VASQUEZ ROCKS
Location: Santa Clarita, CA
Accessibility: Easy - Park opens from Sunrise to Sunset Created: 8 to 15 million years ago |
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Located in the town of Aqua Dulce by Santa Clarita and Palmdale are the Vasquez Rocks. Rocks that point towards the sky with their jagged formations as if launching back to the alien planet they seem to have come from. But they weren’t always “alien planet” looking. Due to eight to fifteen million years of earthquake activity along the nearby Elkhorn fault, the sandstone rocks uplifted creating their odd slant.
From 1873 to 1874, a man named Tiburcio Vasquez was wanted for cattle theft, highway robbery and burglaries. Vasquez used the caves and hidden corners to elude capture. With charm, endearing looks and charisma, Vasquez gave inspiration for Johnston McCulley’s, “Zorro”. The locals who knew of Tiburcio Vasquez and his use of the rocks to elude capture, started to call the patch of land, Vasquez rocks, and the name stuck.
With a Hollywood-type tale of the rock’s namesake, it was not long before Hollywood tapped into the potential. Executive producer, Stanley Bergerman opted to use Vasquez rocks to portray Tibet in the 1935 film, Werewolf of London. Hollywood noticed and gobbled up the picturesque Vasquez rocks which became a new Hollywood star. Since then, Vasquez rocks became the filming locations for, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Blazing Saddles, Mighty Morphing Power Rangers, Roswell, The Flintstones, and Star Trek. Vasquez rocks is now a registered natural park area and can be enjoyed and explored from sunrise to sundown. Check out our newest episode to see the infamous Vasquez Rocks!
From 1873 to 1874, a man named Tiburcio Vasquez was wanted for cattle theft, highway robbery and burglaries. Vasquez used the caves and hidden corners to elude capture. With charm, endearing looks and charisma, Vasquez gave inspiration for Johnston McCulley’s, “Zorro”. The locals who knew of Tiburcio Vasquez and his use of the rocks to elude capture, started to call the patch of land, Vasquez rocks, and the name stuck.
With a Hollywood-type tale of the rock’s namesake, it was not long before Hollywood tapped into the potential. Executive producer, Stanley Bergerman opted to use Vasquez rocks to portray Tibet in the 1935 film, Werewolf of London. Hollywood noticed and gobbled up the picturesque Vasquez rocks which became a new Hollywood star. Since then, Vasquez rocks became the filming locations for, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Blazing Saddles, Mighty Morphing Power Rangers, Roswell, The Flintstones, and Star Trek. Vasquez rocks is now a registered natural park area and can be enjoyed and explored from sunrise to sundown. Check out our newest episode to see the infamous Vasquez Rocks!