This Arizona observatory is famous for investigations into Martian life, and as the place humans first spotted Pluto.

Ancient pueblos built into the base of a natural canyon wall.

A working cattle ranch with remarkably well-preserved prehistoric petroglyphs and ancient ruins.

Founded by members of the Tohono O’odham Nation, this one-room joint's James Beard–winning fry bread is light as a cloud.

The remains of this hell for leather wild west town can still be found in the Arizona desert.

On the outskirts of a reborn ghost town, a decaying post office remembers the bad old days.

Although now a decaying ruin, this stone cabin's history includes several notable figures.

A Wild West jailhouse that slid down the mountainside.

The state's only comprehensive museum dedicated to the mineral that defined its history and economy.

Inside this garden, visitors are offered a glimpse into how inhabitants of the region survived centuries ago.

This comprehensive collection features Native American artifacts dating back centuries.

The largest and most well-preserved petroglyph site in the Verde Valley.

A once popular resort—said to be the vacation spot of gangster Al Capone—now remains abandoned in the woods of Arizona.

A partial tunnel blasted into a steep ridge is all that remains of a failed railway across Arizona.

The largest natural travertine bridge in the world is nestled in a small canyon in central Arizona.

This high desert botanical garden is a unique display of Northern New Mexico's geology.

The vanishing remains of an old water station from the late 19th century.

Life-sized sculpture of a blue whale made of hand-recycled plastic trash.

These Pre-Columbian petroglyphs contain representations of birds, deer, hunters, and even some early Native flute players.

This sparsely populated town offers a look back in time.

Make it an offering.

In Washington's Yakima Valley lies a town "where dinosaurs roam."

A rugged lava field dotted with molds of the ancient pines that were growing when the volcano erupted.

On the Oregon coast there is a natural hole that seems to be draining the sea.