national parks, wildlife refuges and other public lands first hand.

To help you get started on outdoor adventures to add to your new year’s resolutions, here’s our list of top 5 must-experience activities on America’s public lands. 

1. Camp Under the Starry Night Sky
Our public lands hold some of the last harbors of dark skies in the U.S., providing unspoiled views of the starry night above. In some areas, it’s possible to see up to 15,000 stars twinkling throughout the night — a sight that many don’t get to experience until they visit public lands at night. Jacob Frank captured Milky Way framed by the Owachomo Bridge at Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah (top photo). National Park Service Photo. 

2. Take in the View from a Summit
Whether it’s Mount McKinley in Denali National Park, Sequoia’s Mount Whitney in California or Washington’s Mount Rainier, our public lands protect some of the America’s tallest peaks. No matter how far it is to the summit, hiking a peak in a national park, wildlife refuge or other public lands is great exercise — and the stunning views of the area below are hard to pass up! Case in point, the hike to Glacier Point at Yosemite National Park in California (second photo). It overlooks the Yosemite Valley below, offering amazing views of Half Dome. Photo by Ethan Killian (www.sharetheexperience.org).

3. Explore a Hidden Gem Near You
You don’t have to travel fair to explore America’s great outdoors. With more than 401 national parks, 560 national wildlife refuges and more than 245 million acres of other public lands, there’s at least one hidden gem in every state to explore. One such place is the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma (third photo). The 59,020-acre refuge is home to mixed grass prairie, providing a habitat for animals like the American bison. Photo by Nils Axelsen (www.sharetheexperience.org). 

4. See the Sun Rise from America’s Public Lands
Some of the best sunrises can be seen from America’s public lands. The start of a new day sets the sky ablaze with colors with pinks, oranges and purples — like the stunning sunrise pic (fourth pic) of Browns Canyon Wilderness Study Area along the Arkansas River in central Colorado. The area contains very rugged topography, with many mountains, canyons and gulches and is a popular whitewater rafting spot. Photo by Bob Wick, BLM (mypubliclands).

5. Watch the Northern Lights Dance Overhead
The Aurora Borealis puts on a spectacular show — glowing, shimmering and swirling in the sky above. While it’s easier to see the Northern Lights in high latitudes like Alaska, strong bursts of this natural phenomenon can sometimes be seen from America’s public lands in lower 48. Daniel A. Leifheit captured the Northern Lights dancing across the starry sky over Denali National Park in Alaska (bottom pic).