This shop specializes in oddities and Victorian-inspired wonders.

A winding path built in secret on the edge of the continent.

A hidden gem, named after a San Franciscan icon, offers spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean.

The oldest lawn bowling club in the United States.

The key to turning shifting dunes into the green oasis of Golden Gate Park.

The most isolated mailbox in America lets desert travelers record their passing.

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

The deepest lake in the United States, and once the site of epic destruction that lives on in legends.

The lighthouse central to the 1980s horror classic "The Fog" is, in fact, located in one of the foggiest areas of the Pacific Coast.

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

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

The fossilized remains of ancient California redwoods.

A historic hotel in an old California railroad town with a rowdy reputation.

Where the polar bear watches over everything, and every drink is a double.

A massive hydrovolcanic explosion left a half-mile wide crater in Death Valley.

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

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

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

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

In one of the hottest parts of the Mojave Desert, shallow bedrock forces the typically dry Mojave River to the surface in this canyon, providing a vital oasis for humans and wildlife.

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

This giant temperature attraction created some giant electric bills.

This large pile of traveler-curated rocks by the dry lakebed is a longstanding tradition on the Old Mojave Road.

Finally the worlds of UFO enthusiasts and beef jerky lovers have come together in this roadside shop.