A raised boardwalk winds through a thicket of stunted, century-old trees no more than nine feet tall.

The "3rd largest" city in California is an empty mirage of suburbia in the middle of nowhere.

After serving in World War II and picking up Apollo astronauts, this aircraft carrier has been turned into a museum overlooking the San Francisco Bay.

A charming desert roadside bakery that produces 10 times more bread daily than it has residents in its town.

The ruins of the castle that chemicals built.

Hidden in the Santa Ynez Mountains off Highway 154, this tiny restaurant once served as a stagecoach stop.

According to legend it was a nap taken under this tree that kicked off the California Gold Rush.

This park is home to California's first oil boomtown, with structures that have stood for more than a century.

An abandoned Jazz Age dream home and con man's hideout in Death Valley.

This desert oddity hides in plain sight thanks to a cartographic error and a desert explorer with a punny sense of humor.

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

A lawless town deep in Death Valley was famous for its riches and death rate.

Abandoned Air Force base that has fallen into disrepair.

This old mining town, deep in the California desert, has a year-round population of one.

The location of the last stand of Charles Manson's doomsday cult.

This sun-scorched lakebed contains samples of half the natural elements known to humankind.

The remnants of a failed socialist commune can still be found just off a California highway.

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

The "Kill Bill Church" was transformed into a place of worship after a long Hollywood history.

Salt is slowly eating away this abandoned saltworks town in the desert.

This impressive tunnel was dug entirely by hand over the course of 36 years.

The liveliest ghost town in the state.

Travelers leave tea kettles in a remote part of Death Valley as part of a mysterious, decades-old tradition.

Rare collectibles from automated musical instruments to 250 unique automobiles.