Where NASA's satellites and rovers phone home.

This crumbling Death Valley mining complex was known for its use of giant, 20-mule team wagons.

This hidden fire lookout offers spectacular views of Sequoia National Park.

This nondescript tunnel has been featured in a number of iconic movies, from “Roger Rabbit” to “Back to the Future.”

Across Ring Mountain is a vast collection of Native American petroglyphs unique to the region.

A remote desert lookout offers unparalleled views of the California badlands for those who brave the trek.

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

A plaque and memorabilia collection mark where A&W got its start.

The beauty and the beast of hydraulic mining is on full display at this California Historic State Park.

This giant temperature attraction created some giant electric bills.

This mysterious petroglyph evokes the ancient swastika symbol but was later vandalized with the more troublesome Nazi one.

A mountain range on an active U.S. Navy base hides thousands of mysterious prehistoric rock carvings.

Inky sludge oozes to the surface of this beach thanks to a rare natural tar seep.

Each winter this underground cave forms a dazzling ice palace.

Massive prehistoric mammals used these stones as oversized scratching posts.

This rock formation named for its unique shape is one of many that call the Alabama Hills home.

A natural dome made of volcanic glass in Inyo National Forest.

The southernmost outpost of the Russian Empire in colonial America.

The decaying adobe remains of an old homestead are just off the beaten path in Joshua Tree National Park.

Salt is slowly eating away this abandoned saltworks town in the desert.

Four hundred granite steps were built into this massive rock by the National Park Service.

This dormant volcanic crater has been converted from a roiling pit of magma to a pleasant hiking spot.

Crumbling pink walls and murder memorials preserve the pioneer history of Joshua Tree.

The show's fictional Korean medical camp was created in the Santa Monica hills.