California has long served as both backdrop and character in countless films, from noir classics to modern blockbusters. While famous locations like the Golden Gate Bridge and Hollywood Sign draw millions of tourists annually, the state harbors numerous cinematic landscapes that remain surprisingly under-visited. These hidden gems offer the surreal experience of stepping directly onto a movie set without the crowds that plague more recognized film locations.
Here is a list of 15 California destinations that deliver that unmistakable silver screen magic while remaining refreshingly under the radar.
Bombay Beach
The eerie remains of this once-thriving resort town on the shores of the Salton Sea create an apocalyptic landscape straight from a dystopian film. Abandoned trailers, weather-beaten structures, and the strange juxtaposition of the desert meeting a gradually receding shoreline produce a hauntingly beautiful setting.
The recent addition of art installations throughout the area has only enhanced its otherworldly quality, creating the perfect backdrop for contemplative scenes in an imaginary independent film.
Eagle Rock Quarry
This abandoned quarry just north of the Eagle Rock neighborhood in Los Angeles features dramatic rock walls and unusual geological formations that could easily serve as an alien planet in a science fiction epic. The quarry’s distinctive coloration—ranging from rust-red to pale yellow—creates natural color grading that cinematographers would spend hours trying to achieve artificially.
Visiting during golden hour rewards photographers with light that transforms ordinary rock into something from another world entirely.
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Empire Mine State Park
The preserved buildings and equipment of this historic gold mine in Grass Valley transport visitors to California’s rough-and-tumble past with striking authenticity. The mine’s 367 miles of historic shafts and tunnels (most of which are not accessible to the public) and beautifully maintained grounds of the owner’s cottage create perfect settings for period pieces.
The contrast between industrial mining operations and the elegant Victorian garden offers a ready-made visual metaphor for California’s complex history
Glass Beach
The shores of this unusual beach in Fort Bragg glimmer with countless sea glass pebbles, creating a shoreline that seems deliberately art-directed for a fantasy sequence. Decades of discarded bottles and glass refuse, once dumped into the ocean, have been transformed by waves into smooth, colorful gems that now carpet the beach in blues, greens, and occasional rare reds.
The interplay of light through the glass creates an almost supernatural glow at certain times of day, perfect for those dreamy, contemplative walking scenes in romantic films.
The Cypress Tree Tunnel
This remarkable natural corridor at Point Reyes National Seashore creates a perfect establishing shot for a historical drama or suspense film. Monterey cypress trees, planted in the early 20th century, have grown together to form a living tunnel leading to an old RCA wireless station.
Morning fog filtering through the branches creates ethereal light patterns that professional cinematographers would struggle to improve upon, lending an automatic sense of mystery to anyone driving through.
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Bronson Caves
This small network of man-made tunnels in Griffith Park has appeared in numerous productions—most famously as the Batcave in the 1960s Batman TV series—yet remains surprisingly uncrowded compared to other Los Angeles attractions. The main tunnel’s distinctive arch opening frames the surrounding landscape like a perfectly composed shot, while the interior provides the dramatic light-to-dark transition beloved by directors.
Despite its proximity to Hollywood, the caves often sit empty on weekdays, allowing visitors to recreate their own dramatic cave exit moments without an audience.
Burney Falls
This 129-foot waterfall in Shasta County creates a scene so perfectly composed it appears artificially designed for maximum visual impact. Unlike many waterfalls that flow in a single stream, Burney spreads across a wide cliff face with countless rivulets emerging directly from the rock itself, creating an almost mystical effect.
The perpetual mist catching the light and the vibrant greenery surrounding the falls produce a ready-made fantasy environment that would require minimal set dressing for a film production.
Bodie Ghost Town
This remarkably preserved gold mining town near Mono Lake stands as one of America’s most authentic ghost towns, maintained in a state of ‘arrested decay’ that production designers would labor for months to recreate. The weathered wooden structures, abandoned personal belongings visible through dusty windows, and isolated locations create an immersive historical experience.
