Holy historic landmark, Batman! It’s Bronson Canyon!
Along with Griffith Observatory, Bronson Canyon is an iconic and much filmed feature of Griffith Park. For Hollywood, particularly low budget productions, Bronson Canyon is an ideal filming location given its proximity to studios while maintaining a rugged terrain. It’s been a favorite of westerns and science fiction for it’s rocky, deserted, alien landscape while actually residing within Los Angeles.
History
Despite being a choice location for expressing remote wilderness, the origins of Bronson Canyon is anything but natural. Formerly known as Brush Canyon, this area was excavated for crushed rocks used in streets, starting in 1903. The caves were surviving landmarks of this quarry which shut down in the 1920s. This popular destination became known for the road that passed near the canyon: Bronson Street.
Cave Enterance
Films
It is hard to say what film or television production has brought Bronson Canyon the greatest notoriety. Bronson Canyon has stood in for the entrance to the Bat Cave for Batman. It was a place for shelter in Army of Darkness. It was a dramatic entry way for the titular Robot Monster. It is a favorite spot for westerns such as Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Have Gun, Will Travel, The Lone Ranger, and The Searchers. Yet, such a landscape has also shaped our visions of alien planets and remote hide-aways from science fiction terrors with films such as Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Killers from Space, or It Conquered the World. Indeed, the list of Star Trek properties that have featured Bronson Canyon is impressive: Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Enterprise.
At this point, Bronson Canyon is so iconic that featuring it can even be an implicit homage. It was only natural that an homage of black-and-white ’50s science fiction films such as The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra would be filmed in this popular location.
Hollywood Sign
Visiting
Being located in a public park makes the canyon as easily accessible to any film fan to visit as it is for a budget production to film. Just a short hike from Canyon Drive along a gravel road will take you up to take your own pictures of the caverns.
Bronson Canyon
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