The precious-metals strikes dating back to the 1860s are now mostly inactive, but this area has become the United States' only domestic source of lithium.

An abandoned mine serves as a stark memorial of when mercury was a valued strategic metal.

Deep vertical fissures like miniature slot canyons cut across the cemented volcanic rock of Black Point above Mono Lake.

Colorful outcrops and cliffs just north of Reno provide a scenic backdrop for hiking and mountain biking.

Members of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs still net migrating salmon in the traditional way at this cataract on the Deschutes River.

On the edge of grassland in northeastern Colorado, these rock formations are some of the few remnants of a high plain that has eroded away over millions of years.

For decades, the largest tungsten producer in the U.S. was located in a spectacular setting in the high Sierra Nevada, with some of the workings over 11,000 feet.

A deep toxic lake fills this abandoned open-pit copper mine, now a Superfund site.

The only United States mine for magnesium carbonate has been operating continuously since the 1930s.

The ruins of a military outpost from the 1860s form the centerpiece of a Nevada state park.

This Gold Rush ghost town was once the subject of a territorial dispute between California and Nevada.

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

The flow from this waterfall sometimes comes out of springs below its rim.

In the little-known Pine Forest Range in northwestern Nevada, a natural lake of glacial origin.

An attractive alpine lake at 8,400 feet that is accessible via a paved road.

An unusual waterfall in the Santa Rosa Range, within the Great Basin of Nevada.

This hiking/biking/horse trail along an old railroad grade features trestles, tunnels, and a roadless stretch through the scenic Susan River canyon.

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.

Every drop of water in this 27-mile long reservoir was pumped up from the Columbia River using power from Grand Coulee Dam.

An excursion train traverses a picturesque red-rock canyon along the Verde River.

Dozens of rockets and missiles are on display outside a testing facility in the Utah desert.

Inside this striking glass building, visitors can see thousands of dinosaur fossils in the positions that nature deposited them more than 150 million years ago.

This mountain tram provides stunning views while hanging from a single, steel thread.

Almost all that remains of a town dedicated to supporting the First Transcontinental Railroad.