Guess where the "Star Wars" series "The Mandalorian" has been shooting — right here in the Santa Susana Mountains!

"The Mandalorian": The latest disturbance in the Force

The tourism industry in the Santa Susana Pass may be in for a boom in the near future, because we just nailed down a filming location that fans of the "Star Wars" series "The Mandalorian" have been eager to find — and it's right here in the Santa Susana Mountains, tucked away between Chatsworth and Simi Valley.

"The Mandalorian," Chapter 14: "The Tragedy" (premiered Dec. 4, 2020)

I received the above screen shot from the recent episode "The Tragedy" from "Mandalorian" fan Scott Lechuga, who asked whether I might recognize the location. I didn't, but I did recognize the look of the "Chatsworth Formation," a geological phenomenon that runs through the former Iverson Ranch and much of Chatsworth.

The same location as it appears on Google Maps

After some poking around, I was able to match up the ridgeline seen in the "Mandalorian" screen shot. The filming area was along the Rocky Peak Trail, northwest of Chatsworth.

Identifying features in the ridgeline

Some of the markers along the ridgeline that help identify the location are noted here.

The same features can be found in "The Mandalorian"

Here are the same markers in the "Mandalorian" screen shot. The alignment is slightly off because it's impossible to duplicate the angle on Google Maps. But it's close enough that you should be able to tell it's the same place.

"The Mandalorian": Three key rocks at ground level

Closer to the ground, we can find additional markers that also match up, enabling us to further define the filming location. Notice the group of three rocks highlighted here.

The three rocks turn up in the Google Maps shot

The same three rocks can be seen in the Google Maps photo, although here they're much farther to the right in the shot, and once again, the angle isn't quite the same.

The three rocks appear near the center of the frame
 

Shifting the angle on Google Maps, we can get a better look at the three rocks, seen here near the center of the frame. This shot also shows the proximity of the "Mandalorian" rocks to the Rocky Peak Trail.

The shooting location is just off Rocky Peak Trail
 

The shot more closely matches the action on the ground in the "Mandalorian" screen shot, although again it's not exactly the same angle.

Google Maps shot showing more of the terrain in the "Mandalorian" screen shot

 

Examining still another Google angle, we again see the three key rocks, but here we can also see much of the rest of the terrain captured in the "Mandalorian" screen shot. This should enable us to match up a few more rocks.

 

One of the more distinctive rocks in the "Mandalorian" shot, Rock "A"

One rock in the "Mandalorian" screen shot that cries out to be found is Rock "A," which almost appears to be wearing a helmet out of "Star Wars." Also note Rocks "B" and "C."

Rocks A, B and C on Google Maps

Even though Rock "A" is not as well defined in this Google Maps shot as we might want it to be, it's clear that it matches "The Mandalorian," as do Rocks "B" and "C."

 

"The Tragedy": Stormtroopers romp around Rocky Peak Park

 

Here's a shot from "The Mandalorian" showing some Stormtroopers up to no good in the mountains. This shot can be matched up with photos from the Rocky Peak filming location.

 

The same background hills, viewed from the Rocky Peak Trail

This photo shows the view to the southwest of the filming site, including the 118 Freeway and, beyond it, Santa Susana Pass Road, running across the frame horizontally.

 

Notice the background hill circled in yellow.

 

The same hill can be seen in the "Mandalorian" shot.

Filming area for "The Mandalorian"

The "Mandalorian" shooting area is located well up the Rocky Peak Trail, as indicated here. If you're planning to go check it out, be forewarned that the trail is like straight up —  bring water and a strong pair of legs.

 

Thumbs-up, Scott!

 

I want to give a big shout-out to Scott Lechuga for getting the ball rolling on what turned out to be a fun location hunt — and a fruitful one!

 

Since we first published the filming location in December 2020, a number of "Mandalorian" fans have been making the trek to the site and are posting videos and photos that expand on the sighting. One of the best can be found below — a YouTube video first posted by All About Los Angeles — check it out!

