A massive volcanic plug is now a protected area that hosts a number of bird species.

This series of waterfalls tumble into a radiantly blue river.

A dentist's hated concrete colossi are now beloved icons of the community.

Four hundred granite steps were built into this massive rock by the National Park Service.

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

Bits and pieces from the ill-fated Donner Party's winter cabins.

A glimpse into the lives of the the Miwok and Paiute people in Yosemite National Park.

The interior of the Overlook Hotel in "The Shining" was based on this Yosemite original.

This former boomtown "island" is now submerged below Folsom Lake.

This mountaintop beacon is only lit three times a year but shines like some kind of all-seeing eye.

An enchanting tunnel of cypress trees leads to an old morse code station still used today.

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

This singular broken monument, now housed in a museum, was the cause of a worldwide "Mayan Doomsday" phenomenon.

The enigmatic and seldom visited ruins of a Mayan city-state.

The former house of an anthropologist couple displays Lacandón Maya artifacts in a homey atmosphere.

The displays in this off-the-beaten-path museum highlight the holistic, indigenous methods of healing.

The masses at this church incorporate enough moonshine and animal sacrifice that they are no longer recognizably Catholic.

In this breathtaking canyon, crocodiles bask on boulders and glide through the murky waters.

Catch a glimpse of local, native wildlife at this zoo dedicated to conservation and education.

One woman's Viking Castle on Lake Tahoe.

The largest wildlife crossing in Utah allows local fauna to safely traverse the six-lane Interstate 80 at Parleys Canyon.

A towering tribute to decisiveness stands on the spot where Brigham Young and his followers decided that this must be the place.

The fifth-longest natural arch in the world, and the longest outside China.

A 90-foot-tall psychedelic "tree" on the side of the highway has baffled passersby for decades.