The official portrait of California's longest-serving governor has been likened to "spilled ketchup and soy sauce"

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

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

The unbelievably opulent home built for an infamous newspaperman.

A hotel and restaurant serving as the mecca of kitsch.

The cavern’s main chamber is so vast that the Statue of Liberty could reportedly fit inside it.

This ramshackle ghost town is comprised of mining-era buildings collected from around the region.

One of the last free public hot springs is decorated with hippie art.

A remote crossroads honoring a fallen talent.

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

The Empire Mine is "one of the oldest, largest, deepest, longest and richest gold mines in California."

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

The first U.S. town to secede from the Union, only to vote themselves right back in.

Its dark depths conceal millions of rare, delicate crystal formations.

Founded in 1873 to support the needs of the gold mines flourishing nearby, this is the last water-powered foundry in the United States.

His discovery kicked off the Gold Rush. One of the hands on this commemorative statue points to the spot where he found the precious metal.

The tallest bridge in California was constructed for a project that was eventually cancelled.

One of the oldest reform schools in the United States, home to wayward boys such as Merle Haggard, now abandoned.

The largest drain hole in the world.

The only standing town in the United States that early Chinese Americans built for themselves.

This museum looks at the history of one of America's most famous prisons and most beloved albums.

This 19th century hydroelectric powerhouse was the first of its kind.

Special tunnels built so that frogs won't be killed when crossing the highway.

Before it was abandoned and left to rust alongside the road, this riverboat starred in a John Wayne movie.