Improbably, the largest wildlife refuge in the conterminous 48 states sits just northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Jail from the 19th century that was built by inmates.

The now-abandoned tunnels were built for the transcontinental railroad on the route where the first wagon train entered California.

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

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

A volcanic cone that formed over 600 years ago.

A relic of the region's once booming timber industry.

Towering basalt columns, a creation of fire and ice.

A brothel nestled amongst ghost towns, with an abandoned plane wreck to greet you.

Twelve plaster figures inspired by da Vinci's famed painting haunt the desert landscape above a real-life ghost town.

A land of debatable treasure.

The most magnificent bottle house in a town strangely full of them.

Odd outsider art installations surround a Gold Rush-era ghost town.

A cosmic pit stop just beyond the notorious Area 51.

Collapsed charcoal kilns in the Spring Mountains of southern Nevada.

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.

No one’s quite sure why there's a metal megaphone bolted on two rocks in the middle of the Mojave Desert.

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

An improbable creek near Death Valley, not far from the oldest surviving Euro-American structure in the Mojave Desert.

Peek inside this sandy mailbox and you'll spot kids' letters to Santa.

This secluded date farm can be reached only by following a bumpy, single-lane desert road.

A unique collection of old miners' cave homes carved in to the hillside cliffs near Death Valley.

Water of undetermined depth has attracted rare fish and cult leaders alike.

Bringing back the art of handmade custom coffins.