Recent rains have transformed the Iverson Movie Ranch into a lush paradise — at least by movie ranch standards

Moss-covered buttressing on an old movie road in the Iverson Gorge (2019)

Southern California has been getting drenched by the region's wettest winter in decades — and all that rain is bringing out the green on the former Iverson Movie Ranch.

Lone Ranger Cabin steps and foundation

The surviving stone foundation and steps to the old Lone Ranger Cabin are covered in clover these days. The foundation is located on the South Rim of the Upper Iverson, near where the Hidden Valley Cabin once stood.

"Prince of the Plains" (Republic, 1949): Harry Lauter on those same steps

Back in the day those steps were well-maintained and kept clear of invasive foliage. In this promo still for "Prince of the Plains," Harry Lauter walks the stone plank with encouragement from Lane Bradford as Shirley Davis frets.

The mighty Sphinx, "alpha rock" of the Garden of the Gods

The Sphinx looks about the same as always, but the ground below it is greener than usual. This shot was taken on a visit to the Garden of the Gods in February, with the sunlight hitting the grass just right.

The Sphinx during drier times — which is most of the time

For the sake of comparison, here's a shot of the Sphinx in its usual state. The dry brush and scant vegetation at the base of the rock are representative of how the area typically looks.

Stone buttressing along an old movie road on the Upper Iverson (2019)

The green grass that's out now accentuates old movie roads that can still be identified by surviving stone buttressing. This short stretch of an old road sits on the Upper Iverson's South Rim, just below Turtle Rock.

Buttressing along the western edge of the Garden of the Gods

Another section of old movie road buttressing, this one on the Lower Iverson, has "greened up" during the rainy season. If you know how to find the north side of the Sphinx, follow the trail west from there to get to this spot.

There's something about old buttressing that really seems to attract the moss. This is a closeup of that same stretch of buttressing seen in the photo above this one.

A cactus shares its world with the movie rock known as "Minisub" (2019)

Much of the terrain in the undeveloped sections of the former Iverson Ranch remains pretty rugged, with plenty of sage and desert denizens like this sturdy cactus thriving alongside famous movie rocks.

Some sections of the former movie ranch have just gone buck wild. I don't know what to make of this area, which is about halfway up Cactus Hill near the South Rim, but it seems to have a little bit of everything.

Here's an illustrious group of South Rim stalwarts currently adrift on a sea of green. That's Dinosaur Claw on the left and Lew Murdock Rock in the middle.

I never noticed this character before, but it reminds me of one of the robots on "Mystery Science Theater 3000."

Crow T. Robot from "Mystery Science Theater 3000" (replica)

This one ... Crow T. Robot.

Lew Murdock Rock is the real star of this cozy little corner of the Upper Iverson.

The rock still carries a badge of honor from a filming session for "Have Gun Will Travel" back in 1959 — in the form of an inscription that played a part in the TV show.

"Have Gun Will Travel" (1959): Paladin checks out Lew Murdock Rock

The episode "Sons of Aaron Murdock" premiered on May 9, 1959. One of Aaron Murdock's sons is the bad man Lew Murdock, and here Paladin finds a clue — a Lew Murdock inscription on the rock.

The inscription has Lew's name along with a crude carving of a bird. You can't really make it out here, but the episode follows up this shot with a closeup.

This is the inscription Paladin sees, in a screen shot from the show.

They actually did carve the inscription into the rock, and it's still there today. Here it is in modern times.

"Hidden Meadow," near Lew Murdock Rock

Around the corner from Lew Murdock Rock is a spot I call "Hidden Meadow." I've never seen evidence of filming in this location, and there's not much to see, but I'd be willing to bet they parked the movie trucks here.

Fern Ann Creek, flowing through the Upper Iverson

The creeks on the former Iverson Movie Ranch tend to be dry most of the year, but these days they're flowing — even if it's not much more than a trickle.

Beautiful vistas and dramatic skies can be found in abundance. This shot is taken looking southwest from the far northern edge of the former movie ranch property.

The poppies are out in force, along with their orange and yellow cousins. Iverson explorer Cliff Roberts snapped this shot just last week looking southeast toward Stoney Point from up above Nyoka Cliff.

Part of a fresh crop of mushrooms on the South Rim

The shrooms are popping up too. I'll leave it to someone else to assess any potential psychoactive fringe benefits to this bad boy, as I misplaced my "Field Guide to the 1970s" several decades ago.

These guys look as though they'd have an interesting name. How about ... um ... the "Hoo-Ahh Plant"? No? "Screaming Yellow Honkers"? Obviously, I'm not a botanist.

Not all of the life forms that are springing up are particularly attractive. Whatever this thing is, I wouldn't call it "beautiful" by any stretch ... but it's interesting. Plus it's kinda neat how it decided to grow out of a hole in a rock.

A bird of paradise blooms on a cul de sac on the former Upper Iverson.

The bird of paradise sits at the base of a distinctive movie rock.

"The Gene Autry Show" (1953)

Gene Autry rides near that same movie rock in an episode of his TV series called "Rio Renegades," which premiered Sept. 29, 1953. The rock can be seen in the top left corner.

"Little Big Horn" (1951): The Iverson Ranch, shot by cinematographer Ernest Miller

The Iverson Ranch has always had its beauty, which the best cinematographers of the B-Western era could put to dramatic effect in black and white.

Iverson Movie Ranch in 2019

And it's still a beautiful place — even in color.