Coastal dunes, site of buried Egyptian movie set and former utopian colony.

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

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

Legends surround this jagged rock formation in the New Mexico desert.

A phenomenal assembly of pueblos in New Mexico is the most complete example of ancient ruins north of the border.

Tour the sci-fi-esque reality of governmental disease management.

Life in this isolated, hilltop lighthouse was lonely, but it sure was lovely.

Established in 1853, this crumbling cemetery sits forgotten on the corner of Church and Chapel in Gold Country.

A popular rock that acted as a waymarker for American pioneers.

The high point on the 16th president's eponymous roadway is marked by a massive version of his head.

Long before guestbooks and hotels, frontier travelers signed their names on this rock face.

The first declared National Monument in the United States.

A cemetery housing wild west legends in South Dakota.

The world's largest mountain carving could fit all of Mount Rushmore inside it many times over.

One of Hollywood’s favorite government buildings.

Water of undetermined depth has attracted rare fish and cult leaders alike.

Marta Becket's hand-painted theater in the desert.

Ten 25-foot-tall, beehive-shaped kilns, abandoned in Death Valley.

"Only the devil could play golf here."

A hard-to-reach oasis in a desolate corner of Death Valley National Park.

A charming desert roadside bakery that produces 10 times more bread daily than it has residents in its town.

The echoes of a railroad town that solemnly mark the end of the line.

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

Aqueducts have dramatically changed this old lake, now home to tufa towers and its very own species of tiny brine shrimp.