Giant jewel-toned statues fill the grounds of this Cambodian Buddhist temple in California.

An alley covered with 20 years of bubble gum.

Thousands of acres of beautiful wild landscape in the Great Basin.

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

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

An antique store houses the last operational diner from the defunct department store chain.

A lawless town deep in Death Valley was famous for its riches and death rate.

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

The echoes of a railroad town that solemnly mark the end of the line.

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

A charming desert roadside bakery that produces 10 times more bread daily than it has residents in its town.

Eons old volcanic activity created one of the most stunning rock formations in the United States.

Under the right circumstances, this waterfall in Yosemite briefly turns a luminescent fiery orange.

A ghost town originally established and governed solely by Black Americans seeking a place of their own, free from discrimination.

A dwindling menagerie of anthropomorphic oil derrick animals still dot the barren California landscape.

The Zalud family experienced a number of tragedies in one decade, giving rise to rumors that the 19th century house is haunted.

Quite simply the largest tree in the world (by volume).

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

This small shack near the entrance to Sequoia National Park has been in almost continuous operation for the last century.

A desert ghost town—occupied for only 12 years—was once home to more than 500 silver mines.

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

Settled by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1859, this abandoned frontier town has appeared in several films.

Abandoned businesses, homes, and rusted cars are all that remains of this stopover town.

This ramshackle ghost town is comprised of mining-era buildings collected from around the region.