Adventure

Adventures in Film: 15 Iconic Places From the Movies that You Need to Visit

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Everett Collection

Ever wondered how you could visit the island from Castaway? How about that cove from The Beach? For every epic journey immortalized on the silver screen there is a very real filming location that lurks in the background tugging at our adventurous souls. From climbing the cliffs of Cliffhanger to running the rapids of Deliverance, here’s how you can get off the couch and re-create 15 of the greatest adventures in Hollywood.

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Follow Leonardo DiCaprio through 'The Revenant' wilderness.

The Scene: Left for dead after barely surviving a bear attack, Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) makes his way through a vast snow-covered valley.

The Place: Kananaskis Country in Alberta, Canada

Forget the bear attack or the equally ferocious performance by Leonardo DiCaprio; the real star of The Revenant was that stunning wintry backdrop of bleak mountains and sharply cut river valleys. Though the story is set in 1820s Montana and South Dakota, director Alejandro González Iñárritu shot the majority of the film on location across the Canadian border in Kananaskis Country, Alberta, a vast system of parks and reserves west of Calgary in the Canadian Rockies. Kananaskis Country is not only a fantastic spot for following Leo through untouched Canadian wilderness; it also boasts two alpine ski resorts (Nakiska and Fortress Mountain), a competitive cross-country ski area (Canmore Nordic Centre) and ample trails for mountain biking, backpacking, hunting, and fishing.

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Hike through the Oregon Trails of 'Wild'.

The Scene: Cheryl Strayed (Reese Witherspoon) sets off on a multiweek journey along the Pacific Crest Trail.

The Places: Mount Hood, Crater Lake, Smith Rock, Paulina Lake, and the Oregon Badlands

Strayed hiked 1,100 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert of Southern California up to the Washington border. However, the vast majority of Wild was shot on location in Oregon, including Paulina Lake Lodge (which doubled for Kennedy Meadows, high up in the Sierra Nevada) and the Oregon Badlands (which stood in for California's Mojave Desert and Modoc Plateau). Some of the filming locations aren't anywhere near the Pacific Crest Trail (including the cathedral-like Smith Rock near Terrebonne). To replicate other scenes — like camping on the edge of Crater Lake — you'll need to make a bit of a detour. The most iconic locations from the film that were shot in the very spot Strayed hiked include Mount Hood National Forest (sight of the opening scene where she looses here boot over a cliff) and the Bridge of the Gods (sight of the closing scene where she decides to call it quits).

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Ride through the Patagonia of 'Motorcycle Diaries'.

The Scene: Alberto Granado (Rodrigo de la Serna) and Che Guevara (Gael Garcia Bernal) ride a motorcycle through Argentinean Patagonia before leaving their country for the first time, on a boat crossing into Chile.

The Places: San Martin de los Andes, Bariloche, and Lake Nahuel Huapi.

The Lakes District of Argentina is often overlooked for the Patagonian wilds of Mount Fitz Roy and Perito Moreno further south, but it's no less thrilling of an adventure for intrepid travelers in search of an awe-inspiring ride. The memorable journey from Argentina to Chile depicted in Motorcycle Diaries remains one of the most dramatic crossings of the high Andes, requiring two days, three ferries, and reserves of patience to complete. Start in San Martin de los Andes, skirting the edge of powder blue glacial lakes down to the four-seasons resort of Bariloche (the continent's most iconic ski town). Catch ferry No. 1 across Lake Nahuel Huapi to Puerto Blest and ferry No. 2 from nearby Puerto Alegre to Puerto Frias, where you'll bumble along a dirt road into the tiny Chilean hamlet of Peulla to overnight. Continue the following morning on ferry No. 3 to Petrohue and ride beneath the shadows of the steam-capped Osorno Volcano over to the adventure travel hub of Puerto Varas, Chile. Book ferries with Cruce Andino, which has a monopoly on the route.

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Follow the Hike to Aron Ralston's rock in '127 Hours'.

The Scene: Aron Ralston (James Franco) slips into an isolated slot canyon and becomes trapped when a boulder flattens his right hand and wrist against the wall.

The Place: Bluejohn Canyon, Utah.

Director Danny Boyle filmed 127 Hours in the very spot where Ralston endured his five-day ordeal: the Bluejohn Canyon of Utah's Robbers Roost region. This unpatrolled and unmarked area — just southwest of the Horseshoe Canyon Unit of Canyonlands National Park — offers a number of spectacular canyoneering routes for people with technical canyoneering skills. These range from moderate half-day adventures, such as the West Fork route, to more challenging full-day routes, like Bluejohn to Horseshoe Canyon (aka the "Ralston Route"). To complete the Ralston Route you'll have one mandatory 70-foot rappel, but you can also reach the boulder that entombed him without rappelling (it's about eight hours round trip with lots of scrambling). Keep in mind that Bluejohn Canyon is in a very remote part of Utah more than 30 miles from a paved highway and two hours from the closest town. Don't pull a Ralston; be sure to bring a partner.

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Run the 'Deliverance' rapids.

The Scene: Four friends from Atlanta arrive at a remote stretch of the Cahulawassee River to run it before it's drowned forever by the construction of a new dam.

The Place: The Chattooga River.

