los angeles, mountains, foothills, desert Kyle Hanson los angeles, mountains, foothills, desert Kyle Hanson

#334 Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park

Vasquez Rocks Natural Area is a 932 acre park outside of Santa Clarita in the Sierra Pelona Mountains. Located along the San Andreas Fault, these sandstone rocks were formed 25 million years ago. Tataviam Native Americans lived in grass hut villages here and considered the site sacred. The rocks were named for Tiburcio Vasquez, a notorious bandit who used the area as a hideout in 1874. Hollywood has filmed here since the 30's including The Flintstones, Star Trek and Planet of the Apes.

 
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foothills, state park, los angeles, mission Kyle Hanson foothills, state park, los angeles, mission Kyle Hanson

#83 Oak of the Golden Dream

The Oak of the Golden Dream is the first original discovery of Gold in today's Placerita Canyon State Park. Six years before the California Gold Rush, a man named Francisco Lopez, brother of nearby Mission San Fernando Rey de España, had a dream of Gold while napping under an oak tree. After the dream, he picked wild onions and discovered gold in its roots. It became the first documented gold site in California. Marking the famous March 9th 1842 discovery is the surviving tree and the California Historical Landmark No. 168 Plaque.

 
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