Its dark depths conceal millions of rare, delicate crystal formations.

This historic estate on the east shore of Lake Tahoe was home to an eccentric millionaire (and his pet elephant, Mingo).

A breathtaking 19th-century trail overlooks Lake Tahoe.

At this 1940s-era neighborhood favorite, you can still drink a cherry phosphate.

The capitol city's oldest existing cemetery.

This 19th century train workshop is a treasure trove of railroad history.

A picturesque example of brute-force engineering conquering nature.

One woman's Viking Castle on Lake Tahoe.

Rising out of miles of farmland, these buttes are sometimes called the world's smallest mountain range.

This diner's a kitschy dreamland for anyone whose heart is stuck in the 1980s.

Home of what was the largest hydraulic mine in the world, producing gold and the first diamonds in the U.S.

Bits and pieces from the ill-fated Donner Party's winter cabins.

Eclectic collection of dark and macabre antiques.

The viewpoint for this attractive, off-the-beaten-path waterfall is reached by a paved, wheelchair-accessible trail.

A train tunnel that was made obsolete by the dam it helped create.

The oldest orange tree in California spawned a generation of citrus farmers.

A fire lookout atop a glacial pinnacle is reached by climbing three vertiginous flights of stairs.

Dentist's hated concrete colossi are now beloved icons of the community.

Downieville's largest Gold Rush structure still standing has one of the longest bars in California.

Once the largest town in eastern Yuba County now sits abandoned.

Built to hold Gold Rush wealth, this building has withstood the test of time.

The beauty and the beast of hydraulic mining is on full display at this California Historic State Park.

Established in 1853, this crumbling cemetery sits forgotten on the corner of Church and Chapel in Gold Country.

The Empire Mine is "one of the oldest, largest, deepest, longest and richest gold mines in California."