An extraordinarily ornate museum in San Diego holds wondrous anthropological treasures.

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

The ghost town that ended up on Ebay.

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

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

Canyon walls shrouded in ferns.

Trails through lava-carved tube-caves display sparkling bacteria and a rich history.

One of the most scenic stretches of road in America winds between some of the country's oldest trees.

Quite simply the largest tree in the world (by volume).

The seawater playground of gilded-era San Francisco burned to the ground in 1966.

This strange seaside tower got its name from a wealthy eccentric who would hide coins among its stones.

Towering basalt columns, a creation of fire and ice.

The ghostly remains of an accidental sea.