Lake Tahoe, Nevada Feb 6, 2024

Peeking out of Lake Tahoe—the largest alpine lake in North America and the second-deepest lake in the United States— Bonsai Rock and its surroundings are a popular tourist destination in the Sierra Nevada range. The peculiar sight of four trees growing out of what appears to be a massive granite rock inspired a name that comes from the Japanese art of growing miniature trees. Bonsai traditionally contain a single tree or a small group of trees of the same species, so the description fits this site well. Part of the purpose of bonsai is to provide an opportunity for contemplation, so if you visit Bonsai Rock, find a place to relax and explore your thoughts.

© Jim Patterson/Tandem Stills + Motion

palette

Today in History

When landscape met wilderness
Feb 6, 2025Scottish Blackface sheep, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

More Desktop Wallpapers:

A cantilevered window to the past
Aug 29, 2023Turkey tail mushroom
Red rock country
Apr 12, 2025International Day of Human Space Flight
Dec 10, 2023Sand dunes in the Sahara, Algeria
Dec 2, 2024Moose, Denali National Park, Alaska, United States
Aug 17, 2024Alfanzina lighthouse, Algarve, Portugal
Is it green with envy?
Oct 18, 2023Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska
Monsoon awakens the sleeping mountains
A small but mighty guardian
Jan 27, 2025Zoroaster Temple, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, United States
Feb 22, 2024Bathing boxes at Brighton Beach, Australia
Trusty water-shifters
May 20, 2024World Bee Day
Feb 20, 2025Red deer, Canada
An oasis in the desert
Celebrating the tropics
Aug 26, 2024Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge
Jul 9, 2025Independence Day of the Argentine Republic
Oct 20, 2024International Sloth Day
Mar 12, 2025Château de Sully-sur-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire, France
Jan 7, 2024Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve, Australia
Oct 4, 2025World Space Week
Who uses this grassy bridge?
76 glorious years of independence
Nov 11, 2024Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
Jan 19, 2024Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia
Dec 31, 2024New Years Eve in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
One on land, a million in space