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

Pinnacles National Park, California, United States

Jagged pinnacles and spires, monoliths and unusual caves—welcome to Pinnacles National Park in central California, United States. It all began in 1908 when then-US 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

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

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Nov 2, 2024American bison in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA
Dec 7, 2024Arraial do Cabo, Brazil
Nov 13, 2024Sea lion in a kelp forest, Baja California, Mexico
May 18, 2025Pont St-Pierre across the Garonne River, Toulouse, France
Nov 9, 2024Aït Benhaddou, Morocco
Nov 10, 2023Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA
Aug 31, 2025Scotts Bluff National Monument
Jan 8, 2024Bernina Pass, Graubünden, Switzerland
Mar 13, 2024Lesser flamingos, Lake Magadi, Kenya
Sep 16, 2025Nighttime view over the Gulf Coast
Feb 26, 2025Castle Stalker, Argyll, Scotland
Nov 28, 2023Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park, Canada
Sep 25, 2025Chittorgarh Fort, Rajasthan, India
Nov 14, 2023Russell lupines, Lake Tekapo, New Zealand
Dec 8, 2023La Rocque Harbour, Island of Jersey
May 12, 2025An iris garden in Tokyo, Japan
Apr 28, 2025Impala in Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana
Aug 29, 2023American bison
May 21, 2024Poço Encantado cave, Brazil
Jan 23, 2025Deer Valley at dusk, Park City, Utah, United States
Dec 25, 2023Reindeer running in snow
Jun 5, 2025Fumacinha Waterfall, Chapada Diamantina, Brazil
Oct 3, 2024Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
Sep 17, 2023Cuban tody, Alejandro de Humboldt National Park, Cuba
Mar 24, 2025African elephants in Namibia
Feb 18, 2025The Great Blue Hole, Belize
Nov 12, 2024Arches National Park, Utah, United States
Oct 28, 2024Pumpkin field, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Feb 28, 2024Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland, England
Nov 3, 2023Pacific sea nettle jellyfish