Spiral labyrinth hidden in the hills above Oakland, CA.

It should come as no surprise that the world's largest artichoke lies in the town that calls itself the "Artichoke Center of the World."

Beneath a Virginia City bar is the entrance to an abandoned gold mine.

These once-beautiful historic graveyards are set against the barren Virginia City hills.

The drama of nature in full effect in this Nevada State Park.

This Nevada lake holds its titular natural pyramid and, if the legends are true, a number of dangerous spirits.

Eastern zen meets Western grit in these four little trees growing out of a rock on Lake Tahoe’s Nevada shore.

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

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

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

Ninety feet off the valley floor is an ancient dwelling put under protection of the U.S. government by Teddy Roosevelt.

A huge collection of rocks, gems, and crystals.

Worker-owned cooperative and resource for those looking to lighten their ecological footprint.

Where the alchemists dream of transmuting base metal into gold was actually achieved.

A 90-acre park on former landfill that hosts an annual kite festival.

An vast warehouse of everyday treasures in Berkeley, CA.

A shape-shifting buy-sell-trade bookstore, born to Beatnik Era spirit.

An amazing collection of fantastic reptiles, amphibians, spiders, and insects.

The century-old bell and clock tower at UC Berkeley is the third-tallest in the world, and has fossils.

Where a staggering 747 ships were constructed during World War II.

The largest drain hole in the world.

Over 300 taxidermied animals in a Californian restaurant make for a taxidermist's dream and an animal lover's nightmare.

This graffiti-covered bridge is the quintessential vision of a place for disillusioned youth to escape the complexities of burgeoning adulthood.

I Street Bridge is the heaviest swinging center bridge in the United States.