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 16, 2023Oktoberfest begins
Jan 3, 2025Happy Birthday, J.R.R. Tolkien!
May 10, 2025Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota
Apr 8, 2024Total solar eclipse
Apr 20, 2022Mute swans
Mar 8, 2025International Womens Day
Oct 1, 2024Yosemite National Park anniversary
Dec 22, 2020A holiday beacon of light
Oct 8, 2024World Octopus Day
Mar 13, 2022Daylight saving time
Mar 29, 2021Rising up from the black sand like rock gods
Aug 26, 2018From pirate port to nature preserve
Mar 7, 2020Summer winds down in the Southern Hemisphere
Jun 24, 2021The call of the wild in Alaska
Apr 13, 2021Ruins of a royal temple
Aug 17, 2020A giant relic in Java
Aug 25, 2023National Park Service anniversary
Apr 24, 2020Celebrating 30 years of eye-opening images
Jan 13, 2021Strolling across the Red Lagoon
Feb 2, 2024Groundhog Day
Aug 31, 2021Bridge over the River Tara
Aug 24, 2023Shark Fin Cove, California
Dec 25, 2023Merry Christmas!
Sep 30, 2025Koala in the Great Otway National Park, Australia
Jan 5, 2021Flying high on National Bird Day
Aug 26, 2023Museum Night in Berlin
Oct 18, 2024Autumn in Central Park, New York
Feb 16, 2026Presidents Day
Mar 20, 2025Spring equinox
Apr 12, 2025International Day of Human Space Flight