A picturesque example of brute-force engineering conquering nature.

Home of what was the largest hydraulic mine in the world, producing gold and the first diamonds in the U.S.

California's first suspension bridge.

The oldest orange tree in California spawned a generation of citrus farmers.

Rising out of miles of farmland, these buttes are sometimes called the world's smallest mountain range.

The Empire Mine is "one of the oldest, largest, deepest, longest and richest gold mines in California."

The first U.S. town to secede from the Union, only to vote themselves right back in.

A unique museum where guests can rent and operate a locomotive.

Curiously, this large sporting goods store features 14 wax representations of American presidents.

The arch that celebrated the completion of the Lincoln and Victory highways.

Bill Murray bowled three straight strikes here at Reno's "Taj Mahal of Tenpins."

This beloved roadside attraction welcomes visitors with his signature neon smile.

Once thought to be the oldest living tree in the world, Methuselah was germinated before the Egyptian pyramids were built.

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

The tragedy of the Japanese internment camps is remembered here by a stark "Soul Consoling Tower."

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.

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

A natural dome made of volcanic glass in Inyo National Forest.

Towering basalt columns, a creation of fire and ice.

A whimsical, punny collection of "fence art" outside the tiny mountain town of Baker, Nevada.

Sitting in the arguable birthplace of the Wild West, this museum holds the largest collection of bronco busting bric-a-brac in the world.

Behind the Cowboy Hall of Fame is a burial ground for good horses and a famed rodeo bull.