This Abandoned California Recreation Site Doubles As A Wildly Famous Film Location That's Free To Explore

What do 1932's "Blonde Venus," 1968's "The Love Bug," and 2006's "The Lake House" have in common? They were all filmed at a mountain ranch that's open to the public and free to visit in Agoura Hills, California. Paramount Ranch has a Hollywood legacy that ricochets through time, from the era of black-and-white film to colorful Western classics. And, lying northwest of central Los Angeles, it's an easy trip from other must-visit relics of film history, including the Bronson Caves, another popular filming location with Western hikes.

The ranch was first purchased by Paramount Pictures in 1927, soon to cycle through dozens of transformations as it became the set of San Francisco for "Wells Fargo," a village in France for "The Song of Bernadette," and 1200s China for "The Adventures of Marco Polo." Paramount sold the ranch in 1946, but it was later bought by William Hertz, who turned it into a Western town set in the '50s, attracting a new era of filming. Over the following decades, ownership exchanged hands a few times — at one point it was even owned by an auto-racing company that turned it into a lethal racing track. The National Parks Service eventually bought the property in 1980 and maintained its cinema-making legacy until tragedy struck in 2018.

2018 was the year of the devastating Woolsey Fire, which burned down most of the preserved sets at the Paramount Ranch. One of those that burned down was the Main Street set used in the TV series "Westworld." After the fire, the ranch ceased to be a filming location, but that's likely not final — the National Park Service began reconstructing some buildings where the historic ones burned down to be used for future films. At the time of this writing, construction is expected to be complete in late 2025.  

Even with construction underway, the ranch remains open for visitors (with diversions around areas being rebuilt). It features several multi-use trails that wind through the hills, traversing riverside wetlands and valley oak savannah, home to wildlife such as coyotes, deer, and red-tailed hawks. The trails are suitable for hikers, cyclists, and horseback riders. There are also picnic areas and restrooms close to the parking lot. Although many of the historic structures were lost to wildfire, you can still see some surviving set pieces, including the chapel from "Westworld" and the train depot from "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman." The perceptive eye might even notice parts of the old race track remaining, overgrown among the grass.

The Paramount Ranch is open every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. If you're hiking, look out for rattlesnakes and ticks on the trails. Though the ranch is open all year, it's a great spot to see Southern California's super blooms in the springtime, when wildflowers (sometimes rare species) make the hills burst with color. Driving in, it's about 50 minutes from the Los Angeles International Airport. Make the ranch part of a trip through some of L.A. County's best film buff destinations by stopping at Studio City, the Los Angeles neighborhood with low-key Hollywood magic, and the frequently filmed, free-to-visit Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills.