Hidden Just Outside LA Is California's Town Blending Sci-Fi And Western Film Fame With Vineyard Charm

About an hour from Los Angeles, home to an endlessly vibrant neighbor that's a bibliophile's dream come true, is a little-known town whose desert landscape has appeared in over 200 movies and TV shows (and counting). While the name Hollywood has become synonymous with movies, sci-fi and western lovers may also want to learn the name "Agua Dulce." This unincorporated community is home to the Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park, an incredibly popular filming location thanks to its otherworldly rock formations, which any hardcore "Star Trek" fan will recognize due to their appearance in all sorts of titles in the franchise. 

Named for Tiburcio Vásquez, a bandit who hid out in these rocks in the 1880s (and may have buried a treasure in them), the area has unsurprisingly also been a favorite filming location for westerns like "The Lone Ranger," "Blazing Saddles," and the ultimate sci-fi-western hybrid, "Westworld." It's not just sci-fi and westerns either; you can spot the Vasquez Rocks in basically any genre, as they've been permanently etched in scenes from "Friends," "Nope," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," and "Austin Powers."

Besides its cinematic scenes, the area is a part of the Pacific Crest Trail and features ancient Tataviam petroglyphs. Agua Dulce also has its own charming vineyard, the Agua Dulce Winery, where visitors can relax with a wine tasting, picnic, and even an alpaca spotting in a traditional setting that evokes the Western style that has become so integrated with this little piece of California. All of this makes Agua Dulce a unique place where you can step into another time and place, and it's just a hop, skip, and a jump (over the 5 Freeway) from LA.

Although the surreal-looking Vasquez Rocks may have been used to represent other worlds, their formation is all Earth, created 25 million years ago by tectonic activity from the San Andreas fault that's basically underneath them. Hollywood immediately saw the location's potential and used it in some early classics, like the 1931 films "Dracula" with Bela Lugosi and "The Texas Ranger."

The rocks were initially typecast as a western location, particularly in the '40s and '50s, with the rise of television and popularity of shows like "The Lone Ranger," which included them in its opening. The shift to sci-fi came in 1966, when "Star Trek" premiered and used the rocks in the episode "Shore Leave," the first of many appearances of this location (maybe most famously, it was the site of Captain Kirk's "slo-mo" fight with the Gorn).

But in a place as geographically diverse as California, with one-of-a-kind ghost towns with strange histories, mountains, and deserts, all within a few hours of LA, what made this area of Agua Dulce so appealing to Hollywood? The answer is ultimately a bit mundane: economics. This site is just within the "Thirty Mile Zone" (a.k.a. TMZ, not to be confused with the gossip site, although it is its namesake), which defines the boundaries of what is considered a "local" production and what isn't. 

Areas within that zone, like Agua Dulce and Vasquez Rocks, are considered "local." This meant anyone working on productions there — including union members — were considered as such and therefore responsible for their own meals and transportation, and are subject to different pay scales (versus non-locals). Vasquez Rocks became a visually pleasing option that provided a good way to lower production costs.

One doesn't exactly think "vineyard" when thinking of the high desert, but Agua Dulce challenges that preconception thanks to the presence of the Agua Dulce Winery. This small, family-run business spans 90 acres and offers a charming, old-timey experience less than 10 minutes from the Vasquez Rocks. Admire the Sierra Pelona Mountains in the distance from this picturesque location set below wide open spaces and skies. A traditional vineyard aesthetic combines with a Western one to create a timeless atmosphere, which harkens back to the movies and TV shows that have been filmed in the area for decades. 

You can take part in a classic wine tasting of locally produced bottles of chardonnay, rosé, and syrah, or enjoy an outdoor lunch as well in the picnic area set against this scenic backdrop. There's also an inside seating area and a bar, so choose the atmosphere you want at this winery, where the friendly and welcoming staff encourage you to relax in this pleasant location just minutes from one of Hollywood's most famous backdrops. After exploring the sights and tastes of Agua Dulce, stop by nearby Santa Clarita, which offers its own dose of Hollywood magic without the LA crowds.