Anniversary of Pinnacles National Park, California Jan 16, 2025

Anniversary of Pinnacles National Park, California

Jagged pinnacles and spires, monoliths, and unusual caves—welcome to Pinnacles National Park in central California. President Theodore Roosevelt designated the area as a national monument in 1908, and Pinnacles would earn its status as a national park in 2013. As we celebrate the park"s anniversary today, let"s take a moment to appreciate this landscape. Pinnacles owes its formations to an ancient volcanic eruption that occurred 23 million years ago. The fiery beginnings made towering spires, cliffs, and talus caves, which are created by falling boulders wedged into narrow canyons. Over millennia, tectonic forces shifted the landmass northward, leaving the park far from its volcanic birthplace. Talk about a journey!

© yhelfman/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Jan 16, 2018Lionfish off the coast of Indonesia
Jan 16, 2019Up on the glacier
Jan 16, 2020In the valley of the doll
Jan 16, 2021Oh, to sleep under the northern lights
Jan 16, 2022Hot and Spicy Food Day
Jan 16, 2023Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Jan 16, 2024Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Alberta
Jan 16, 2026Leopard at Etosha National Park, Namibia

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Sep 21, 2020A gentle wind fills this sail
Jul 3, 2025Rainbow River, Rainbow Springs State Park, Florida
Aug 14, 2021When Death Valley blew its top
Jan 13, 2019On the hunt
Apr 30, 2020What kind of bird laid these eggs?
Aug 10, 2024Joshua Tree National Park, California
May 16, 2021A magnificent monolith
Nov 8, 2020Languid life on the Lakes
Apr 21, 2024National Park Week continues
Dec 31, 2018A new tradition in London
Jul 17, 2020Let s face it: It s World Emoji Day
Jul 22, 2019Let’s go mothing
Mar 8, 2019‘Think equal, build smart, innovate for change’
Jun 16, 2025World Sea Turtle Day
Feb 2, 2025Groundhog Day
Nov 10, 2022Badlands National Park turns 44
Aug 8, 2020It s ∞ Day!
Feb 28, 2018Isla del Pescado on the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia
Jan 1, 2021Take the plunge into 2021
Jan 24, 2026Andermatt village in the Alps, Switzerland
Jan 27, 2023Guanahacabibes National Park, Cuba
Sep 9, 2019A toast to California!
Oct 7, 2019From the mind of Frank Gehry
Nov 9, 2023Birch trees, Drammen, Norway
Jun 18, 2024Lupine fields, Snæfellsnes, Iceland
Sep 11, 2025Patriot Day
Aug 12, 2022World Elephant Day
Nov 15, 2019Mesmerizing murmuration
Oct 22, 2019Bobbing for crab apples
Oct 7, 2018Room at the top?