Bronson Cave – Los Angeles, California - Atlas Obscura
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Bronson Cave

Los Angeles, California

It should come as no surprise that the best view of the Hollywood sign is from Batman's lair. 

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A surprise view of the Hollywood sign. Rozette Rago
A surprise view of the Hollywood sign. Rozette Rago
A sunny space to wander and think. Rozette Rago
The cave isn't as big as you might think. Rozette Rago
A view of the sign, without the selfie-snapping tourists. Rozette Rago
Birds soar above the hills. Rozette Rago
The landscape is scrubby. Rozette Rago
More secrets wait outside. Rozette Rago
great view of Hollywood sign from cave exit jondi letnap (Atlas Obscura User)
Batman's Cave in 360 degree view garylittle93012 (Atlas Obscura User)
View of the Hollywood Sign Avoiding Regret (Used with permission) (Creative Commons)
View back towards the Cave entrance from a hill in the direction of the Hollywood sign davinwhite (Atlas Obscura User)
The three smaller cave mouths opposite the larger one davinwhite (Atlas Obscura User)
View of the Hollywood Sign from the canyon davinwhite (Atlas Obscura User)
Bronson Cave, Hollywood, California 4/20/2011 Keri Kilgo (Atlas Obscura User)
Bronson Cave, Hollywood, California 4/20/2011 Keri Kilgo (Atlas Obscura User)
The Hollywood sign seen from the area. Fred Cherrygarden (Atlas Obscura User)
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As you enter the mouth of the cavern and feel the air chill, you wonder whether the movie stars who filmed within this tunnel touched the same smooth rock you’re walking past.

Okay, so the magic of Hollywood made it seem a little darker, and a little deeper, but you can’t deny the small thrill of standing in the bat cave (look for it in the 1960s Batman series). Once you’ve seen it in person, you’ll be able to spot it on film forever. 

The Bronson Cave is located in Griffith Park, the large, rugged wilderness that sits right within Los Angeles city limits. The park is a very popular film location due to its versatility as a scenic spot with countless opportunities to portray an array of climates and landscapes. The cave became a go-to sci-fi and western location very early on in Hollywood history because of its easy accessibility and remote appearance.

The cave that has played home to the caped crusader, a hideout for countless heists, and the sexy scene for soft core sci-fi erotic films such as Flesh Gordon isn’t truly a cave. The often-filmed cave is actually an extremely short tunnel that is frequently filmed at an angle to hide the fact that its impressive mouth doesn’t actually lead to a dark, hidden cavern, but a brief “tunnel” through a hill. 

Bronson Cave still enjoys popularity as a location for a steady stream of production crews (especially low budget) looking for a cheap, easy-to-reach location to create the magic of a lonely, barren venue for shoot outs, alien invasions, and underground lairs. 

Update as of March 2022: The cave is currently closed indefinitely. 

Know Before You Go

You can access the cave by driving up Canyon Drive from Franklin Ave. into the park. Follow the road as far as you can into the park. There is a dirt parking lot on the right. Walk to the dirt road bearing right. Don't go straight unless you want to go to the Hollywood sign 2 miles away uphill(!). Follow the dirt road and bear left to the cave entrance, closed with a fence.

film locations tunnels subterranean sites caves ecosystems
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