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

The sea once considered an ecological wasteland is now called "crown jewel of avian biodiversity" by scientists.

The oldest lighthouse on America's west coast no longer needs keepers, yet they maintain the site anyhow.

At this deceptively beautiful beach, nothing is what it seems.

These lush groves of fan palms rise up like oases out of southern California's Colorado Desert.

Centuries of crashing waves carved out this small hole in the rock, which lights up at certain parts of the year.

George Lucas donated this park to honor the birthplace of his two biggest movie franchises.

An ominous concrete cube cuts a dystopian silhouette atop this California mountain.

This historic tower in the California desert promises visitors a "vortex of good vibes".

An ode to the friendship between four Pacific Rim countries.

Since World War II people have been decorating this stretch of the Yuma desert with signatures arranged out of rocks.

The first life claimed by this record-breaking peak wasn't lost to exposure or a fall but rather lightning.

A 1950s Googie burger stand is now a Los Angeles landmark.

A trail weaves through the verses of a poem illustrated by stone sculptures inspired by Native American pictographs.

Inky sludge oozes to the surface of this beach thanks to a rare natural tar seep.

This rock formation named for its unique shape is one of many that call the Alabama Hills home.

A natural dome made of volcanic glass in Inyo National Forest.

The decaying adobe remains of an old homestead are just off the beaten path in Joshua Tree National Park.

Guns that have been defending San Francisco since 1904.

Massive prehistoric mammals used these stones as oversized scratching posts.

Here, visitors can swing with the waves of the Pacific Ocean.

Burping, gurgling geothermal mud pots by the Salton Sea.

An alley covered with 20 years of bubble gum.

For roadside fast food, pull over at the giant orange.