A massive hydrovolcanic explosion left a half-mile wide crater in Death Valley.

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

Millions of years of oxidation make a drive down this winding Death Valley road surprisingly colorful.

The lowest point in North America is home to an undrinkable pool surrounded by fields of geometric salt flats.

"Only the devil could play golf here."

The world’s largest concentrated solar plant generates as many problems as megawatts.

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

The largest dune field in the Mojave offers a chance of hearing the 'singing sands.'

The abandoned train depot now doubles as a well-placed rest stop for those who take the road less traveled.

A pair of large white marble lions guard this stretch of the Mojave Desert, and it is utterly mysterious how they got there.

This dormant volcanic crater has been converted from a roiling pit of magma to a pleasant hiking spot.

The ghostly remains of an accidental sea.

A giant desert bird that once swung music fans at Coachella now has a home in a nearby traffic circle.

Standing in a state of "arrested decay," this ghost town allows for a detailed peek into Gold Rush life in an unusually harsh climate.

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

Towering basalt columns, a creation of fire and ice.

This corn maze so big you may want to pack a lunch, and possibly a flaregun.

More than 700 species live within this murky marvel of a swamp on California's coast.

This stretch of beach along California's central coast is a busy highway for the largest seal in the northern hemisphere.

A remote desert lookout offers unparalleled views of the California badlands for those who brave the trek.

Thousands of turbines whir at at the origin of North American wind power.

Along a California highway is a kind of Jurassic Park made of metal.

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

Mysterious meeting place for UFO hunters near Area 51.