Smith Rock State Park, Oregon, United States 16 May 2026

What do you call a place where the rocks do the climbing, and humans try to keep up? Welcome to Smith Rock State Park in Oregon, United States, where cliffs rise fast and excuses fall faster. It sits inside the 26-mile-long Crooked River Caldera, shaped by multiple volcanic eruptions. Its welded tuff cliffs are made from compressed volcanic ash that cooled under pressure. The Crooked River carved the canyon, while formations like the Spire rise over 200 metres.

© Alex Ratson/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Serene waters on a trembling earth
Owl be seeing you
16 May 2024International Day of Light
16 May 2025Endangered Species Day

More Desktop Wallpapers:

26 Mar 2025Manatee Appreciation Day
21 Nov 2023Grey seal pup
3 Dec 2024Amber Fort, Amer, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
Stripes in sight
A postcard-perfect landscape
Taking the long view
24 Dec 2023Christmas Eve
A deadly coast
3 Oct 2026Brown bear, Alaska, United States
3 Sept 2026Coyote Buttes, Arizona, United States
27 Jul 2025Barracudas at Shark Reef, Ras Mohammed National Park, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt
3 Apr 2024Newcastle Upon Tyne, England
28 Aug 2024Paralympic Games begin in Paris
15 Jul 2026Marie Lake, John Muir Wilderness, California, United States
12 Jul 2024Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, USA
A bevy of buzzers
Pearl among the emeralds
So nice, they made it twice
3 Dec 2025Sandhill cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico, USA
Teddy bears of the sea
Celebrating the tropics
31 Aug 2026Building detail of Registan Square, Samarkand, Uzbekistan
9 Jan 2025Sossusvlei sand dunes, Namib desert, Namibia
25 Mar 2024Happy Holi!
27 Nov 2025Eastbourne Pier, East Sussex, England
26 Jan 2024Big Garden Birdwatch
Aug 31, 2023Saguaro cacti, Ironwood Forest National Monument, Arizona
12 Dec 2023Reed bunting
21 Jan 2025Squirrel Appreciation Day
15 Aug 2025Spotted eagle rays