More than 700 species live within this murky marvel of a swamp on California's coast.

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."

Eat a tasty meal in the house where John Steinbeck was born.

Two rocks in a perpetual kiss and one of "the most romantic spot in America."

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

Hopeless romantics will swoon over the sweet story behind this bright and colorful home.

The oldest U.S. Government building in California, and it's State Historic Landmark #1.

An old whaling station now serves to give the public a look at the commercial whaling industry, no longer a part of Monterey's economy.

A hotel and restaurant serving as the mecca of kitsch.

Life in this isolated, hilltop lighthouse was lonely, but it sure was lovely.

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

The interior of the Overlook Hotel in "The Shining" was based on this Yosemite original.

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

Under the right circumstances, this waterfall in Yosemite briefly turns a luminescent fiery orange.

The first lookout in Yosemite.

Once thought to be the oldest living tree in the world, Methuselah was germinated before the Egyptian pyramids were built.

For decades, the largest tungsten producer in the U.S. was located in a spectacular setting in the high Sierra Nevada, with some of the workings over 11,000 feet.

Towering basalt columns, a creation of fire and ice.

Eons old volcanic activity created one of the most stunning rock formations in the United States.

A natural dome made of volcanic glass in Inyo National Forest.

A dwindling menagerie of anthropomorphic oil derrick animals still dot the barren California landscape.

A water tower shaped like a giant coffee pot looms over a small Swedish village in Central California.

Quite simply the largest tree in the world (by volume).

Four hundred granite steps were built into this massive rock by the National Park Service.