Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia, Chile May 13, 2025

Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia, Chile

Wildlife roams freely in one of Chile"s most stunning protected areas, where towering peaks and ancient glaciers shape the land. Established on this day in 1959, Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia turns 66 years old today and covers over 448,000 acres. Originally called Grey Lake National Tourism Park, it was renamed in 1970 and later designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1978. Its most recognizable feature—the three massive granite peaks known as the Torres—stands over 8,000 feet tall. These formations took shape through magma intrusion and uplift, followed by millions of years of glacial erosion, leaving behind the jagged spires seen today.

© Marco Bottigelli/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

May 13, 2018Happy Mother’s Day
May 13, 2019In praise of bogs, swamps, and marshes
May 13, 2020Of moose and Maine
May 13, 2021Hues of Hokkaido
May 13, 2023World Migratory Bird Day
May 13, 2024Fish River Canyon, Namibia

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Apr 4, 2022Norway s Kjeragbolten boulder
Nov 19, 2020That bill s just not going to fit
Jan 6, 2022Kochelsee in Bavaria
Apr 5, 2022Goðafoss waterfall, Iceland
Mar 16, 2018Celebrating National Panda Day
Aug 22, 2022Burrowing owls
Mar 25, 2024Happy Holi!
Sep 21, 2025Sea Otter Awareness Week
Jul 8, 2022Preveli Gorge
Apr 6, 2022Crested caracaras
Jan 30, 2021Even nature needs a backup plan…
Nov 14, 2021First Cliff Walk
Apr 1, 2021Why do elephants hide in trees?
Jul 16, 2021Whatever floats your boat
Apr 18, 2022Square Tower House in Mesa Verde National Park
Dec 24, 2019Dashing through the snow
Aug 17, 2024International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend
Aug 3, 2022Red-necked grebes during breeding season
Mar 1, 2021Gazing upon Portraits of Change
Jun 15, 2024International Surfing Day
Aug 2, 2023Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
Sep 15, 2025Dallas Latino Cultural Center for Hispanic Heritage
Apr 17, 2018The Children’s Cultural Festival in Reykjavik begins today
Sep 2, 2018Row, row, row your gondola
Oct 22, 2020Moving as one
Jul 31, 2020The Big Blue of the Sierra
Jun 22, 2020Pollinators: not to be sneezed at
Mar 5, 2026Evening over Göreme, Cappadocia, Türkiye
Aug 21, 2025A wheatear in Peak District National Park, England
Apr 7, 2022Málaga, Spain