The Moab to Monument Valley Film Commission holds the title of the longest running film commission in the world. Harkening back to the days of John Wayne and the classic western, the Moab area has been a popular destination for feature length films, commercials, and television shows for almost 75 years. In 1949, John Ford first ventured out from the iconic Monument Valley to film along the majestic Colorado River Corridor. Seeing that the production employed almost all of Moab’s 1,500 residents, local rancher George White founded the film commission to promote movie making in the area and establish a local crew base and production services.
Director Ridley Scott reported that he had “seen more wonderful and varied scenery in a single day in Moab than any other day [he had] scouted.” Such variance has made Moab a hot spot for movies of all genres. From the ranches of the old west, to the interplanetary fields of Mars, to mile after mile of classic road-trip roads, the scenery is as endless as the possibilities.
Visitors to Moab may find the area familiar as they tip-toe up to Thelma and Louise Point, set off on horseback to follow John Wayne’s hoof prints, or take in the view from Westworld’s Hub Mesa. Filmmakers will find thousands of square miles of sand deserts, snowy mountains, desolate canyons, verdant farmland, empty roads, and rushing rivers, – not to mention the iconic red rocks.
For information on filming in the area, get in touch with the Moab to Monument Valley Film Commission by visiting FILMMOAB.COM or calling 435-260-0097.
Films Made in the Area
2014 – Need for Speed
Location: Fossil Point
2014 – Transformers: Age of Extinction
Locations: Hole in the Rock
2013 – The Lone Ranger
Locations: Fossil Point and surrounding area, Hwy 279, Goldbar Campground, Professor Valley
2013 – After Earth
Locations: Fossil Point and surrounding area
2010 – John Carter
Locations: Lake Powell, Hanksville, Fossil Point and surrounding area, Hwy 279, Dead Horse Point, Fisher Towers
2010 – Guns, Girls, and Gambling
Locations: Seven Mile Canyon and surrounding area
2010 – 127 Hours
Locations: Blue John Canyon, Horseshoe Canyon, Sand Flats Recreation Area, Green River, Moab Regional Hospital
2008 – Star Trek
Locations: San Rafael Swell
2007 – All the Days Before Tomorrow
Locations: Highway 128, Arches National Park, Moab
Locations: Highways 128 and 279, Arches National Park
1999 – Vertical Limit
Location: Monument Valley
1999 – The Adventures of Joe Dirt
Location: Dead Horse Point State Park
1999 – Mission Impossible II
Location: Dead Horse Point State Park
1998 – Galaxy Quest
Locations: Goblin Valley State Park, Little Wild Horse Canyon
1998 – Chill Factor
Locations: Monument Valley, Castle Valley, SR-279
1997 – Lost Treasure of Dos Santos
Locations: Onion Creek, Flat Pass, Bates Ranch
1996 – Con-Air
Locations: Air shots over Dead Horse Point State Park, Canyonlands National Park, Monument Valley and Lake Powell
1996 – Breakdown
Locations: Professor Valley, SR 313, Texaco Station off High way 191
1995 – Riders of the Purple Sage
Locations: Dugout Ranch (main set), Flat Pass, Mill Creek Canyon, Kane Springs Road, Ten Mile area, and Pucker Pass
1995 – Larger Than Life
Locations: Harley Bates (Dole) Ranch (Mexican village set), Shafer Trail, Professor Valley, off Highways 191 and 313, Green River City, Floy Wash, Dunes
1994 – The Great American West
Locations: Monument Valley, Ida Gulch, Hauer Ranch, Fossil Point, Pucker Pass, Hook ‘n Ladder area
1993 – Lightning Jack
Locations: Fisher Towers, San Juan County
1993 – Geronimo: An American Legend
Locations: Professor Valley, Potash Trail, Potash Plant, Needles Overlook area, Sand Dunes off Ruby Ranch Road, Bates Ranch, Lawson Ranch, Onion Creek
1993 – City Slickers II: The Search for Curly’s Gold
Locations: Dugout Ranch, Fisher Towers, Onion Creek
1992 – Slaughter of the Innocents
Locations: Castle Rock, Onion Creek, Marie Ogden Settlement
1992 – Knights
Locations: Pucker Pass, Long Canyon, Professor Valley, La Sal Mountains, Needles Overlook
1990 – Thelma and Louise
Locations: Shafer Overlook, Arches National Park, La Sal, Cisco, Thompson Springs, Valley City Fossil Point
1988 – Sundown: Vampires in Retreat
Locations: Thompson Springs, Moab (Spanish Valley), Hittle Bottom, Arches National Park
1988 – Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Locations: Arches National Park, Sevenmile Canyon
1987 – Nightmare at Noon
Locations: Moab City, Ken’s Lake, Arches National Park, Colorado River
1985 – MacGyver
Locations: Dead Horse Point State Park, Shafer Overlook
1984 – Choke Canyon
Locations: Moab, Onion Creek, Professor Valley, Sand Flats, Dead Horse Point State Park, Byrd’s Ranch, Squaw Park
1982 – Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone
Locations: Kane Creek, Bull Canyon, Colorado River, Potash, lower Shafer Trail, Grey Hills
1975 – Against a Crooked Sky
Locations: Professor Valley, Colorado River, Castle Valley, Arches National Park, Dead Horse Point State Park
1967 – Blue
Locations: Professor Valley, Colorado River, Sevenmile Canyon, La Sal, Sand Flats, Redd’s Ranch, Woods’ Ranch
1966 – Wild Rovers
Locations: Arches National Park, Monument Valley
1964 – Rio Conchos
Locations: White’s Ranch, Castle Valley, Professor Valley, Arches National Park, Dead Horse Point State Park
1963 – The Greatest Story Ever Told
Locations: Island in the Sky, Green River Overlook
1963 – Cheyenne Autumn
Locations: White’s Ranch, Castle Valley, Professor Valley, Colorado River, Fisher Canyon, Arches National Park, Monument Valley, Mexican Hat
1961 – Comancheros
Locations: Professor Valley, Dead Horse Point State Park, Kings Bottom, La Sal Mountains, Fisher Valley, Onion Creek
1959 – Ten Who Dared
Locations: Big Bend of the Colorado River, White’s Ranch, Arches National Park, Dead Horse Point State Park
1958 – Warlock
Locations: Professor Valley, Dead Horse Point State Park, King’s Bottom, White’s Ranch, Arches, Sand Flats
1953 – Taza, Son of Cochise
Locations: White’s Ranch, Castle Valley, Professor Valley.
