Bodie's 20th-century rival was a paragon of respectability and calm—but the mines eventually ran dry.

An abandoned early 20th-century gold mine in a spectacular setting overlooking Bridgeport Valley and the Sierra Nevada.

When California condors were hovering on the brink of extinction, this recovery program was charged with helping the birds thrive again.

These millipedes glow not out of attraction, but as a not-too-subtle warning.

San Francisco's oldest surviving monument and meeting place for 1906 survivors.

Life in this isolated, hilltop lighthouse was lonely, but it sure was lovely.

Costumed elves and mountain bikers co-exist peacefully at this abandoned Christmas-themed adventure park.

One of the ghostly stops along Route 66.

A volcanic tunnel illuminated by natural skylights offers a shaded respite from the desert sun.

California's own medieval Italian castle, authentic down to the 300-year-old iron maiden in the dungeon.

One of the last free public hot springs is decorated with hippie art.

The largest drain hole in the world.

The unbelievably opulent home built for an infamous newspaperman.

San Diego's most historic and haunted home.

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

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

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

The oldest burial ground in the city, final resting place of city founders, Ohlone natives and murderers alike.

This star-studded Old Hollywood restaurant is where fettuccine Alfredo made its United States debut.

The largest permanent Monopoly board makes one of the longest games even bigger.

This massive redwood tree has a hole in the base big enough to drive through.

This rare example of a "tidefall" is a spectacular drop from the cliffs down onto the beach.

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

Once thought to be the oldest living tree in the world, Methuselah was germinated before the Egyptian pyramids were built.