A massive volcanic plug is now a protected area that hosts a number of bird species.

Aqueducts have dramatically changed this old lake, now home to tufa towers and its very own species of tiny brine shrimp.

Bits and pieces from the ill-fated Donner Party's winter cabins.

A glimpse into the lives of the the Miwok and Paiute people in Yosemite National Park.

This whimsical seashell-shaped place of worship was designed to blend into its surroundings.

Offering commanding views of the California coastline, this restaurant was a hub for the artists and bohemians of Big Sur.

Every year, over 25,000 monarchs overwinter in Pacific Grove.

It should come as no surprise that the world's largest artichoke lies in the town that calls itself the "Artichoke Center of the World."

The fossilized remains of ancient California redwoods.

The haunting ruins of Jack London's dream house.

Nuclear waste dump site now an environmental sanctuary.

'Cause the fence start shaking, the earth was quaking.

Once close to extinction, there is no shortage of elephant seals on the beaches of Año Nuevo State Park.

The world's first permanently occupied mountain-top observatory continues to report on the stars.

The rusting remains of the largest assembled WWII fleet on the West Coast.

A pair of pure white felines guard the entrance to a spot of California real estate established as an artist's haven.

A New England-style lighthouse along California's beautiful Highway 1 gets a re-do.

Concrete strongholds stand guard over the Golden Gate.

The seawater playground of gilded-era San Francisco burned to the ground in 1966.

A walk-in working camera obscura produces 360-degree live images of the San Francisco coast.

Depicting scenes of everyday life - and specific individuals - in Great Depression era San Francisco.

San Francisco's urban bison herd has persisted in the face of extinction, development, and disease.

The last remaining relic of San Francisco's glittering 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition.

In all of the 29 years it was in operation, no prisoners ever escaped successfully... or so they claim.