It's not your typical library, memorial, or book store.

Ancient human, animal, and geometric figures drawn in the earth.

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

Preserving the remains of Native American cultures which otherwise would have been submerged behind Hoover Dam.

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

Stepping away from the glitz of mobsters and casinos to learn about the other history of Vegas.

A land of debatable treasure.

Odd outsider art installations surround a Gold Rush-era ghost town.

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

Marta Becket's hand-painted theater in the desert.

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

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.

"Only the devil could play golf here."

The ghost town that ended up on Ebay.

This dormant volcanic crater has been converted from a roiling pit of magma to a pleasant hiking spot.

This giant temperature attraction created some giant electric bills.

A former utopian healing center created by a huckster and built by derelicts.

This old mining town, deep in the California desert, has a year-round population of one.

One of the ghostly stops along Route 66.

Smooth basaltic rocks tell a tale of ancient glacial waterfalls.

Honoring the famed folktale author, this California museum looks like it belongs in the Black Forest.

One of the most unusual geological features, recognizable from a dozen hit movies.

The "Fun Spot of the Desert" is now a haunting ruin, and a reminder that putting a water park in a desert is a bad idea.