Muir Woods National Monument, California, United States Jan 9, 2026

Step into the realm of giants. Try embracing a BFG (Big Friendly Giant) as you wrap your arms around a thousand years of wisdom in a single tree trunk. Welcome to Muir Woods National Monument—established on this day in 1908—a majestic hall of coastal redwoods just north of San Francisco, in California, United States. These towering redwoods are the tallest trees on Earth—one here stretches about 80 metres, roughly the height of 43 people stacked head to toe. Most are 600–800 years old and some have stood for over a millennium, yet they"re still considered "young" for a species that can live for 2,000 years.

© photo by canderson/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Where the buffalo roam
Jan 9, 2024Gayathri Reservoir, Karnataka, India
Jan 9, 2025Sossusvlei sand dunes, Namib desert, Namibia

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Alps of the sea
Aug 11, 2025Village of Santa Maddalena, Dolomites, Italy
Feb 23, 2024Haghartsin Monastery, Armenia
Mar 8, 2025International Womens Day
Mar 14, 2024Ayutthaya Historical Park, Thailand
Jun 3, 2024Jaswant Thada and Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur, Rajasthan
Nov 9, 2023Birch trees, Drammen, Norway
Jan 30, 2025Rolands Breach, Spain
Rising with the sun
Jan 3, 2024Virupaksha temple, Hampi, Karnataka
Trusty water-shifters
Standing on glass 900+ feet in the air
An ocean of stars above the desert
On a dark and stormy night...
Oct 30, 2023Common raven
Straight out of a fairytale
Staying in the loop
Jun 17, 2025Maritime forest in Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia, United States
Jun 4, 2024Chestnut-headed bee-eater, Bardia National Park, Nepal
Bridging the gap two ways
Jan 2, 2025Ardez village, Graubunden, Switzerland
Dec 11, 2023Huangshan Mountains, China
Oct 24, 2025Night view of the RMS Queen Mary, Long Beach, California, United States
Sep 7, 2025Gdańsk on the banks of the Motława river, Poland
Feb 21, 2025Champaka Sarasi, Shivamogga, Karnataka, India
Jan 3, 2026J.R.R. Tolkien Day
Southern tip of a northern isle
A future built on the past
Apr 7, 2024North American beaver
Jan 18, 2025Dunes at White Sands National Park, New Mexico, United States