Smith Rock State Park, Oregon, United States May 16, 2026

What do you call a place where the rocks do the climbing, and humans try to keep up? Welcome to Smith Rock State Park in Oregon, United States, where cliffs rise fast, and excuses fall faster. It sits inside the 40-kilometre-long Crooked River Caldera, shaped by multiple volcanic eruptions. Its welded tuff cliffs are made from compressed volcanic ash that cooled under pressure. The Crooked River carved the canyon, while formations like the Spire rise up to 180 metres.

© Alex Ratson/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

May 16, 2024Ria de Vigo, Vigo, Spain
May 16, 2025Great green macaw, Mexico

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Dec 19, 2023Cachoeira da Fumacinha, Bahia, Brazil
Mar 30, 2026Demoiselle cranes, India
Feb 6, 2025Archway Islands, Wharariki Beach, South Island, New Zealand
May 7, 2024Duckling in a water meadow, Suffolk, England
Dec 21, 2025Dawn light through frosty trees, Sweden
Mar 21, 2024Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda
Sep 11, 2023Sunrise at a vineyard in Bordeaux, France
Nov 4, 2023American bison
Mar 4, 2026Purple crocus flowers, Seven Rila Lakes, Bulgaria
Sep 27, 2023French River, Ontario, Canada
Apr 13, 2026Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California, United States
Feb 3, 2026Emerald Bay and Fannette Island, Lake Tahoe, California, United States
Mar 28, 2024Cherry blossoms in Shanghai, China
Oct 12, 2025Saranac Lake, New York
Apr 25, 2025Magellanic penguins, Volunteer Point, Falkland Islands
Nov 11, 2023Val di Funes, South Tyrol, Italy
Sep 7, 2025Gdańsk, Poland
Mar 25, 2025European goldfinches
Nov 7, 2025Polar bear in Canada
Nov 17, 2025Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, United States
Sep 20, 2025Swing carousel at Oktoberfest, Munich, Bavaria, Germany
Dec 7, 2025A pine forest in Alsace, France
Sep 10, 2025Hay bales in North Yorkshire, England
Aug 20, 2025The citadel in Bonifacio, Southern Corsica, France
Jan 17, 2024Eurasian wolf
Jun 9, 2024Bardenas Reales Biosphere Reserve and Natural Park, Navarra, Spain
Feb 15, 2025Icicles of Misotsuchi, Chichibu, Japan
Feb 2, 2024Alpine marmot
June 4, 2026Snowy egret preening, central Florida, United States
Jun 1, 2024Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden, Brazil