Two craters, which probably erupted within the last 1,500 years and are now filled by alkaline lakes, represent Nevada's youngest known volcanic activity.

This vanilla farm serves its crops at an on-site café.

One of the oldest adobe structures in Northern California.

Where a railroad loops under or over itself to rise or drop more than 70 feet in a short distance.

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

A natural dome made of volcanic glass in Inyo National Forest.

This naturally heated mountainous creek has created a group of neon blue pools of potentially deadly boiling water.

Eons old volcanic activity created one of the most stunning rock formations in the United States.

This hidden fire lookout offers spectacular views of Sequoia National Park.

A 19th-century cabin built into a hollowed-out Sequoia tree.

Four hundred granite steps were built into this massive rock by the National Park Service.

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

This sun-scorched lakebed contains samples of half the natural elements known to humankind.

One of the most unusual geological features, recognizable from a dozen hit movies.

This unique graffiti art from the 1940s has become a staple of this local landscape in the remote California desert.

A mountain range on an active U.S. Navy base hides thousands of mysterious prehistoric rock carvings.

Smooth basaltic rocks tell a tale of ancient glacial waterfalls.

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

Once thought to be the oldest living tree in the world, Methuselah was germinated before the Egyptian pyramids were built.

The highest dunes in California are the most likely place in the area to hear the Singing Sands.

This desert oddity hides in plain sight thanks to a cartographic error and a desert explorer with a punny sense of humor.

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

The rocks in this arid basin leave trails of movement behind them.

"Only the devil could play golf here."