During prohibition, corrupt city officials ran drinking dens under the streets of Downtown Los Angeles.

A picture-perfect town, perfect for blowing up.

Towering basalt columns, a creation of fire and ice.

This naturally heated mountainous creek has created a group of neon blue pools of potentially deadly boiling water.

Stripes of flowers bloom each spring in a 50 acre rainbow of color.

Traversing these canyons, visitors can take in stunning views and glimpses of the region's history.

An old California photo stand has been turned into a shrine to the cozy art of crochet.

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

The rocks in this arid basin leave trails of movement behind them.

Smooth basaltic rocks tell a tale of ancient glacial waterfalls.

Colorful sedimentary rock layers provide opportunities both for hiking and photography.

Carved by a waterfall in a hard-to-reach rock formation, this heart-shaped rock has inspired romantics for decades.

Chewing gum tycoon's memorial lies perched over wife's botanical gardens on Santa Catalina Island.

This beautiful ridge-top trail is dotted by tiny homes apparently built by a group of itinerant fairies.

Named after a bandit and the star of several Hollywood prehistoric landscapes, these sandstone formations are a historical part of the Los Angeles natural landscape.

The mysterious, untimely death of a Canned Heat band member still haunts this unfinished home.

The neighborhood shop is a sort of tiny cactus museum full of exotic specimens you can take home.

Remains of a Greek freighter trapped off of Rocky Point in 1961.

This mysterious and creepy location instills a strong sense of foreboding in all visitors.

Remants of foundations, streets, and streetcar tracks inhabit the cliffs where a landslide occurred in 1929.

The awe-inspiring ship from the golden era of cruising has an incomparable history and a reputation as one of the world’s most haunted places.

A Cold War site complete with rusty structures, hiking trails, and beautiful views.

This stockpile of junked electronic and mechanical gadgets is a favorite among Hollywood prop masters.

This “living museum” at UCLA exhibits thousands of plant species from all over the world.