Pinnacles National Park, California, United States Jan. 16, 2025

Jagged pinnacles and spires, monoliths and unusual caves—welcome to Pinnacles National Park in central California, United States. 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. 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

Scenic Mount Michener
Jan. 16, 2024Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
Jan. 16, 2026Leopard at Etosha National Park, Namibia

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Oct. 2, 2023World Architecture Day
May 9, 2025Canadian Tulip Festival
Jul. 24, 2024Cousins Day
Nov. 8, 2023West Indian manatees, Crystal River
Nov. 8, 2025Bandon Beach in Bandon, Oregon, United States
Feb. 5, 2026Salt evaporation ponds on the island of Gozo, Malta
Where fire and water meet
Jul. 26, 2025International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem
An oasis in the desert
Aug. 17, 2025International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend
Jul. 9, 2025Independence Day of the Argentine Republic
Nov. 28, 2024Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park, British Columbia
Centuries of time in a Delicate Arch
Jan. 9, 2026Muir Woods National Monument, California, United States
Giants of the Southern Ocean
Jun. 17, 2025Maritime forest in Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia, United States
Dec. 26, 2023Happy Boxing Day!
May 26, 2025Mount Hamilton, San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States
Mar. 7, 2024Roques de Benet, Els Ports Natural Park, Catalonia, Spain
Among the cedar and spruce
Nov. 6, 2025Celebrating Yi Peng
The origin of Canadas national parks
Oct. 21, 2023International Archaeology Day
Aug. 8, 2025The Three Musketeers Falls at Iguazú Falls, Argentina
Oct. 30, 2025Pushkar Camel Fair
Sep. 2, 2023Allens Hummingbird
Racing through the five boroughs
Jan. 9, 2024Rio Grande, Albuquerque
Jul. 20, 2025Moon Day
Oct. 17, 2023Vieste, Apulia, Italy