Sunset in Badlands National Park, South Dakota, United States Jun 13, 2026

Sunset in Badlands National Park, South Dakota, United States

Layered ridges stretch across Badlands National Park in South Dakota. Their bands of pink, grey and gold shift with the light as eroded peaks and valleys come into view. Wind and water continue to shape this terrain, steadily wearing away soft sedimentary rock and exposing millions of years of Earth"s history in layers formed by ancient rivers, volcanic ash and periods when shallow seas covered the region.

© Troy Harrison/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Dare to delve into this dense swamp
The world’s greatest oasis?
Jun. 13, 2024Registan Square, Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Jun. 13, 2025Canadian Grand Prix 2025

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Nov. 14, 2024Manarola, Cinque Terre National Park, Liguria, Italy
Aug. 20, 2024Sunrise at Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA
Nature, art, and...math?
Jul 16, 2026Navy Pier, Chicago, Illinois, United States
Sep. 3, 2024Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Washington, United States
Sep. 19, 2023Splügen Pass, Switzerland
Boardwalk nostalgia
Mar. 29, 2026Peggys Point Lighthouse, Atlantic Coast, Nova Scotia
Stairway to where?
Aug 15, 2026Ah Shi Sle Pah Wilderness, New Mexico, United States
Apr. 9, 2025Naxos, Cyclades, Greece
The other great barrier reef
A sea of humanity
Sep. 1, 2025Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, United States
Dec. 10, 2025Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba, Andalusia, Spain
What’s your favourite colour?
Mar. 13, 2024Lake Magadi, Kenya
Apr. 5, 2024The Bahamas
Oct. 9, 2023Thanksgiving Day
When ice imitates art
Nimble and stealthy
May 21, 2024International Tea Day
An oasis in the desert
And so it begins!
Oct. 2, 2024Autumn in the Ogilvie Mountains, Yukon
Sway with the Amazonian canopy
Jun. 18, 2025Pollinator Week
Sep. 8, 2024International Literacy Day
Jan. 4, 2024Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California
May 2, 2024Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, Idaho, USA