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:

Time to make an impression
When life imitates art
Freshwater diving capital
Oct. 13, 2025Happy Thanksgiving!
Apr. 1, 2024April Fools Day
Jun. 1, 2024Pride Month
An island crossroad of culture
Winter at Valley Forge
Dec. 15, 2024Lake Misurina, Dolomites, Italy
May 12, 2024Mothers Day
Spiralling upward...
Mar. 5, 2026Evening over Göreme, Cappadocia, Türkiye
Jan. 19, 2024Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia
Mar. 14, 2025Celebrating Pi Day
Sep. 18, 2024Gujō Hachiman Castle, Gifu Prefecture, Japan
Jul 21, 2026Santa Catalina Arch, Antigua, Guatemala
May 23, 2025World Turtle Day
This clever bird passes with flying colours
Jan. 11, 2026Blue walls of Chefchaouen, Morocco
Celebrating our looming lunar neighbour
How can we help at-risk animals?
Dec. 17, 2024Traditional red fishermens cabins, Reine, Norway
Nov. 3, 2024International Day for Biosphere Reserves
Mar. 27, 2024World Theatre Day
Oct. 15, 2023European hedgehog
May 14, 2025Porto Flavia, Sulcis-Iglesiente, Sardinia, Italy
Feb. 1, 2024Polar bear, Churchill, Manitoba
Widespread and long-eared
Jan. 28, 2026Whanganui National Park, Retaruke, New Zealand
Dec. 16, 2025Handmade gnomes at a Christmas market