The complete absence of commercial development or modernization within the town boundaries allows visitors to experience a truly unspoiled cinematic environment.
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Mono Lake
The otherworldly tufa towers of this ancient saline lake create a landscape so alien it’s served as a stand-in for distant planets in numerous science fiction productions. These calcium-carbonate spires, formed by the interaction of freshwater springs with the lake’s alkaline water, rise from the surface like sculptures from another dimension.
The surreal quality of the landscape, especially at sunrise or sunset when the light plays across the water’s surface, delivers a ready-made establishing shot for an exploration of strange new worlds.
Avenue of the Giants
This 31-mile stretch of road through Humboldt Redwoods State Park creates the perfect setting for scenes of wonder and discovery amid ancient giants. The filtered light through the massive tree canopy naturally creates the dappled, directional lighting that cinematographers strive to achieve on forest sets.
The sense of scale as visitors stand beside trees that were already ancient when European settlers arrived produces a natural emotional response that directors would otherwise need to manufacture through careful scoring and camera work.
The Sutro Baths Ruins
The crumbling concrete remnants of these once-grand Victorian bathing facilities create a setting tailor-made for meaningful conversations at the edge of civilization. Situated at the western edge of San Francisco, where waves crash dramatically against the ruins, the site naturally evokes themes of impermanence and the passage of time.
The contrast between engineered structures being reclaimed by nature provides visual metaphors that would feel heavy-handed if deliberately included in a screenplay, yet here, they exist organically.
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Kelso Dunes
These massive sand formations in the Mojave National Preserve create windswept landscapes that could easily double for distant deserts in period adventures or science fiction epics. The dunes rise dramatically to heights of up to 650 feet, creating perfect silhouettes against the sky that instantly communicate isolation and challenge.
Their most cinematic feature happens when conditions are right—the sand produces a distinctive booming sound when disturbed, adding an auditory dimension to this natural phenomenon that sound designers would labor to create artificially.
Forestiere Underground Gardens
This hand-built subterranean complex in Fresno represents one man’s vision realized through decades of solitary labor, creating spaces that seem designed for magical realism. Italian immigrant Baldassare Forestiere spent 40 years digging over 100 underground rooms, courtyards, and passages, complete with built-in furniture and fruit trees growing from the ceilings.
The play of light filtering down through strategic openings creates natural spotlighting that directors would meticulously arrange on conventional sets.
Watts Towers
These remarkable spires in South Los Angeles embody the singular vision of Italian immigrant Simon Rodia, who spent 33 years building them by hand without machinery, scaffolding, or formal plans. The towers, reaching heights of up to 99 feet and decorated with found objects, including broken glass, seashells, and pottery fragments, create an environment that seems designed for an urban fantasy film.
The organic curves and intricate mosaics catch the light differently throughout the day, creating a constantly changing visual experience that cinematographers would carefully plan to capture.
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Devil’s Postpile
This unusual geological formation near Mammoth Lakes features perfectly symmetrical basalt columns that appear too precisely geometric to be natural. The columns, many standing over 60 feet tall with their remarkably uniform hexagonal cross-sections, create a setting that seems deliberately designed for an ancient civilization in a fantasy epic.
The flat top surface, polished by glaciers to a mirror-like finish, provides a natural platform for dramatic confrontations or revelatory moments that screenwriters frequently place at distinctive locations.
Beyond the Famous Frames
California’s cinematic landscapes extend far beyond the familiar vistas that dominate travel brochures and social media feeds. These lesser-known locations offer visitors the rare opportunity to experience film-worthy environments without the carefully framed edges of a camera shot or the crowds that flock to more famous destinations.
The authentic connection formed with these places delivers something increasingly rare in our heavily documented world—the feeling of discovering somewhere truly special that seems to exist only for those willing to venture beyond the established routes.
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