1950 – Rio Grande
Locations: White’s Ranch, Ida Gulch, Professor Valley, Colorado River, Onion Creek Narrows.
1949 – Wagon Master
Locations: Professor Valley, Colorado River, Spanish Valley.
Moab Set Locations
Take a drive down any of the following highways to catch a glimpse of the places where many of these movies were filmed. Although the sets for these movies no longer exist, the scenery is timeless.
Upper Colorado River Scenic Byway (U-128)
Onion Creek, Fisher Towers, Ida Gulch, White’s Ranch (Red Cliffs Adventure Lodge), Castle Valley, Professor Valley, Big Bend, Hittle Bottom, Castle Rock (Castle Valley turnoff), Harley Bates Ranch, Lawson Ranch (Professor Valley turnoff), Hauer Ranch, Hook `n’ Ladder Area – Scenic Byway Driving Tour
Dead Horse Point Mesa Scenic Byway (U-313)
Dead Horse Point State Park, Green River Overlook (Canyonlands National Park), Island in the Sky (Canyonlands National Park) – Scenic Byway Driving Tour
Potash-Lower Colorado River Scenic Byway (U-279)
Shafer Trail, Shafer Trail Overlook, Potash, Fossil Point, Pucker Pass, Long Canyon, Wall Street – Scenic Byway Driving Tour
North Highway 191
Arches National Park, Seven Mile Canyon, Bull Canyon, Ten Mile Rd
South Highway 191
Monument Valley, La Sal, San Juan County, Lake Powell
Highway 211
Dugout Ranch, Marie Ogden Settlement
1-70
Cisco,Thompson Springs, Ruby Ranch (exit 173), Green River City, Goblin Valley State Park, Floy Wash (exit 173), Little Wild Horse Canyon
Other Locations
Kane Creek, Sand Flats, Byrd’s Ranch, Moab City, Pack Creek Ranch, Ken’s Lake. Mill Creek Canyon, Flat Pass
Film Museum
When you enter the Film Museum at Red Cliffs Ranch be prepared to look back over years of black and white filmmaking featuring our most cherished actors and actresses, along with highlights from recent film projects that have taken advantage of the spectacular scenery surrounding Moab. The museum houses memorabilia from the early films to the present and is ever changing. Movie and western ranching themes are present throughout the resort. The museum is self-guided and open to the public daily at no charge. Highway 128 – Mile Marker 14
127 Hours – James Franco rappeling into Blue John Canyon. Photo courtesy of Melissa Fletcher.
127 Hours – Local Linus Platt rigging over the end of Blue John for the rappel scene. Photo courtesy of Melissa Fletcher.
127 Hours – L to R: Stunt Coordinator; Anthony Dod Mantle (Cinematographer); Danny Boyle (Director); Photo courtesy of Melissa Fletcher.
City Slickers II, 1993 – Locations: Dugout Ranch, Fisher Towers, Onion Creek
Con-Air, 1997 – Locations: Dead Horse Point State Park, Canyonlands National Park, Monument Valley & Lake Powell
Thelma & Louise, 1990 – Locations: Arches & Canyonlands National Parks, La Sal, Cisco, Thompson Springs, Valley City, Fossil Point
Galaxy Quest, 1998 – Location: Goblin Valley State Park
Geronimo: An American Legend, 1993 – Locations: Professor Valley, Potash Trail, Potash Plant, Needles Overlook, White Wash Sand Dunes
MacGyver Pilot, 1985 – Locations: Dead Horse Point State Park, Canyonlands National Park
Riders of the Purple Sage, 1995 – Locations: Dugout Ranch, Flat Pass, Mill Creek Canyon, Kane Springs Road, Ten Mile area, Pucker Pass
Wagonmaster, 1949 – Locations: Professor Valley, Colorado River, Spanish Valley
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