A mountain range on an active U.S. Navy base hides thousands of mysterious prehistoric rock carvings.

The most beautiful Taco Bell in the world even has surfboard parking.

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

This remarkably simple jail went over a century without an escape.

L. Frank Baum wrote part of the "Wizard of Oz" series in this wooden Victorian beach resort.

One of the most elaborate displays of Jellyfish is on display at the aquarium.

The beloved dining spot stands at the cross-section of Hollywood and the Old West.

This Southern Californian Conservation Center is home to singing and howling apes.

A performance hall at the American Jewish University moonlights as a sci-fi film location set.

This mountaintop beacon is only lit three times a year but shines like some kind of all-seeing eye.

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

“It's the quality” (but probably also the drive-through donut tunnel) that has attracted diners since 1968.

The remnants of a failed socialist commune can still be found just off a California highway.

A herd of 150 bison live on California's Santa Catalina Island and are at the heart of an ongoing debate between environmental protection and economic expansion.

Despite being a perfectly pleasant place to be, Loyalton can't seem to attract any visitors.

A classically inspired temple in Redwood City.

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

Crumbling pink walls and murder memorials preserve the pioneer history of Joshua Tree.

The cluster of boulders near Fort Irwin is covered in military insignia.

The oldest continuously operating church in California.

The hundreds of movies and television shows shot in this high desert town are commemorated in a unique museum.

A sculpture of the famous photograph stands on San Diego's "Greatest Generation Walk."

Where the writer penned his famous story about a jumping frog.

The dramatic upward-curving roof is one of the most iconic examples of Googie architecture that still stands today.