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:

Aug 20, 2022World Honey Bee Day
Dec 20, 2024Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi, Lapland, Finland
Feb 9, 2023Lower Antelope Canyon, Arizona
Mar 31, 2018Cherry blossoms at the National Mall, Washington, DC
Jul 20, 2022National Moon Day
Sep 10, 2018Party like it’s 5779
Dec 20, 2023Val Gardena, South Tyrol, Dolomites, Italy
Nov 15, 2021Manatee Awareness Month
May 23, 2021A palace for the public
Aug 4, 2020Into the woods
Feb 8, 2024Mount Hood, Oregon
Nov 23, 20191, 1, 2, 3: It s Fibonacci Day!
Aug 26, 2024Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge
Apr 11, 2025Tulips, Netherlands
Mar 21, 2024International Day of Forests
May 29, 2023Memorial Day
Jun 15, 2022Nature Photography Day
Feb 3, 2019A crane for good luck in today’s big game
Jan 1, 2020Napping away New Year s Day
Feb 1, 2018Stuben am Arlberg, Austria
Feb 24, 2019A long path to freedom
May 4, 2018May the Fourth be with you…
Oct 31, 2023Halloween
Aug 8, 2019Spot on for International Cat Day
Apr 12, 2026International Day of Human Space Flight
Feb 3, 2020The moai you know
Feb 11, 2025Yungang Grottoes, Shanxi, China
May 18, 2018It’s Endangered Species Day
Dec 17, 2021Bournemouth beach huts
Apr 4, 2025National Cherry Blossom Festival, Washington, DC