 

Devil's Pass, Vultura's Pass and another look at everyone's favorite Wookiee from "Star Wars"

Chewbacca — rising above Devil's Pass (aka Vultura's Pass)

It's high time I update my blog entry from a few years ago on the Iverson rock I call Chewbacca.

Not everyone sees the resemblance between the rock and the beloved "Star Wars" Wookiee (often spelled Wookie), but it popped out at me the first time I saw the rock in person. Your mileage may vary, and I hope I get comments on whether readers see it or not.

"The Lone Ranger" TV show: episode "Devil's Pass" (1950)

The rock is located in a section of the former Lower Iverson I call Devil's Pass. The name comes from the title of an episode of the TV show "The Lone Ranger" that originally aired May 25, 1950. In the above screen shot from the episode "Devil's Pass," the Lone Ranger and Tonto are seen riding west through the pass.

Chewbacca is out of the picture, but would be up high on the right. Directly above Tonto's head is an often filmed rock known as Hangover Rock, which you may want to enlarge the photo (by clicking on it) to get a better look at. (You can find another shot of Hangover Rock at the bottom of this post.)

The same pass is also known as "Vultura's Pass," as it was the location of Vultura's Palace, seen above, in the seminal 1942 Republic serial "The Perils of Nyoka." The pass today remains on private property and is difficult to access other than looking at it over the brick wall that now separates this spot from the nearby condos. Some of the rocks in the above two shots are the same — you may be able to match up the rocks in the above photo that are just above the roof of the palace, near the center-top of the photo, with the same pair of rocks in the "Lone Ranger" shot, near the top-left corner. It's two rocks separated by a curved crack, and if I only had a dime for every time I've heard that expression.

Here's a shot of the evil Vultura, played by Adrian Booth — also known as Lorna Gray — posing for a publicity still for "The Perils of Nyoka" at the Iverson Movie Ranch, courtesy of Western movie expert Jerry England.

Another early shot of Lorna Gray/Adrian Booth, who apparently is still going strong at 95 — it wasn't that long ago, just a few years, that I went to an event in Hollywood to hear the longtime Republic Pictures star reminisce about the studio's Golden Age. Does she have stories!

"Buffalo Bill Rides Again" (1947)

Meanwhile, back at the Pass — Devil's or Vultura's — this is the view from a sniper's outpost up next to Chewbacca, looking west with the Upper Gorge in the background. The riders are entering the west end of the pass, arriving from the north, and will head roughly east. The screen shot comes from the Richard Arlen/Jennifer Holt B-Western "Buffalo Bill Rides Again."

Like most rocks, Chewbacca's appearance changes as it's viewed from different angles and in different light. Sadly, the thing has been hit with a little graffiti, something that has been a bit of a problem on the former Iverson Movie Ranch. It's most evident in the photo at the top of this post.

You might not think this prehistoric-looking thing is the same rock, but it is. Lighting makes a big difference, as illustrated by this shot of Chewie later in the day. Most of the character's "face" is in shade here.

This side of the rock reminds me of something out of the Broadway show "Cats."

There's that brick wall I mentioned, toward the right and down the hill. This is Devil's Pass in recent years, looking more or less southwest. On the other side of the wall are hundreds of condos.

Here's a better look at Hangover Rock, which is also seen in the third photo from the top, above. The precarious-looking feature marks the eastern end of Devil's Pass/Vultura's Pass. The African hut seen in this shot from the summer of 2008 was a set for the NBC TV series "Heroes." Partially visible in the background at the right is a non-movie house that was known as the "Old Folks' House," where Karl and Augusta Iverson, the founders of the Iverson Movie Ranch, lived in their later years. The house burned down just a few months after this photo was taken, in the 2008 Porter Ranch Fire.



NBC's series "Heroes" shot at Iverson for an Africa storyline that was a part of season three.

Chewbacca

Chewbacca strikes me as eerily similar to the "Star Wars" character. A few of the people I've shown the photo to say they don't see it. Let me know if you have an opinion one way or the other. I also see a little bit of Jabba the Hutt in the figure to the left of Chewie, but that's beside the point.