In the Sierra Pelona Mountains in northern Los Angeles County, near the small town of Agua Dulce, California, sits a collection of rocks that are really cool, and really famous. Formally known as Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park, the Vasquez Rocks have a long and interesting history, which includes being the home of the Tataviam people in the 1700’s, who lived there until the Spanish arrived and “civilized” them by moving many to missions and towns; being a part of the Pacific Crest Trail; was once a hideaway of the infamous late-1800’s bandido, Tiburcio Vasquez (who’s the namesake of the rocks); and finally, it’s one of the most popular outdoor film locations in Southern California. The Vasquez Rocks are an extremely unique rock formation and impossible to miss.
This 932-acre park is pretty much right off Interstate 14 (Antelope Valley Freeway), and you can see the main rock jetting up into the sky from the freeway. Open Wednesday – Sunday (closed on Monday and Tuesday), from 8am to 5pm, the official address is 10700 Escondido Canyon Rd, Agua Dulce, CA 91350. The Vasquez Rocks are decently accessible to most southern Californians, sitting roughly 40 minutes north of Los Angeles, 1 hour from the Inland Empire, 2 hours from Palm Springs, and less than 2 ½ hours from San Diego. From the Bay Area it’s approximately 5 ½ hours south. Of course, this all greatly depends on traffic.
The namesake of the rock, Tiburcio Vasquez, was a Mexican-Californian outlaw who died at the ripe old age of 39 (1835-1875), and was active in California right up to his capture and subsequent execution in 1875. Although he had many hideouts during his lucrative career, he used the Vasquez Rocks as one of his main hideouts. He slithered his way around Southern California for awhile, avoiding capture and robbin’ folks, eventually participating in a robbery that initially triggered his downfall. He and his gang stole $2,200 from Snyder’s Store in Tres Pinos (now Paicines; about 1.5 hours from San Francisco), which resulted in a triple homicide. Vasquez claimed to have not pulled the trigger, but the California governor put a $1,000 bounty on his head anyway and the hunt was on. After being pursued by the sheriff from Central California to SoCal, he got away after a messy gunfight.
He eventually settled upon the Vasquez Rocks after being on the run, as the amount of rocks, deep cervices, caves, and tall look-out points proved to be the perfect bad-guy hangout for him and his posse. They were able to use the tallest point – which stands at 150 feet – as their main lookout point. He hung around the Vasquez Rocks for about 2 months before making the big “oopsie” that led to his capture. After attempting to hold a prominent sheepman for ransom, a posse of lawmen from Los Angeles descended upon and almost snagged Vasquez and his posse in the San Gabriel Mountains, but he, once again, managed to escape. After alluding capture in an adobe home 200 yards south of what is now the present-day Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, he was finally captured after someone betrayed him to the sheriff.
After remaining in a Los Angeles County jail for a little over a week, he was shipped to San Francisco (literally – they sent him up there by steamship) to stand trial in San Jose. He maintained his innocence, admitting to being an outlaw and bandido, but steadfastly denying being a murderer. He soon became somewhat of a celebrity amongst Hispanic Californians and had an onslaught of love letters and fans who would visit him in jail, especially women. To pay for his legal defense, he signed autographs and posed for photos, which he would then sell, all from his jail cell.
He was ultimately found guilty in January of 1875 after a 4-day trial, taking the jury only 2 hours to decide he deserved death. He was subsequently quickly sentenced to die by hanging after being denied clemency by the new governor. It’s said that Vasquez “calmly accepted his fate” and was hung on March 19th, 1875, less than 3 months after his conviction and death sentence.
While the rocks have a history that far pre-dates Vasquez, and he was only there for a short period of time, it’s his name and legacy that is forever attached to them.
