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, 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

Serene waters on a trembling earth
Owl be seeing you ... somewhere!
May 16, 2024International Day of Light
May 16, 2025Endangered Species Day

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Up and away!
Feb. 5, 2025Scottish Blackface sheep, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Sep. 22, 2024Autumn equinox
Dec. 9, 2025National Llama Day
Staying in the loop
Nov. 20, 2025World Childrens Day
Dec. 24, 2023Christmas Eve
The ‘potato chip bird’
The lonely castle
Apr. 25, 2025World Penguin Day
Nov. 5, 2025Peña Roya beech forest, Moncayo Natural Park, Aragon, Spain
Jun. 25, 2025Glastonbury Festival begins
May 5, 2025Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia, Chile
Fly me to the moon
Jewel of the Adriatic
May 11, 2026Great Barrier Reef from above, Queensland, Australia
A galaxy full of stars
Spring is coming
Mar. 27, 2025World Theatre Day
May 16, 2026Smith Rock State Park, Oregon, United States
Feb. 20, 2026Horsetail Fall in Yosemite National Park, California, United States
Oct. 29, 2025Ancient til trees in Fanal Forest, Madeira, Portugal
Dec. 17, 2024Traditional red fishermens cabins, Reine, Norway
Mar. 13, 2025Holi celebration in Jaipur, India
It’s time for the Calgary Stampede!
Sep. 6, 2023Rethymno, Crete, Greece
Jun. 5, 2024World Environment Day
Aug. 6, 2025Ring-tailed lemur
Jan. 4, 2025Bản Giốc – Detian Falls, Vietnam
An island made from a vow