Merced River, Yosemite National Park, California, United States Dec 13, 2025

Merced River, Yosemite National Park, California, United States

Every masterpiece needs a brushstroke to tie it together. For Yosemite National Park, that stroke is the Merced River—painting reflections of granite cliffs, pine forests and waterfalls across its canvas. One of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers, this waterway begins high in the Sierra Nevada. It gathers meltwater and travels about 235 kilometres west through Yosemite Valley into California"s Central Valley in the United States.

© Ron and Patty Thomas/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

A city so nice they made it twice
Dec 13, 2023Svolvaer, Lofoten Islands, Norway
Dec 13, 2024Christmas market, St. Stephens Basilica, Budapest, Hungary

More Desktop Wallpapers:

May 9, 2025International Chameleon Day
Incan ingenuity
Jan 17, 2024Bavarian Forest National Park, Germany
Warm light through an ancient forest
Aug 20, 2025The citadel in Bonifacio, Southern Corsica, France
Oct 14, 2024Fishing boats at Coco Beach in Goa
Apr 10, 2024Dragon waterfall, Venezuela
Apr 3, 2024Munnar, Kerala
Sep 19, 2025Thousand Islands region, St. Lawrence River, USA-Canada border
On the trail of the Indian eagle-owl
Nov 8, 2024Glacial rivers, Iceland
Apr 6, 2024Himeji Castle, Himeji, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan
We’ve made it to Halfway Day!
Turtle-y nice day for a swim
Apr 22, 2025Earth Day
Dec 14, 2023Boreal owl
May 3, 2025Happy International Astronomy Day!
Jan 31, 2024Rietvlei Nature Reserve, South Africa
Jul 5, 2025Tour de France
The rivers run through us
Nov 18, 2024Porthcawl lighthouse, Wales, United Kingdom
Piecing together a better tomorrow
Mar 7, 2024Roques de Benet, Els Ports Natural Park, Catalonia, Spain
For Mother’s Day, we salute these marsupial moms
Mar 1, 2026African elephants in Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
Jan 3, 2026J.R.R. Tolkien Day
Jan 14, 2025Makar Sankranti
Oct 27, 2025Chhath Puja
Jul 12, 2024Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, USA
A herald of summer