Nowadays though, the valley floor is buried under 430-foot (131m) deep water. In 1913, Congress approved plans to turn the valley into a reservoir which would supply water and hydroelectric power to San Francisco.
Photographed here in 1918, the Wawona Tree was a giant, ancient sequoia tree in Yosemite National Park. The tunnel was cut through it in 1881.
Moving on from ancient trees to ultra-isolated ones, the Tree of Ténéré in the middle of the Sahara Desert was once nicknamed the loneliest tree on Earth.
Named after the British bridge which it closely resembled in shape, the London Bridge rock formation once graced the southwestern coast of Victoria along Australia’s Great Ocean Road.
It was often thought that Jeffrey Pine was the most photographed tree in the world. With its incredible wind-hewn shape, the tree, which was estimated to be around 400 years old in 2003.
Let’s clear something up: there were never actually Twelve Apostles. These distinctive sea stacks along the coast of Victoria, Australia gained the moniker in the 1960s when they were named after the 12 apostles in the Bible.
Located just off the coast of Agaete on the island of Gran Canaria, El Dedo de Dios – or “God’s finger” in English – was once a spindly basalt pillar, named for its finger-like shape.
Utah’s Arches National Park contains an impressive 2,000-plus sandstone arches, as well as spires, balancing rocks and other impressive formations.
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