A king's pet, a pope's gift, an artist's inspiration, and a tragic shipwreck.

The inky volcanic sand leads to reefs teeming with aquatic life waiting to be discovered by snorkelers and divers.

Dramatic river bend surrounds a natural red-rocked pedestal.

Bordered by forest on three sides and the ocean on the other, the Great Dune of Pilat is the highest sand dune in Europe.

This Parisian café sticks almost exclusively to an ethos of reuse.

The world's largest reflecting pool is just two centimeters deep.

The quintessential Japanese rock garden has existed for more than 500 years.

An historic and oft-filmed spot for musclebound iron pumpers on the Pacific coast.

A house built from trash known as the poor man's Hearst Castle.

Mysterious meeting place for UFO hunters near Area 51.

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

A massive volcanic plug is now a protected area that hosts a number of bird species.

The lowest point in North America is home to an undrinkable pool surrounded by fields of geometric salt flats.

In all of the 29 years it was in operation, no prisoners ever escaped successfully... or so they claim.

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

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

This 1,300 year old monastery built atop a single rock was once only accessible depending on the whims of the tide.