Tomorrow : Yesterday and Today - The Star Trek Filming Locations

It looks like that the one picture on the roof (ready to transport/just beamed down) could have been taken between the two buildings, with the lower building in the back of the picture.

 

I am loving this thread! If I ever get out to LA, the Vasquez Rocks are high on my list of things to see because of Star Trek.

 

Thanks Marlonius. I'm enjoying sharing the journey with you guys.

Next stop : planet Neural, location of "A Private Little War".

To get there you will be driving for about an hour from downtown LA to the Simi Valley, and an old movie ranch called "Bell Location Ranch".

On the map, approximately here :


Directions (courtesy of this Bonanza fansite) :
The fastest route from downtown Los Angeles is to take the 5 freeway north to the 118 freeway west. Exit at Topanga Canyon Blvd and turn left (south). At Santa Susanna Pass Road turn right (west). Go past the Iverson Movie Ranch site and the Spahn Ranch site. Now you have two choices of how to reach the Bell Ranch. To enter the Bell Ranch from the eastern side (the Berry Ranch side and closest to the "Zorro" house), turn left on Lilac Lane and head to the end of the road. You will be on the eastern side of the ranch. To reach the western side of the ranch, instead of turning on Lilac Lane, turn left on Box Canyon Road. Head up the hill until you find Studio Road on the left. Turn there and head on up. The end of Studio Road is the approximate location of the Bell Ranch western street.

I was warned on the way out there that the residents of Simi Valley value their relative peace and quiet, and do not take kindly to film buffs trying to locate the old ranches. I have seen several websites dedicated to Western films and TV shows mention the locals do not take kindly to visitors, so I was a bit apprehensive. The ranches, as I understand it are now divided up into large private properties. Many of the roads in the area are private roads.

So, we have two approaches : the first I tried was Lilac Lane.



Definitely the right place, but as Lilac lane ends, the warning signs about trespassing seem to get more and more emphatic.

It was hard to know what was private vs. public land, and the only way ahead was a private road covered in warning signs about trespassing, so I decided to head for the other entrance.

 

So off we went, around the twisting Box Canyon Road, hoping to access Bell Ranch from its western entrance, which is, appropriately enough, called Studio Road. The loaction is marked below :

Unfortunately, upon arrival, I was greeted with a sign promising instant arrest if I went into Studio Road.

So, that was that. Like the episode itself, my quest to find Neural ended in a stalemate.

All I can suggest for anyone wanting to visit is contacting one of the locals of Studio Rd. or Lilac Lane in advance, and maybe they'll be kind enough to give you access.

If anyone has any more info on accessing this location legally, please speak up

 

Someone made it in there in 2013, however. All these pics come from this blog.
1967

2013

1967

2013

1967

2013

1967

2013

1967

2013

This is your entrance point - I'm not sure whether this is at Lilac Lane or Studio Rd :

And more on the risks for those thinking of making the trip, from the guy who runs the blog about the area :
"A warning about Bell Ranch: The former movie location site also remains closed to the public, hidden behind locked gates and difficult to access. While the lower plateau is still relatively undeveloped, much of the rest of Bell is now occupied by residential housing. As I mentioned in a previous blog entry about a "Bonanza" shoot on Bell's lower plateau, the area is defended by residents who don't appreciate strangers traipsing around on their turf — and other hikers who have gone into the area have received something less than a warm welcome from the locals."

 

I've been to Vasquez few times and matched some of the camera angles.
I'll see what photo's I can dig up.

I've found many of the filming sites from The Alternative Factor, Arena, and Fridays Child. Also a few from The Invaders show.

 

Still very much following your journey!! Thank you for updating the tread.

 

Very cool stuff, but please, please, please.....we need map locations for the shots....not just images! Vasquez and SF are big places. For denva I indicated on the map (sorry, it's on a blog) where each camera angle was located. That way you can quickly replicate the angles.

 

There must have been an RF test or design lab in that facility, what with those giant replicas of helical antennas and the anecholic pyramids.

 

Hey, listen up guys, there's a much better reason than arrest or pissing off the locals to avoid this general area. Read on:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Susana_Field_Laboratory

Botany Bay: You were less than a mile northeast of this joint, IMO too close for comfort considering the routine burning of toxic waste spanning decades almost certainly contaminated a fair amount of the surrounding area.

I love the story (with photographic evidence!) of ding-dongs disposing of toxic waste by shooting the barrels with rifles and exploding them; you can't make stuff like that up, but such was the case with early nuclear experimentation I guess.

As an L.A. resident, believe me when I say there are dozens of iconic filming locations (from Trek and many, many other productions) that are open to the public and don't involve toxic waste (as has been mentioned many times before, Vasquez Rocks is great fun -- especially for a Trek fan). Best leave this place to the locals...

 

There is some more info on the TRW location here... http://www.trekbbs.com/showthread.php?t=243067

There are also a few shots from when RFK visited in during his campaign...in the last one you can see the roof with the radar test gear.

http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/Archives/SWPC-001-023.aspx

another shot here from Apollo 13 crew visit
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zp0GamT_zT0/UfCwMXUkUfI/AAAAAAAABgA/r5QlDG_ss34/s1600/74176-70-03+w.jpg

 

To me it looks like the shot in the episode was taken from the other side of the corner of the building and the image was flipped. Note the figure in the mural in at the corner in the aired shot is holding whatever it is in his hand and it faces left. In the modern shot, this figure is on the other side of the building, holding the item to the right.

Sir Rhosis

 

Awww, Therin, I wish I'd known when you were in SF!

As to TVH, most of the San Francisco stuff was shot at within a block of the intersection of Kearney and Columbus in North Beach, the historically Italian neighborhood.

Here's a map of what I call the "Double Dumb-Ass Tour", which takes you to all the shooting locations in the city.
A. Corner where the crew starts across the street. Also where the "Exact change" scene occurs.
B. Double Dumb-Ass corner
C. Yellow pages ad
D. Nooclear Wessels
E. Too much LDS
F. I believe I was able to communicate our intentions

The bus scenes were shot driving on the Golden Gate Bridge. The helicopter was shot flying over the bay (going the wrong way, incidentally). All the "Golden Gate Park" stuff was shot in So Cal, as was the hospital.

 

^And E and F were shot on the San Francisco side even though the scenes were set in Sausalito.

 

That never made any sense because Kirk says they're headed for "San Francisco", but they're clearly walking away from the bridge.

 

Thanks Maurice! This will be a great resource for doing the "double dumb ass tour" one day

My next stop on my LA travels was "Bird of Prey park", pics and location maps coming when time permits

 

Thanks for the info. There are a lot of people living around there now. You can see that from the comparison shots of Nona getting assaulted : look over her shoulder at how many more houses there are now compared to '67. I hope the area has been remediated properly. Scary stuff.

 

After I struck out at Simi Valley, it was time to seek out a hassle free location, Will Rogers State Park. Which, as mentioned by Maurice was 'Golden Gate Park' in Star Trek IV.



To get there, you are heading for a very glitzy part of the city called Pacific Palisades, not too far from Santa Monica beach :

There would surely be no angry locals here - nothing could stop me this time, right?

Wrong.

There was a polo match in progress on the field


After about 40 minutes in the blazing sun, observing the well to do of LA try to whack a ball while mounted on a horse (I'd say there were 5 airswings for every time someone hit the thing), the polo players vacated the field to enjoy their caviar and champage, and we took to the park to scope out the location.

My guess is somewhere on the right is pretty close to where Gillian drove her truck in and later became a passenger on the ship.