A grove of "candelabra redwoods" deep in California's Lost Coast.

A raised boardwalk winds through a thicket of stunted, century-old trees no more than nine feet tall.

Climb 200 stairs up the tallest lighthouse on the West Coast for an unbeatable view.

The mysterious round rocks of Schooner Gulch.

This whimsical seashell-shaped place of worship was designed to blend into its surroundings.

A striking eight-story-high obelisk perched on a coastal California cliff.

The southernmost outpost of the Russian Empire in colonial America.

A poignant memorial to a young boy whose death spurred a dramatic increase in organ donations in Italy—dubbed the "Nicholas Effect."

A hidden gem, named after a San Franciscan icon, offers spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean.

Beneath the southern end of the Golden Gate Bridge is the “Gibraltar of the West Coast,” a fort built to protect the San Francisco Bay from naval attack.

The graffiti-covered remnants of a former triangulation station are balanced precariously on this California peak.

A 1920s speakeasy that had rum runners racing up and down the shores of California.

Here, visitors can swing with the waves of the Pacific Ocean.

A Buddhist retreat built on more than 100 acres of California Redwood forest.

More than 700 species live within this murky marvel of a swamp on California's coast.

One poet's handmade, anachronistic home.

An old whaling station now serves to give the public a look at the commercial whaling industry, no longer a part of Monterey's economy.

The oldest U.S. Government building in California, and it's State Historic Landmark #1.

The first safe in this California town had to hold all the gold.

This remarkably simple jail went over a century without an escape.

The stately birthplace of California's statehood.

A tree grown from astronaut seeds which were exposed to cosmic rays.

The oldest continuously operating church in California.

This eagle-topped spire remembers the military commander who snatched up California for the United States.