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

Ten 25-foot-tall, beehive-shaped kilns, abandoned in Death Valley.

This crumbling Death Valley mining complex was known for its use of giant, 20-mule team wagons.

A hotel and restaurant serving as the mecca of kitsch.

A chain of bells connect the California Missions and honor the legend of the "King’s Highway."

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

A remote crossroads honoring a fallen talent.

Four hundred granite steps were built into this massive rock by the National Park Service.

Eons old volcanic activity created one of the most stunning rock formations in the United States.

This naturally heated mountainous creek has created a group of neon blue pools of potentially deadly boiling water.

Offering commanding views of the California coastline, this restaurant was a hub for the artists and bohemians of Big Sur.

Once America’s most beautiful army base, this abandoned military fort on the coast of Monterey Bay has been left to the elements.

This municipal playground was co-created by the father of one of the most playful characters ever.

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

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

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

I Street Bridge is the heaviest swinging center bridge in the United States.

It should come as no surprise that the world's largest artichoke lies in the town that calls itself the "Artichoke Center of the World."

Home to the "Circus" trees created by Axel Erlandson.

This concrete ship has had four careers - World War I tanker, floating amusement park, fishing pier, and artificial reef.

Once close to extinction, there is no shortage of elephant seals on the beaches of Año Nuevo State Park.

San Francisco's urban bison herd has persisted in the face of extinction, development, and disease.

The last remaining relic of San Francisco's glittering 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition.

Relics of the 1894 Midwinter Exposition continue to delight visitors today.