Western Town at Paramount Ranch

Townsquare in Western Town. Elizabeth Horkley

Interior of a Western town structure. Eric Berry

Western Town's jail. Elizabeth Horkley

Western Town. Eric Berry

Hotel Mud Bug. Eric Berry

Western Town's church Elizabeth Horkley

Interior of church. Elizabeth Horkley

Western Town's entrance. Eric Berry

General Store Avoiding Regret (Creative Commons)

The church, which is the second structure that survived the Woolsey Fire. thenoblewoman (Atlas Obscura User)

Destroyed, but still open. Craig Baker (Atlas Obscura User)

The train station, one of two remaining structures at Paramount Ranch thenoblewoman (Atlas Obscura User)

The intense heat of the fire damaged the pipes that carried water to the ranch. thenoblewoman (Atlas Obscura User)

Farmers Exchange Avoiding Regret (Creative Commons)

Western Town couldn’t be easier to access by car, yet precious few know that the set of some of the most iconic Western films is just off the 101.

Entering Western Town is an uncanny experience. Its complex of saloons, blacksmiths, and single-cell jails isn’t exactly transportive, but it does feel strangely familiar. Though you may have never been here, you’ve likely seen this place before.

Western Town is the unofficial gateway to a much larger area known as Paramount Ranch. Now a national park, the area received its name when the eponymous studio bought 2,700 acres in the Santa Monica mountains for its chameleonic terrain, which could pass for almost any place on Earth.

The golden age of Hollywood brought just about every star of the era through Paramount Ranch, which acted as locations as far-flung as Morocco in the Marlene Dietrich, Gary Cooper vehicle of the same name, and ancient Rome, when Cecil B. Demille cast it as the setting of his scandalous epic, The Sign of the Cross.

The studio eventually sold the area, but a portion of it was bought by a father and son team from New Jersey with a love of Westerns. William and Robert Hertz originally constructed Western Town from leftover prop storage sheds and discarded RKO sets with the intention of opening a dude ranch. Its course changed when the two decided to place ads in a few trade publications, advertising its use for filmmaking.

Though ownership changed over the next few decades, filmmaking continued. In 1980, the National Park Service purchased the land, renovating it largely into what visitors see today.

As a sign in the area indicates, Western Town is constantly evolving to suit the needs of productions. In the ’90s, it served as the main setting for Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. Most recently, it’s hosted the science fiction universe of Westworld.

Despite the area’s illustrious history, perhaps what’s most surprising about Western Town is just how easy it is to explore. The opportunity to traverse a truly surreal town square in the footsteps of countless film industry legends is not to be missed.

Update: The ranch burned down in the Woolsey Fire on November 11, 2018. The site is open for visitors to view the ruins. The church and train station survived.

Know Before You Go

The site is within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, managed by the National Park Service.

Although the majority of the structures have burned down, the church and train station are largely intact, and the trails remain open. Maps of the surrounding trails can be obtained inside the ranger station (usually unlocked during business hours) across from the parking area, and restrooms and water are accessible from the exterior of the ranger station.