Pinnacles National Park, California, United States 16 Jan 2025

Jagged pinnacles and spires, monoliths and unusual caves—welcome to Pinnacles National Park in central California. It all began in 1908 when President Theodore Roosevelt designated the area as a national monument. Later in 2013, Pinnacles earned its status as a national park. As we celebrate the anniversary of its establishment today, let"s take a moment to appreciate this landscape. This land owes its formations to an ancient volcanic eruption that occurred 23 million years ago. The fiery beginnings made towering spires, cliffs and talus caves, created by falling boulders wedged into narrow canyons. Over millennia, tectonic forces shifted the landmass northward, leaving the park far from its volcanic birthplace. Talk about a journey!

© yhelfman/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Winter wonderland
16 Jan 2024Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

More Desktop Wallpapers:

16 Jun 2024Happy Fathers Day!
A high-flying royal tradition
Paranormal activity?
19 Dec 2024Sibiu Christmas Market, Romania
An architectural masterpiece fit for a king
A beach of many colours
26 Jun 2024Banggai cardinalfish with sea anemone
28 Jul 2024Colourful bathing huts on the beach in Skåne County, Sweden
27 Sep 2025Clark Range, Yosemite National Park, California, United States
A flashy, frigid waterfowl
Waterfall capital of the world?
A cuddling pair of Taiwan yuhina
7 Nov 2023Kirkilai lakes, Biržai Regional Park, Lithuania
All is calm
14 Oct 2025Village of Oia in Santorini, Greece
23 Aug 2025European fallow deer in England
World Rivers Day
Creating a better world
28 Sep 2024Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
Alpine grandeur
The oldest way to fly
12 Aug 2024World Elephant Day
21 Jul 2025The summer opening of Buckingham Palace
15 May 2025Palace of Westminster, London, England
Stunning symmetry
3 Dec 2025Sandhill cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico, USA
10 Jul 2024Collared aracari
19 Mar 2025A black heron canopy hunting in Botswana
13 Jun 2024Registan Square, Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Blue as far as the eye can see