Yosemite National Park, California, USA Oct. 1, 2024

Yosemite National Park, California, USA

There"s a reason why famed American photographer Ansel Adams fell in love with Yosemite National Park: vistas like today"s image of Half Dome. Located in central California"s Sierra Nevada mountain range, the park has been a popular destination for artists, mountaineers, settlers and nature lovers since the mid-1800s. To preserve the area and protect it from logging and overgrazing by cattle, the US Congress designated Yosemite a national park on this day in 1890. It"s one of the most visited parks in the United States, with annual attendance exceeding 3 million, and it"s a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

© Adam Burton/Alamy Stock Photo

palette

Today in History

Celebrating art in the city
Oct. 1, 2023Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park, British Columbia
Oct. 1, 2025Clark Range, Yosemite National Park, California, United States

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Stairway to heaven?
Mar. 27, 2024World Theatre Day
Nov. 2, 2025Maple and bamboo forests in Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan
Oct. 29, 2023Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah, Georgia, USA
An engineering marvel
Rugged coasts and temperate rainforests
Jul. 26, 2025International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem
Want to hang out?
Aug. 28, 2024Paralympic Games begin in Paris
Aug. 4, 2025Great grey owls in their nest, Finland
The largest gypsum dune field
Mar. 13, 2026Church of Notre Dame de Bon-Port, Les Sables-dOlonne, France
Trunks packed for road
Oct. 2, 2024Autumn in the Ogilvie Mountains, Yukon
This bird is peak beak
Perfect, pastoral Palouse
Aug. 24, 2023Shark Fin Cove, California
Mar. 12, 2025Château de Sully-sur-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire, France
The butterfly effect
Aug. 14, 2025Cable car station on Piz Nair mountain, Graubünden, Switzerland
Spiralling upward...
Nov. 3, 2024International Day for Biosphere Reserves
Nov. 25, 2023Kluane National Park and Reserve, Yukon
Dec. 2, 2025Whistler, British Columbia
How can we help at-risk animals?
Sep. 26, 2024Blue-throated toucanet, Los Quetzales National Park, Costa Rica
Aug. 30, 2024International Whale Shark Day
Oct. 12, 2024World Migratory Bird Day
Oct. 19, 2025Apples ready for harvest, Minnesota, United States
Jan. 29, 2026Milwaukee City Hall, Wisconsin, United States