WALK IN OSCAR'S FOOTSTEPS - TOP 5 OUTDOOR FILM LOCATIONS

Point Dume in the iconic final scene of Planet of the Apes
Photo: @filmtourismus

By Harry Medved and Bruce Akiyama, co-authors of Hollywood Escapes: The Moviegoer's Guide to Southern California's Great Outdoors

Outdoor enthusiasts and moviemakers have long sought the same kind of destinations: awe-inspiring, far-flung and picturesque locales that make you say, “take me there” and grab the attention of Academy voters. Luckily for Los Angeles locals and visitors alike, many of those memorable cinematic places are right underneath our noses, in our own backyard.

For film fans, hikers and lovers of the great outdoors, here are ten of our favorite big-screen backdrops that have appeared in Oscar-recognized films.

1. ZUMA'S POINT DUME BEACH, MALIBU

Oscar Nod: "Planet of the Apes" (Honorary Award to make-up artist John Chambers)
Malibu's Westward Beach Drive will take you to a wide swath of white sand underneath spectacular headlands and rewarding whale-watching spots. Point Dume was the site of Dr. Evil's Volcano Island in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and the memorable finale of the original Planet of the Apes.

2. MALIBU CREEK STATE PARK, CALABASAS

 Malibu Creek State Park | Photo: Yuri Hasegawa

Oscar Nod: "How Green Was My Valley" (Best Picture Winner)
Beloved by M*A*S*H fans as the location of the 4077th, this scenic Santa Monica Mountains wonderland has also appeared as Wales in John Ford’s How Green Was My Valley, a Southern ranch in Elvis Presley's first film, Love Me Tender, and a Shangri-La swimming hole in 1937's Lost Horizon. Malibu Creek State Park features include the Rock Pool, climbing wall, and an extensive overnight campground. The park’s visitor center played a New England home in From the Terrace with Paul Newman.

Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling outside the Griffith
Observatory in "La La Land" | Photo: Lionsgate

3. GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY, HOLLYWOOD HILLS

Oscar Nod: "La La Land" (six Oscars) & "Rebel Without a Cause" (three nominations)
Multiple hiking trails converge at this 1935 retro-futuristic LA landmark. Best known for its star turns in La La Land and Rebel Without a Cause, the iconic Griffith Observatory has also appeared in The Terminator, Devil In a Blue Dress, Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, Transformers and Gangster Squad.

4. BRONSON CANYON CAVE, GRIFFITH PARK

"The Batcave" at Bronson Canyon | Photo: Yuri Hasegawa

Oscar Nod: "Julius Caesar" (Best Art Direction winner, four nominations including Best Picture)
Nestled in the foothills above Hollywood Boulevard and at the northern end of Canyon Drive, Bronson's iconic quarry has been seen in everything from classic Westerns (The Searchers, Ride the High Country) to beloved sci-fi (Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Robot Monster). The cave is most famously identifiable as "the Batcave" on the 1960s Batman TV series.

5. POINT FERMIN, SAN PEDRO

 Point Fermin Lighthouse | Photo: Yuri Hasegawa

Oscar Nod: "Crash" (three Oscars including Best Picture)
This seaside urban green space - complete with a 1874 Victorian lighthouse, historic Band Shell, and sweeping vistas of the Pacific Ocean - is located near the southern terminus of L.A.’s Harbor Freeway. It's here that detective Jack Nicholson discovers what happened to the missing reservoir water in Chinatown. Surrounding highlights include Walker's Cafe (Gods and Monsters), Fort MacArthur Military Museum (Pearl Harbor), the 1932 Cabrillo Beach Bathhouse (Face/Off), and the Korean Friendship Bell (The Usual Suspects) at Angels Gate Park. The entrance to Angels Gate was the setting of a pivotal scene in Crash, when Matt Dillon rescues Thandie Newton.

* Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board, 633 West 5th Street, Suite 1800, Los Angeles, CA 90071, USA info@discoverlosangeles.com