'Washed Away'

"...Or, take a scenic drive 40 miles northwest of the City of Angels. Just outside the town of Valencia is a remote canyon that was once the site of one of the largest man-made structures of the 20th century: the St. Francis Dam, designed by William Mulholland himself at the peak of his engineering career in California. The massive dam failed on March 12th 1928 two and a half minutes before midnight, killing over 400 people and swiftly ending Mulholland's famed career. After the flood waters passed, all that remained was a small section, dubbed "The Tombstone". It remained on site until it was demolished a year later.

Once in the canyon, you'll likely come across pieces of the destroyed structure without even realizing it, as bits of concrete are sprinkled all along the ravine. The remains of the old power plant that was washed away remain in the west and the still standing server generators are not that far behind, mounted into pipes that plunge below ground. If hiking is your thing, you're in luck! Take the old trail up the canyon road and you'll find the spooky remains of the settlement town that once belonged to the dam workers.

While there are definitely plenty of other exciting and creepy places in California to visit, this memorial site in San Francisquito Canyon is a special one. The St. Francis Damn Disaster was the second worst in state history, just behind the San Francisco Earthquake, and visiting such a haunting place to see the remains of that faded and tragic past can leave a deep and strange impression.

But hey, if that doesn't float your boat, Six Flags Magic Mountain is right around the corner!"