A river on the tundra © Don Paulson/Danita Delimont
This mesmerizing expanse captures a small stretch of the 95-mile-long Ivishak River in northern Alaska. The Ivishak flows in the Philip Smith Mountains and the foothills of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The entire run of the river is in a region called the North Slope Borough, Alaska"s northernmost borough (Alaska is divided into boroughs, not counties). Look at the magnificent colors and textures this photo captures—it"s a view that"s preserved and protected by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.