L. Frank Baum wrote part of the "Wizard of Oz" series in this wooden Victorian beach resort.

An historic and oft-filmed spot for musclebound iron pumpers on the Pacific coast.

The largest dune field in the Mojave offers a chance of hearing the 'singing sands.'

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

"Only the devil could play golf here."

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

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

The ghostly remains of an accidental sea.

Along a California highway is a kind of Jurassic Park made of metal.

At this deceptively beautiful beach, nothing is what it seems.

Huge otherworldly domed rocks on the shore of a deadly lake.

This secluded aqua waterfall in the Grand Canyon is the perfect swimming hole, and the Havasupai tribe's fiercely protected natural wonder.

The highest point in Arizona is an oddly snow-topped peak within the otherwise arid state.

This 4,000-foot-diameter hole is touted as "the most well known, best preserved meteorite crater on Earth."

This public square capitalized on a single Eagles reference to bring some life back to an Arizona town.

See massive fossils that are over 200 million years old in northeastern Arizona.

The marker offers a rare chance to be in four U.S. states at once, though there's some controversy over its geographic accuracy.

The land is full of geologic eye candy, such as otherworldly spires, mushroom-shaped hoodoos, and prehistoric fossils.

A phenomenal assembly of pueblos in New Mexico is the most complete example of ancient ruins north of the border.

The 7,000-year-old calcium carbonate formation creates a magnificent natural bridge.

This museum started as a collection of Manhattan Projects and continues to add exhibits as they are declassified.

This highest peak in New Mexico is named after an explorer who had a habit of lending his moniker to peaks.

The highest point in Texas is capped by a big silver pyramid.

Home to the largest urban bat colony in North America, estimated at 1.5 million bats.