The fossilized remains of ancient California redwoods.

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

The liveliest ghost town in the state.

Named after a bandit and the star of several Hollywood prehistoric landscapes, these sandstone formations are a historical part of the Los Angeles natural landscape.

A former utopian healing center created by a huckster and built by derelicts.

One of the oldest reform schools in the United States, home to wayward boys such as Merle Haggard, now abandoned.

One of the oldest producers of hand-folded fortune cookies still uses its original secret recipe.

This “living museum” at UCLA exhibits thousands of plant species from all over the world.

A bigger-than-life pun that has become a beacon of altruism.

Commonly referred to as the most photographed Victorian home in the United States.

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

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

This private residence was the template for one of the most beloved television homes of all time.

The unbelievably opulent home built for an infamous newspaperman.

San Diego's most historic and haunted home.

An unfortunate geological resemblance to Satan has labeled this Pasadena gorge as a passage to the underworld.

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

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

The "Fun Spot of the Desert" is now a haunting ruin, and a reminder that putting a water park in a desert is a bad idea.

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

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

This Big Sur waterfall drops 80 feet directly into the Pacific Ocean, and inspired the hillside house up top.

Trails through lava-carved tube-caves display sparkling bacteria and a rich history.

The last remaining relic of San Francisco's glittering 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition.