A grove of "candelabra redwoods" deep in California's Lost Coast.

This Oakland fairytale kingdom, fiercely devoted to childlike whimsy, was an early inspiration for Disneyland.

An eccentric folk art landmark made out of discarded bottles by an inspired "grandma."

Playable, historic pinball machines fill this Alameda museum.

Millions of years of oxidation make a drive down this winding Death Valley road surprisingly colorful.

A raised boardwalk winds through a thicket of stunted, century-old trees no more than nine feet tall.

An L.A. traffic island where the faces of locals have been carved into massive granite eggs.

Nursery with extensive collection of flesh-eating plants operated by the author of "The Savage Garden."

Smooth basaltic rocks tell a tale of ancient glacial waterfalls.

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

California's own majestic geyser is powered by a subterranean volcano.

Travelers leave tea kettles in a remote part of Death Valley as part of a mysterious, decades-old tradition.

The hidden jewel of Disneyland: a members only playground for the Disney elite.

Storybook cottage in Beverly Hills was once the site of 1920s silent film studio, affectionately known as "The Witch's House."

A crumbling wizard is one of the final reminders of a roadside Middle Earth.

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

This print shop boasts one of the largest pinball arcades in San Francisco.

A deserted hodgepodge of experimental structures designed by nearby university students.

This impressive tunnel was dug entirely by hand over the course of 36 years.

The interior of the Overlook Hotel in "The Shining" was based on this Yosemite original.

A hard-to-reach oasis in a desolate corner of Death Valley National Park.

A popular tourist cave with a dark past.

This dark, quiet forest on the outskirts of San Diego is dense with rumor and lore.

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