Just a mile and a half away from La Mesa's Secret Stairs is another staircase, each riser painted a bright hue. This project was completed in 2018 by artist Magdalena Noriega. The bottom begins at Yale and Stanford, ascending to West Point. Nearby attractions within driving distance include Adobe Falls and Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcala.

Abandoned Marshal Scotty’s Playland: Opened in 1968 this amusement park stayed open for close to three decades before shutting off the power. It has remained largely unused although many of the attractions are still there collecting dust. Bumper cars, old rides, and ticket stands are slowly decaying and being reclaimed by the earth. Even in its deteriorating state the land is privately owned and entering without permission would be considered trespassing.

You might feel like you’ve fallen into the “Land of the Lost” as you go looking for remnants of Dinosaur Land, a 1960s amusement park populated with life-size fiberglass dinos that went into bankruptcy after being open a few years. A mobile home park later opened on the same site, eventually crowding out most—but not all! —of the dinosaurs. You may need to knock on a few trailer doors to find “Dinosaur Bob,” the last remaining full-size sculpture.

This nonprofit sanctuary for wild animals has an important mission. They've rescued countless discarded animals and they care for them with donations. Started in 2002 by Bobbi Brink the sanctuary has its own medical facility and is accredited. Visiting is by appointment only. The donation fees for visiting depends on the activity you sign up for. The most popular although expensive is the "Feed a Wild One" visit allowing you to feed one of their charges.

Built as a roadside attraction, a.k.a. tourist trap in the 1920s, this 70-foot-high stone lookout provides panoramic views of the surrounding desert, including a fugitive border passage between California and Mexico. It’s a trap that works—you’ll want to stay and wander nearby Boulder Park, a maze of quartz granite boulders featuring bizarre but artful sculptures. The carved bison, lizard, skull and other figures were added by outsider artist W. T. Ratcliffe during the Great Depression.

You might be wondering what exactly you can do in a big sandy desert. As it turns out - a lot! This little spot in the Sonoran desert is a favorite among off-roading enthusiasts and campers. The best time to visit is from autumn to early spring. Don't forget your permits for camping and any motorized vehicles you intend to bring!

Words written in stone last forever and this museum takes this responsibility seriously. On long granite panels, the history of the world and humanity is being etched. One of the panels includes the Felicity Stone which is modeled after the Rosetta Stone and will help our descendants in the distant future decipher English into their own languages.

This former prison opened in 1875 while Arizona was a U.S. Territory and accepted its first inmate July 1,1876. For 33 years, Yuma would house 3,069 prisoners who committed crimes ranging from murder to polygamy. Now the prison is operated by Arizona State Parks as a historical museum.

This muffler man guards the entrance to Westward Village RV Park and is often referred to as a "Mutant" because he's shorter than normal and his puffy, misshapen head is attached to a torso with an ugly makeshift neck. The figure had gone through a lot of turmoil over the years - decapitation by college pranksters and being burned and blotched by the Arizona sun. In 2006, the Westward Muffler Man was somewhat restored by a local artist.

While driving through the Arizona desert, you may find a moment when you've admired enough saguaro cacti and need to stretch those legs. Take a pit stop at Gila Bend for some fun photo opps with some large as life metal dinosaurs and reptiles like the namesake Gila Monster. The mini mart next door is worth a visit too for souvenir shopping - tons of garden decorations from iron wrought ladybugs to hecho en Mexico metal cactus sculptures.