The U.S. Bureau of Land management --- BLM --- has written Beyond the National Parks: A Recreation Guide to Public Lands in the West, published by the Smithsonian Institution Press in 1998. For those of us who like to venture off the beaten path, this book is a must-have. It’s filled with the best-kept secrets about 175 unique public land sites throughout the West, with several eastern sites included for good measure. In celebration of BLM’s 50th anniversary, 22 of the agency’s non government “partner” organizations, including the National Geographic Society, The Nature Conservancy, the National Audubon Society, and America Outdoors, agreed to reveal their members’ choices of important spots on the public lands --- places whose unique gifts merit particular appreciation and care. In addition, BLM employees from across the country nominated their own “best bets” for inclusion in Beyond the National Parks.
Before we explore these sites, though, let us tell you a little about BLM and the public lands --- your lands --- that we manage.
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