A long and winding trail through history led to the current iteration of this mountaintop tower.

This dramatic landscape hidden on the Isle of Skye looks as though you've stepped into the magical realm.

The most powerful laboratory radiation source in the world pulses with 1,000 times the electricity of a lightning bolt.

At this research institute, the chile is king.

A warm desert spring holds one of the rarest species on earth.

A one-of-a-kind sundial at the Very Large Array honors a radio astronomy pioneer, incorporating the original piers from his breakthrough radio telescope.

A serene garden path lined with 36 haiku stamped into clay stones.

Wee (and not so wee) footprints that insects and reptiles of the Paleozoic Era left behind.

This quirky hot springs town known to locals as "T or C" was named after a radio show.

A preserve with 75,000 ancient drawings remains the realm of public – not just scientific – exploration.

A unique geological area spiked with wind-carved rocks that resemble teepees.

A phenomenal assembly of pueblos in New Mexico is the most complete example of ancient ruins north of the border.

A futuristic temple of light uses prisms and rainbows to create an atmosphere of peace.

The second-largest cave chamber in the world was discovered in 1898 by a 16-year-old and a friend known as "Pothead."

Seemingly grown on some other world, these New Mexico rock formations look like a disused science fiction set.

The "Jade Museum" is full of thousands of intricately carved works of art made from various precious stones.

Mile-long cave system near Great Smoky Mountains.

Enormous lake at the bottom of a unique cave system.

The longest continuous lava tube in the continental U.S. offers 2.5 miles of dark explorations for the adventurous.

The famous artist couple lived and worked here, in two different houses separated by a bridge.

The ruins of an ancient Mayan city, beautifully preserved and only accessible by boat.

Two waterfalls flow down the cliff faces decorated with rare natural basalt columns.

An elaborate Mayan city shrouded in alien conspiracy revealed the tomb of Pacal the Great.

An Aztec temple, the largest man-made pyramid in the world, sits buried in earth with a Spanish church set on top.