Tucked away
in the Sierra Pelona Mountains, in northern Los Angeles County, is the National
Park and natural phenomenon known as Vasquez Rocks. If you stop by to pay a visit to these
monolithic slabs of sandstone, you're sure to have your breath taken away.
The
historic site is famous for its 932-acres of bizarre and baffling rock
formations that attract many visitors, hikers, and even Hollywood producers. The
site has been used in various films as early as 1935 when it premiered in the
Universal Studios motion picture Werewolf of London and has since only
been used increasingly. Vasquez Rocks even appears in the original Star Trek
TV series and as a result one of the most prominent rock structures there was
nicknamed "Captain Kirk's Rock."
Captain Kirk and a
Gorn at Captain Kirk's Rock
These massive
rock structures aren't only a sensational sight, but they also have an extraordinary
history as well. There are two major
views on how the Vasquez Rocks were initially formed. On the one hand,
Uniformitarians (who believe the entire universe has slowly been formed over
billions of years) believe the Vasquez Rocks were formed millions of years ago
by rapid erosion during uplift along the San Andreas Fault. On the other hand, those who hold to catastrophism
(that the world and many of its features were formed only thousands of years
ago during a worldwide cataclysm), believe that these rocks and even the
greater surrounding region are evidence of a catastrophic flood during the days
of Noah, as according to the Holy Bible.
Either way, these rocks are almost as old as history itself and when I
was there I couldn't help but think about how many different people over the thousands of years have gazed
upon this magnificent geological structure.
The rocks
got their name from the infamous Californian bandit Tiburcio Vásquez who fled to these rocks in order to escape
the law enforcement pursuing him. Even more
interesting than that, these rocks and the region were the home of the ancient
Shoshone and Tataviam peoples, Native American tribes who lived there from the
18th till the 20th centuries.
When I first visited these rocks I was dumfounded as I
beheld their greatness (I hadn't seen any pictures prior to my visit, and they
completely superseded my rather low expectations). Their structure immediately reminded me of
Pride Rock, from Disney's The Lion King, and I later learned that Disney
actually got the inspiration for their iconic rock from the Vasquez Rocks. And
so I was humbled by the grandeur of the real-life Pride Rock.
The resemblance of Disney's Pride Rock to Vasquez
Rocks is visible
The giant sandstone slab you see in the above picture is
climbable to the very top, and is relatively an easy climb, provided that you
have shoes with very good grip. If you
do accept the challenge of going to the top—make sure you exercise extreme
caution as the climb is incredible steep and slippery and if you lose your
footing it will mean for you a very quickly accelerating ride down the face of
Pride Rock! And I would not advise standing at the top of this rock; because of
the windy climate which could easily make you lose your balance, it's safest if
you remain sitting or lying down at the top.
The Vasquez National Park is a huge area with abundant
hiking trails. I myself enjoy a good
deal of risk and adventure so at one area of the park I climbed up a steep
ravine which wasn't too difficult. There
are plenty of exploring and climbing opportunities at this park, and it might
even be considered a jungle gym by some maniacal rock climbers.
Two significant benefits of Vasquez Rocks are that it's free to enter and park and it's easy to find. This place is great for day trips,
picnics, filming/photo shoots (I myself filmed a Wild West scene out here for a film class I took), or hiking.
If you decide to pay Vasquez a visit, just be sure you watch out for roaming
aliens, outlaws, starship captains, and lion overlords!
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