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

An extensive collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts and mummies.

A tree grown from astronaut seeds which were exposed to cosmic rays.

A strange house built only at night, with rumored mystic inspiration.

The unbelievably opulent home built for an infamous newspaperman.

This hilltop park offers magnificent views and a Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece.

Resting place of Hollywood's immortals is also site of summer film screenings.

Her final resting place was intended to be modest and private, but the power of her popularity continues to draw visitors.

A music-filled, booze-soaked oasis in the desert.

The ghostly remains of an accidental sea.

The "Fun Spot of the Desert" is now a haunting ruin, and a reminder that putting a water park in a desert is a bad idea.

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

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

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

The tragedy of the Japanese internment camps is remembered here by a stark "Soul Consoling Tower."

One of the most unusual geological features, recognizable from a dozen hit movies.

This sculpture garden in Death Valley makes you feel like you've slipped into some alternate reality.

The old Niles Canyon Aqueduct in the San Francisco Bay Area is a bemusing and secret trail through nature for wayward travelers.

From the sky, a kaleidoscope of color brightens the grey landscape of the San Francisco Bay.

This quirky roadside attraction dives into the many theories surrounding North America's most infamous hairy cryptid.

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

This Big Sur waterfall drops 80 feet directly into the Pacific Ocean, and inspired the hillside house up top.

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

A Mysterious Masonic tomb in San Luis Obispo.