“You better take care of me Lord, if you don't you're gonna have me on your hands.” ― Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

When ecosystems collide in the arid Southwest.

The ancient dwellings of the Puebloans, located in the cliffs of majestic mesas.

This scenic gorge is named after one of the most famous Bigfoot attacks in pseudohistory.

An extraordinary mixture of natural beauty and man-made phenomena.

The longest continuous lava tube in the continental U.S. offers 2.5 miles of dark explorations for the adventurous.

This shale formation along the Appalachian Trail once inspired the third president of the United States.

The highest point in Maryland is only accessible by hiking through another state.

The last holdout of a pre-Civil War rebel who took the matter of slavery into his own hands.

Near-constant high winds deform the trees on Spruce Knob, the highest point in West Virginia.

At the time of its completion, it was the tallest dam in the world.

Around half a million years ago, these magnificent columnar basalt cliffs were formed from cooling lava.

One of nature's most well-scheduled phenomenons resides in Wyoming's Yellowstone National Park.

The largest hot spring in the United States is, as the name suggests, a stunning show of natural color.

The first declared National Monument in the United States.

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.

The viewpoint for this attractive, off-the-beaten-path waterfall is reached by a paved, wheelchair-accessible trail.

A fire lookout atop a glacial pinnacle is reached by climbing three vertiginous flights of stairs.

Concrete strongholds stand guard over the Golden Gate.

This conservation area is also home to many of the region's desert tortoises.

This crumbling Death Valley mining complex was known for its use of giant, 20-mule team wagons.

A remote desert lookout offers unparalleled views of the California badlands for those who brave the trek.

This ultra-modern California span is actually a titanic solar clock in disguise built by famed architect Santiago Calatrava.

A massive hydrovolcanic explosion left a half-mile wide crater in Death Valley.