Movies Filmed in the Moab Area

Movies filmed in our area range from the old John Wayne classics to more recent hits such as Geronimo, City Slickers II, and Mission Impossible II.

Moab Area Movie

Since 1949 the Moab area has been a popular location for Hollywood movies. Movies filmed in our area range from the old John Wayne classics to more recent hits such as Geronimo, City Slickers II, and Mission Impossible II. Thelma and Louise took their final leap into the Colorado River from along the Shafer Trail under Dead Horse Point near Moab! Numerous commercials, and more recently music videos, have been filmed here.

Movies filmed in the Moab Area

This is just a small selection of movies filmed in the Moab area.

Movie	Description	Map ID
1949 Wagon Master - Argosy Pictures Director: John Ford Starring: Ben Johnson, Joanne Dru, Harry Carey, Jr., Ward Bond.	The story of the Hole-in-the-Rock pioneers who hire Johnson and Carey as wagonmasters to lead them to the San Juan River country	2-F, 2-G, 2-I, 2-J, 2-K
1950 Rio Grande - Republic Directors: John Ford & Merian C. Cooper Starring: John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Ben Johnson, Harry Carey, Jr.	Reunion of a family 15 years after the Civil War. Ridding the Fort from Indian threats involves fighting with Indians and recovery of cavalry children from a Mexican Pueblo.	2-B, 2-C, 2-L
1953 Taza, Son of Cochise - Universal International Starring: Rock Hudson, Barbara Rush		3-E
1958 Warlock - 20th Century Fox Starring: Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda, Anthony Quinn, Dorothy Malone, Dolores Michaels	The city of Warlock is terrorized by a group of cowboys. Fonda is hired as Marshal and Widmark is appointed deputy sheriff.	1-E
1959 Ten Who Dared - Walt Disney Productions Starring: Brian Keith, John Beal, James Drury, Ben Johnson	Major John Wesley Powell's story of his first trip down the Colorado River from Green River, WY, to what is now Lake Mead.	1-D, 1-E, 2-A, 2-B, 2-D, 3-A
1961 The Comancheros - 20th Century Fox Starring: John Wayne, Stuart Whitman, Ina Balin	Whitman circumstantially becomes a Texas Ranger as Wayne's prisoner. To prevent weapons from being sold to the Comanches, Wayne pretends to be a supplier whose hideout holds surprises and romance for the heroes.	2-I
1963 Cheyenne Autumn - Warner Brothers Director: John Ford Starring: Richard Widmark, Carroll Baker, Ricardo Montalban, Sal Mineo, Dolores del Rio, Karl Maiden, James Stewart, Edward G. Robinson	The Cheyenne Nation escapes from its desolate Indian reservation (Monument Valley) and travels to its homeland 1500 miles away while pursued by the cavalry led by Widmark.	2-B, 3-A
1963 The Greatest Story Ever Told -George Stevens Prod. Starring: Max von Sydow, Ed Wynn, Shelley Winters, Telly Savalas		1-F
1964 Rio Conchos - 20th Century Fox Starring: Richard Boone, Jim Brown, Stuart Whitman, Tony Franciosa, Edmond O'Brien	Whitman, as an Army Captain, and Jim Brown, as a Sergeant, pair with Boone (former Confederate Major) and Franciosa (a Mexican trader). They enter Mexico with a wagonload of gunpowder as bait to recover Army rifles before they fall into the hands of Apaches.	2-B, 2-J, 3-C
1967 Blue - Paramount Starring: Ricardo Montalban, Joanne Pettite		2-K, 2-L, 4-A
1975 Against a Crooked Sky - Doty-Dayton Productions Starring: Richard Boone, Stewart Peterson, Henry Wilcoxon	Peterson and Boone search for Peterson's sister, who was kidnapped by Indians. Wilcoxon, an old Indian living with the Cheyenne, leads them to Crooked Sky, where Peterson races against the sun in a traditional warrior trial.	1-B, 1-E, 2-J. 3-B, 3-D
1982 Space Hunter - Columbia Starring: Peter Strauss, Molly Ringwald		1-C
1984 Choke Canyon - Brouwersgract Inv. Starring: Steven Collins, Janet Julian, Bo Svenson	Physicist Collins, trying to harness energy as a comet flies over Choke Canyon, is interrupted when the location is selected for illegal disposal of nuclear waste.	1-A, 2-H, 2-J, 2-K
1988 Sundown - Vestron /Sundown Productions Starring: John Ireland, David Carradine	A horror story laced with comedy and seasoned with the "Old West.	2-G
1988 Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade - Lucas Films Starring: Harrison Ford, River Phoenix, Sean Connery.	The Suspense and adventure that is characteristic of Indiana Jones in a movie that establishes Moab as "Indy's" birthplace.	3-A, 3-D
1990 Thelma & Louise - Ridley Scott film Starring: Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, Harvey Keitel	A humorous and uplifting story of two women who ultimately re-route the course set for them by society, thereby changing the direction of their own destiny.	3-F, 4-B, 1-G
1992-93 Knights Slaughter of the Innocents Lightning Jack Geronimo City Slickers II		2-J, 2-K, 2-L, 2-D

MOVIE LOCATION TOUR #1

State Highway 313 - Dead Horse Point - Island In The Sky

Note: Milepost numbers are in descending order from the US 191 junction to Dead Horse Point.

