Standing in a state of "arrested decay," this ghost town allows for a detailed peek into Gold Rush life in an unusually harsh climate.

The rocks in this arid basin leave trails of movement behind them.

One of the last free public hot springs is decorated with hippie art.

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

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

A hard-to-reach oasis in a desolate corner of Death Valley National Park.

The highest dunes in California are the most likely place in the area to hear the Singing Sands.

A hotel and restaurant serving as the mecca of kitsch.

A winding path built in secret on the edge of the continent.

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

Carnivorous plants, medieval aphrodisiacs, and the largest original wood structure glass conservatory in the western hemisphere.

Bring your own cardboard to the slippery slopes of concrete hidden in a neighborhood park.

America's most famous piece of self-built architecture.

Towering basalt columns, a creation of fire and ice.

A psychedelic labyrinth on the San Francisco bay.

An artsy hidden staircase leads to breathtaking views of San Francisco.

A peculiar mansion built by the troubled heir to the Winchester Rifle Company fortune.

A huge musical instrument played by the ocean.

During prohibition, corrupt city officials ran drinking dens under the streets of Downtown Los Angeles.

This ghost town was once a cult-like religious utopian settlement.

A ghost town that held steady longer than most, but finally gave up the ghost.

Settled by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1859, this abandoned frontier town has appeared in several films.

Despite its name, this route in southern Utah offers a heavenly day trip.

A hidden garden of stones engraved with scriptures, a Joseph Smith Sphinx, all carved by one man.