During the summer, surfers in Alaska take advantage of this inlet’s unusual water patterns.

The simple log cabin of a famed loner and naturalist stands preserved as a symbol of the ultimate DIY lifestyle.

A high school astronomy enthusiast designed this model of our solar system to be traversed on foot.

This shrine to the patron saint of Alaska sits on a small tidal island and was built from the land’s own beach stones.

A classic gold rush hotel can be expected to pick up some ghosts along the way, and the Golden North is no exception.

Low tide reveals 8,000-year-old rock carvings in Southern Alaska.

A historic freight system that found the true gold rush is in tourism.

This historic collection of Native Alaskan artifacts was resurrected through a partnership between the WPA and tribal artisans.

Massive mounds of golden sand look like a desert landscape randomly plopped in an Arctic forest.

This ghostly Alaska village still clings to a steep cliffside despite having been abandoned for over 50 years.

One woman's dream became a train hotel in her backyard.

The ruins of this Alaska gold mine form a gorgeous ghost town.

A rare chance to get up close and personal with a 13-mile ribbon of ice near downtown Juneau.

A trading post in the North Pole where children send letters.

This frozen tunnel in central Alaska is both an engineering feat and a valuable climate classroom.

The ghostly remains of what was once the world's richest copper mine.

Upside-down trees serve as natural flower pots in this hanging garden of Alaska.

This whimsical stacked cabin looks like something out of a children's book.

The king of U.S. high points towers over every other peak on the continent.

Mind-blowing carvings and fantasy ice scenes grace the largest year-round ice environment in the world.

A 140-year-old castle with underground caves hidden in San Francisco.

A psychedelic labyrinth on the San Francisco bay.

The idyllic colonial home of the artist behind the famous portraits of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

The first newspaper printed by an expeditionary force was published in this colonial mansion.