ID	Location	Description
1-A	SEVENMILE CAVE - .5 mile past milepost 21	Choke Canyon: On your right, on the east-facing slope, is the location of the cave where Collins and Svenson fight.
1-B	THE KNOLL - .8 miles past milepost 9.	Against a Crooked Sky: To your right was the Cheyenne Indian camp where Boone and Peterson meet Wilcoxon.
1-C	POTASH PONDS OVERLOOK - Dead Horse Point Visitor Center.	Space Hunter: The shallow ponds and rock formations give the impression of aimless wandering as the main characters head away from their space vehicle.
1-D	DEAD HORSE POINT: THE NECK - .5 mile past milepost 1.	Ten Who Dared: Powell's brother, Walter, and Bradley have a fight which allows them to settle their differences and resume the river trip.
1-E	DEAD HORSE POINT - the end of the road.	Warlock: Henry Fonda uses this site for target practice. Ten Who Dared: A pond was made at the east end of what is now the parking area. Three deserters from Powell's party encounter a group or Piutes at this site. Against A Crooked Sky: West of the parking area are the totem pole and sacrificial rock sites at Crooked Sky.
1-F	GREEN RIVER OVERLOOK - Canyonlands National Park - Island in the Sky.	Greatest Story Ever Told: Facing the Green River, the rock to the left of the fence is where Max von Sydow delivered the "Sermon on the Mount."
1-G	SHAFER TRAIL UNDER DEAD HORSE POINT	Thelma & Louise: A dozen police cars are in hot pursuit of Thelma and Louise as the final dramatic scene is played out.

MOVIE LOCATION TOUR #2

Utah Scenic Byway 128 - Colorado Riverway

ID	Location	Description
2-A	BLM TAKE-OUT -.2 mile past milepost 10.	Ten Who Dared: On your left is a road constructed for access to the river. This was one of several beach locations between Dewey and Moab. Across U-128 is a large rock where Brian Keith encounters a rattlesnake.
2-B	WHITE'S RANCH - milepost 14. Private property -please do not go beyond outer fence.	Rio Grande: The buildings at White's Ranch were used in this movie. The set included a fort on the location of the present fences and ranch entry. A wooden bridge spanned Castle Creek below which the Indians camped. Ten Who Dared: Some of the camping and resting scenes during Powell's trip were filmed on the beach at the ranch. In White's Rapids, a boat is smashed into the rocks as a result of a fight over whiskey. Rio Conchos: Location of "Presidio" which consists of a cantina and ferry crossing. Boone instigates a fight in the cantina to create a diversion to allow a wagon with gunpowder to be ferried across the river without being noticed. Also at this site the captain tests the river (supposedly 100 miles upriver from Presidio), to determine if the wagon can betaken across at this location. Cheyenne Autumn: The chicken coop was modified to use as a telegraph office. The building straight ahead was a trading post. Castle Creek was the site of several creek crossings by the Cheyenne and cavalry, including the Cheyennes' return "home."
2-C	IDA GULCH GRAVEL SITE - milepost 16.	This river crossing was used for several western movies, including Rio Grande, where cavalry, Indians, and covered wagons used the shallow area by the island. Livestock swam across a little further upstream.
2-D	IDA GULCH RAPID -.5 mile beyond milepost 16, turn left after crossing white bridge and drive .4 mile.	Ten Who Dared: Small rapids used for the movie. Powell meets Jacob Hamblin. Movie cameras were placed on the west side of river to film scenic background.
2-E 2-F		Sites 2-E and 2-F are on private land and no longer accessible. Please continue to 2-G.
2-G	HITTLE BOTTOM - .3 mile beyond milepost 23.	Wagon Master: Watering hole after trekking through the desert. Sundown: A gas station was constructed here as part of the town of Purgatory, a laid-back Arizona town whose inhabitants just happen to be vampires.
2-H	DEWEY BRIDGE - milepost 30.	Choke Canyon: In a chase scene a biplane is flown under the old Dewey Bridge.

MOVIE LOCATION TOUR #3

Arches National Park

ID	Location	Description
3-A	SOUTH PARK AVENUE	Ten Who Dared: Major Powell hikes by himself to study unique geology. He slips on the rock ledges on the east side and is rescued by his brother and the rest of the team. Cheyenne Autumn: Scenes of Cheyenne exodus in the flat area south of the park road. Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade: Indiana is seen traveling with his boy scout companions in the opening scenes
3-B	NORTH PARK AVENUE	Against a Crooked Sky: Below the trailhead on the flat rocks is the location of the hogan camp of the Indians who kidnapped Peterson's sister. In the background is the narrow crack in the rocks which was the entrance to Crooked Sky.
3-C	BALANCED ROCK	Rio Conchos: Camping scene with Balanced Rock in the background.
3-D	THE WINDOWS	Against A Crooked Sky: This area and Dead Horse Point are Crooked Sky. Peterson starts his run from the Windows area. Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade: River Phoenix as the young Indiana Jones.
3-E	DEVILS GARDEN	Taza Son of Cochise: The U.S. cavalry advanced into the fin area and was ambushed by the Indians.
3-F	COURTHOUSE TOWERS	Thelma & Louse: Stopped by a police officer, while driving their '66 T-bird convertible, Thelma and Louise manage to take the officer's gun and lock him in his patrol car trunk.

Other Locations

Other filming locations surrounding Moab.

ID	Location	Description
4-A	KLONDIKE BLUFF AREA OFF US 191 - OPTIONAL SPUR: Go north from the junction of U-313 and US 191 and continue 5.5 miles. Turn right onto a dirt road . PLEASE CLOSE GATE. After 2.6 miles fork right and continue 1.0 mile.	Blue Mexican Village: The location for the set construction was chosen for the green-colored foothills which were reminiscent of Old Mexico.
4-B	LA SAL MOUNTAINS FROM TOWN OF LA SAL	Thelma & Louise: This was the opening vista for the movie and the location for some of the chase scenes.

Movie Location Brochure

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