Visiting The “M*A*S*H” TV Series Filming Location!
My friend and “knows everything about TV” expert Marc Berman shared a few days ago that this week in 1983:
“A record 106 million viewers tuned in to watch “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen,” the two-and-one-half hour series finale of CBS’ “MASH.” The series ran for 11-seasons, producing 256 episodes in total.”
So, to celebrate, I hiked to the set of the show!
Yes, this is an outdoor set for the classic TV show!
You can actually hike up a mountain right outside LA to see where they filmed outdoor scenes for the classic TV series “M*A*S*H” – so I did!
Welcome To The “Backcountry Trailhead” At Malibu Creek State Park!
Yes, in the mountains overlooking Malibu and the Pacific Ocean, the creative team filmed scenes for the TV show “M*A*S*H” in this backcountry area – and you can hike to it!
Malibu Creek State Park is located in the Santa Monica Mountains, about 20 miles west of Hollywood…
As you can see, the trail is quite wide, with signs that clearly tell you where you can hike and how far it is…for me today, it was the “M*A*S*H” site in my sights!
The “hike” begins as more of a leisurely walk on a wide dirt road, with a dry creek bed on one side and plenty of shade as well…but that quickly changes:
After a half mile, you round a bend are are greeted by a pretty steep climb that goes on for about a half mile – and no shade…and along the way you see some of the impact of last year’s devastating wild fires in the area:
However, it was quickly clear that there was plenty of wild life in the area…beginning with my encounter with this wild rabbit – yes, he let me get pretty close before it was time to say goodbye:
In fact, I heard all sorts of critters in the brush…you see, this wide road was deceptive, because as I turned the corner, this was the path I needed to follow:
That’s right: you had to navigate this log in order to continue on the path to the filming site…about ten steps across, and while it was only a shallow creek, I didn’t want to get my shoes soaked:
From this point on, the trail just getting narrower and narrower – and I heard more “critters” in the brush all around me…since it was “rattlesnake season”, I kept an ear open:
After more than a mile of narrow paths, gradually going up the mountain, you round a corner and there is it!
You come across an abandoned ambulance first, then just past it sits the area where the show filmed their outdoor “Korea” scenes!
This sign gives you a bunch of interesting facts about the filming here – including how to know if the “outdoor” shot was done here on on a soundstage – if the Actors aren’t squinting, they shot that outside shot inside!
As you can see from the hilltop, we climbed up a bit to get here – and I had to get my favorite angle:
There aren’t any trees in this area, and on the day I was there, the temperature had pushed above 80 – luckily, they left some shade for us:
They also left a few Jeeps and trucks to fans to pose in front of, so I did:
One last fun item on the set: these are the signs that show how far they are from home – and I had to get a special shot of that as well!
And while th sign says that Burbank is 5,610 miles away, in reality it’s about 15!
On the walk back down, I came across some people out for a ride, since horse trails are plentiful here as well:
You can also veer off the regular trail to go see a small reservoir they have as well:
Overall, this was a beautiful hike that pushed me a little bit on the way up, and was a relaxing walk on the way down…and since it’s called Malibu Creek State Park, there is in fact a very peaceful creek:
Of course, I’ve shown you some terrific hikes in the mountains that sit on top of the Pacific Ocean at Malibu:
If walking Malibu’s beaches isn’t exhilarating enough, how about this?
Click here to see how much fun Solstice Canyon is – and it overlooks the Pacific Ocean!
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Categories: 70's Cinema, Action Films, Art, Exotic Travel, Hollywood, Memoirs, nature, Pop Culture, Travel, Travel Adventures, TV Show
johnrieber 
They’ve just recently been running the M.A.S.H. series on TV over here again. It’s still such a good show and that last episode – wow! A great hike to the set.
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Hi John, I have heard of MASH but don’t know the show. I don’t know if it ever aired here. Now I’ll have to go and see what it was about.
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So cool!. During the pandemic we rewatched the entire show. We loved it even more. I would risk the rattlesnakes.
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I’ve only encountered one in all of my hikes in Southern California and I documented it – only a few miles from house, right in Beverly Hills! https://johnrieber.com/2019/03/31/hitch-hiking-11-our-rattlesnake-encounter-in-beverly-hills-hiking-shocks-and-hitchcocks-psycho/
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Yeah, as long as you watch your step you should be fine
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I think my favorite is the sign post with mileage to cities, and your ‘signature’ photo! This is a long walk to see some memorabilia.
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Thanks for noticing that!
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You’re welcome!
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I had no idea it was there and would love to see it, loved watching that show with my dad and we cried and cried at the end. cool they left some artifacts behind
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Yes, it’s a fun place to hike to! Thanks for reading and commenting!
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I rarely missed an episode of that show, and actually preferred it to the film. I loved the way it injected the ‘serious’ stuff into the regular humour. Doubt I would risk encountering rattlesnakes to see the old set though. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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