Getting to the Vasquez Rocks is quite easy, as it sits practically immediately off of the freeway. From the exit ramp to the entrance of the park, it’s roughly 5 minutes. In a somewhat rural area of north-central southern California, it’s up in the high desert, not far from desert towns like Palmdale and Lancaster. The nearest “town” is Agua Dulce, which is actually a “census-designated place in Los Angeles County” that has a population of about 3,500, and the nearest larger city is Santa Clarita.
An important note: The parking. There are multiple parking lots inside the park, with the furthest and biggest being right near the most famous of the rocks. This is something I wish I had known before going. When we first arrived at the gate off the highway, there was an endless line of cars exiting, with many cars parked along the road. In my mind, this meant that the parking lot inside the park was full, so it was fruitless trying to battle it out. Plus, the main rocks didn’t look that far away. So, I figured, “hey, let us walk”.
Big mistake. Huge.
The parking lots inside the park were NOT full, especially the big one at the very end near the main rocks. I dragged my poor 4-year-old all the way through for nothing, which certainly put a damper on our outing because my daughter became unnecessarily tired. By the time we made it to the main rocks, she was running on abut 50% battery life, and quickly draining. It’s not super far for an adult, but for a small child, it probably felt like eternity. Had I known I could just drive through to the end and park near the main rocks, we could have spent more time exploring because her energy wouldn’t have been zapped. It’s something to keep in mind if you go with small children!
If you park where we did, or in the first parking lot by the road (near the visitor’s center), you can make it to the main rocks via the dirt road that runs through the park. Or you can meander your way through some smaller rocks on the seemingly endless amount of tiny trails sprinkled throughout. Regardless of which way you turn, I guarantee you can find a trail that takes you somewhere. It’s not hard to make your way to the main rocks, because you can always see them sticking up, but there is no straight trail to them other than taking the dirt road.
As mentioned, there are plenty of other rocks to climb and explore and many are easy to climb due to their weird, almost flat shapes. We saw people climbing all the rocks, all over, and even some rock climbers propelling down the main rocks. People also ride horses through the park, as many of those living nearby own horses, so beware of horse poop! Dogs are also allowed inside the park.
As mentioned, the Vasquez Rocks are one of the most popular outdoor film locations in Southern California, including countless movies, TV shows, music videos, and commercials. The most famous of these are Star Trek and the Flintstones, but there are countless more.
Some of the movies: Alpha Dogs, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Blazing Saddles, Bubble Boy, Dracula, Holes, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Joe Dirt, John Carter, Little Miss Sunshine, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers The Movie, Planet of the Apes, Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, The Magnificent Seven Ride, and Werewolf of London.
Some of the TV shows: 24, Alias, Alien Hunter, Battlestar Galactica, The Big Bang Theory, Bones, Broken Arrow, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Fear Factor, Friends, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Monk, NCIS: Los Angeles, New Girl, Roswell, all the Star Treks, Tales from the Crypt, Teen Wolf, The Twilight Zone, and Westworld. The rocks were also animated into the TV show Futurama.
Some of the music videos: “High and Dry” by Radiohead, “Be with You” by Enrique Iglesias, “Black or White” by Michael Jackson, “Mobscene” by Marilyn Manson, “Rehab” by Rihanna, “S Club Party” by S Club 7, “Sanctuary” by Joji, “Steal My Girl” by One Direction, “Love’s Just a Feeling” by Lindsey Stirling, and “On” by BTS.
Commercials for Taco Bell, Bank of America, Pacific Bell, Pepsi, and Nike have also been filmed at the Vasquez Rocks.
Overall, the Vasquez Rocks are a wonderful day outing. It’s very accessible and not overcrowded, particularly by California standards. The rocks are perfect for novice rock climbers, families, horseback riders, and solo hikers, and one could easily spend a few hours getting “lost” exploring among the rocks. If you’re ever in the L.A./ Palmdale/ Lancaster/ Inland Empire region, I highly suggest taking a daytrip here. In fact, you don’t even need to carve out a whole day. We were able to explore the rocks for approximately 2 ½ hours and still make it home in time for the Super Bowl! Score!
