The only remaining hotel on the 1860s Henness Pass route over the Sierra Nevada is being restored.

A new monument to an old grave that was uncovered during the rebuilding of a California ghost town.

This statue celebrating early Hollywood is largely forgotten, while its twin replica at Walt Disney World has become an icon.

This trench, some 2,300 feet long, is only the most prominent relic of a largely forgotten episode of placer mining on the east slope of the Sierra Nevada.

This large chunk of dark rock is a relic from an ancient volcanic eruption.

A 10,000-square-foot museum of operating model trains.

Hidden away among the quiet streets of Beverly Hills, this small park is a haven for walkers and wildlife.

The last remnant of a tree that helped prove to the world that sequoias are real—and they’re spectacular.

This settlement on the original Transcontinental Railroad began by harvesting timber, but transitioned to a forgotten 19th-century industry: harvesting ice.

A giant fiberglass Muffler Man found new life as a rodeo guardian.

An eerie natural formation that looks right back at you.

An early 20th-century fire lookout, still in intermittent use, preserves legacy fire-locating equipment.

This humble American Craftsman home is where the Disney brothers’ animation business took flight in 1923.

A collection of old shoes in the middle of nowhere.

A grave dedicated to the pioneers who settled California.

Around the perimeter of San Francisco’s second-largest park is a meandering 2.7-mile path designed to inspire contemplation.

This redwood is a historic landmark, a town’s namesake, and the dancing sideline symbol of Stanford University.

At the edge of the high desert, California's second-largest natural lake is home to a unique subspecies of trout adapted to its alkaline waters.

A little-known, but surprisingly large waterfall on the Little Truckee River in the northern Sierra Nevada.

A volcanic cone that formed over 600 years ago.

Meet 'Big Josh,' the 20-foot-tall muffler man.

This iconic neon jester is a local landmark that you might recognize from his cameos in film and television.

Allegedly haunted by Walt Disney himself, this inconspicuous lamp is always kept lit in his honor.

A vaudeville performer mounted this hollowed-out redwood log onto the chassis of a truck, and toured the country spreading a message of conservation.