This ruined fort and statue are a testament to the last king of Kaua‘i’s savvy diplomacy skills, which briefly brought Russians to Hawai‘i.

This monument built by Japanese American immigrants spent decades underground.

Now a pedestrian bridge, this was once part of a narrow-gauge railroad that ran along the east coast of Kauai.

This blowhole is supposedly caused by a trapped monster.

A small research station sits at the summit of this mountain, which is one of the few U.S. peaks higher than 14,000 feet outside of the Sierra Nevada.

The highest point in Nevada had to be decided by court order after California tried to claim it as their own.

A relic of the region's once booming timber industry.

A volcanic cone that formed over 600 years ago.

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

The first life claimed by this record-breaking peak wasn't lost to exposure or a fall, but rather lightning.

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

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

This rock formation named for its unique shape is one of many that call the Alabama Hills home.

Las Vegas's very own 40-foot-tall fire-spewing praying mantis.

Temporary Burning Man sculpture made of two 18-wheelers.

Back in 1952, you could get a mushroom cloud chaser with your atomic cocktail.

These markers are used to document elevation changes around the famed dam.

A Norwegian-born sculptor created these soaring guardian angels at the entrance to Hoover Dam.

An old railroad grade built for the construction of Hoover Dam is now a recreational trail featuring several tunnels and sweeping views of Lake Mead.

The highest point in Arizona is an oddly snow-topped peak within the otherwise arid state.

A planet-hunting astrograph built in the 1920s to seek out the so-called "Planet X" beyond Uranus.

The final resting place of the businessman-turned-astronomer who helped discover Pluto stands near his observatory.

This Arizona observatory is famous for investigations into Martian life, and as the place humans first spotted Pluto.

A replica of the flagpole that gave a frontier town its name.