The jagged slabs of rock rising at a sharp diagonal angle in Agua Dulce, California, look otherworldly — and Hollywood agrees. 

Vasquez Rocks, just off state Route 14 north of Los Angeles, has starred in over 100 movies and television shows over the past century, all the work of a savvy landowner who pitched the large rocks on his property as not just backdrop material but movie stars themselves. In the years since, the angular sandstone has loomed over giant productions like “Blazing Saddles,” “Gunsmoke” and “Westworld.”  

Today, the famous rocks are easily accessible to the public at Los Angeles County’s Vasquez Rocks Natural Area and Nature Center.

Clearly visible from state Route 14, rising up above the brush and juniper trees, the large and distinctive rock formation resulted from a combination of the nearby San Gabriel Mountains, the San Andreas Fault and time.

First, over millions of years, sediment from nearby mountains piled up in the area. All that sand and rock were gradually pressed together, creating sandstone layers that lifted at such a steep angle (between 45 and 52 degrees) due to their position along an offshoot of the San Andreas Fault. 

Before playing the role of alien planets in episodes of “Star Trek” and serving as the backdrop to countless Westerns, the rocks served as a hideout to a notorious Gold Rush-era bandit, Tiburcio Vasquez. After California became part of the U.S. in 1848 (following the Mexican-American War), Vasquez made it his mission to fight back — by stealing the precious metals that had drawn settlers to the region.

In 1874, he stole 500 pounds of silver from a U.S. senator from Nevada and reportedly hid it somewhere within Vasquez Rocks before he was captured and hanged. For years, treasure hunters canvassed the rocks for the silver, but it was never found. Beyond the unfounded rumors of riches, real damage has been done by people who dig around at Vasquez Rocks on what is historic tribal land.

When miner William Henry Krieg later acquired the rocks and surrounding property, he decided to capitalize on Vasquez’s notoriety and the site’s proximity to Hollywood to market the newly named Vasquez Rocks as a filming location. Krieg’s promotional efforts painted Vasquez as “a picturesque, swaggering bandit ... often seen in the role of a Robin Hood,” according to a placard that still hangs at the visitor center today.

Hollywood was looking for offsite film locations within a day’s drive that could stand for locales across the universe; the angular Vasquez Rocks was more than up to the task. Over the decades, the rocks have played the prehistoric town of Bedrock, the Old West and outer space. 

Beyond those already mentioned, the park’s film credits include “Lawless Range” starring John Wayne (1935), “Sunset on the Desert” starring Roy Rogers (1942), “The Flintstones” (1994), “Planet of the Apes” (2001) and “Little Miss Sunshine” (2006). The rocks were somehow featured in nearly every popular television show of the past couple of decades, including “Friends,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “NCIS” and “New Girl.” 

Most famously, they were used throughout the “Star Trek” television and film franchise, as evidenced by the “Star Trek” merchandise in the park’s gift shop. 

Today, several hiking options allow hikers to view the rocks up close, including a half-mile trail from the visitor center to the rocks and a 3-mile loop that overlaps with a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail. Admittedly, it’s not the best hiking in Southern California, but the loop trail provides an option to check off a tiny chunk of the 2,650-mile PCT. And on a recent April visit, much of the ground around the rocks was carpeted with yellow wildflowers, a more impressive bloom than this year’s showing at the nearby Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve. The large nature area — spanning over 900 acres — also provides a dark enough sky for star-gazing opportunities. 

You can even drive your car right up to a parking lot next to the large outcropping and pretend to be on the set of any one of your favorite shows or movies. Who needs a studio tour when you can visit the set of hundreds of films and movies in one stop for free?