The Chattooga River stood in for the fictional Cahulawassee River of James Dickey's 1970 novel Deliverance (basis for the 1972 film of the same name). Director John Boorman shot most of the canoe scenes on a 10-mile stretch of the river from Earl's Ford Road to Lake Tugaloo along the Georgia-South Carolina border. As the film suggests, this river is not meant for beginners and is notoriously difficult. Expect several rough sections like the infamous Five Falls (five class IV-V rapids within a quarter-mile stretch). Southeastern Expeditions runs intermediate and advanced clinics on the Chattooga, while the nearby Tallulah Gorge State Park (used for the calmer water scenes after Drew dies) is more suited for beginners.

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Follow Tom Hanks to the 'Cast Away' island.

The Scene: Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) washes up on an uninhabited island after surviving a plane crash in the South Pacific.

The Place: Monuriki Island, Fiji

Monuriki Island is a tiny dollop of sand and rock off the coast of Viti Levu, Fiji, that's increasingly known by its more tourist-friendly name: Tom Hanks Island. It's also occasionally spelled Modriki and, confusingly, right next to the unrelated "Castaway Island." Whatever you call it, this uninhabited spot was the unforgettable backdrop for the 2001 tale of a lonely FedEx employee and his survival against the odds. Unless you've washed up here after a plane accident (or traveled to Fiji on your own boat) you'll have to visit on a guided tour from Denarau or a nearby resort. Hike to the viewpoint just below the island's 584-foot peak for the best views, snorkel the lagoon for the finest underwater action, and keep an eye out for the native crested iguanas as you circumnavigate from beach to beach. BYO volleyball to share the experience with Wilson.

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Ride a Camel through 'Lawrence of Arabia's' desert.

The Scene: Lawrence, as a junior officer, is sent out into the desert to locate the Hashemite rebels with whom he would join in a revolt against the Ottoman Empire.

The Place: Wadi Rum, Jordan

Wadi Rum is an expansive valley of red rock monoliths and sandy corridors in southern Jordan that was the jaw-dropping setting for much of David Lean's landmark 1962 film. Inhabited by humans since prehistoric times, this striking World Heritage Site has emerged in recent years as a popular adventure tourism destination. Mountain climbers can follow the old Bedouin routes up the area's sandstone cliffs while would-be explorers can set off on a camel safari into the desert to live out their Lawrence of Arabia fantasies. Don't leave Wadi Rum without hiking "The Seven Pillars of Wisdom," a classic loop trail near the visitor center that's named after Lawrence's autobiographical account of the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Turks.

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Visit the beach from 'The Beach'.

The Scene: Richard (Leonardo DiCaprio) swims to a pristine beach in the Gulf of Thailand, skirts past armed guards protecting a cannabis plantation, and arrives at a secret settlement where Westerners live off the grid.

The Place: Koh Phi Phi, Thailand

Koh Phi Phi is no longer the untouched paradise it was when Leo first set foot on its shores back in the year 2000, but this backpacker Mecca (a staple of Southeast Asia's "banana pancake trail") still retains all the natural beauty evident in Danny Boyle's classic tail of post-collegiate wanderlust. Much of The Beach was shot around Maya Bay on Ko Phi Phi Leh, which is now a fixture on many snorkeling excursions. Koh Phi Phi is also an excellent spot to hone your climbing skills with a dramatic fortress of limestone cliffs that soar above the turquoise sea (try the 450-foot Tonsai Tower for the toughest routes). Whether you climb its jungle-clad hills or snorkel its crystalline shores, you'll never be more than a few steps away from the closest beach bar where you can find a heady mix of fire-dancing shows, Thai boxing matches, and all-night parties in honor of whatever phase of moon happens to be in the sky.

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Kayak the river from 'Into the Wild'.

The Scene: Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch) pushes a kayak in a shopping cart past mushroom rock formations before launching into a raging river and barreling through treacherous rapids.

The Place: The Colorado River

Lee's Ferry Boat Ramp in Arizona's Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is the only spot for hundreds of miles where you can easily launch into the Colorado River — and that's exactly where director Sean Penn shot this scene. Many of the spectacular kayaking sequences, however, took place further down the river in Nevada along a relatively safer section between Lake Mead and Bullhead City. Desert River Outfitters runs several single-day or multiday trips through this stretch of the Colorado River, while Kayak The Colorado offers rentals near Lee's Ferry. For the latter, keep in mind that you'll need to get a toe upstream to Glen Canyon Dam and kayak back to where you started as trips past Lee's Ferry into the Grand Canyon require entering into a weighted lottery with the NPS for a noncommercial river permit.

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Fly-fish the best spots in the 'River Runs Through It'.

The Scene: The young Maclean brothers head to the Blackfoot River for the first time to try their hands at fly-fishing.

The Place: Gallatin River (near Bozeman, Montana)

Though the book and movie are both set in Missoula on the Blackfoot River, director Robert Redford instead shot the film on the upper Yellowstone, Boulder, and Gallatin Rivers. Why? The Blackfoot had become too degraded from logging and mining. The Gallatin was home to most of the fly-fishing scenes and has since become a major destination for sports fishermen from around the country. In fact, the fly-fishing industry saw a whopping 60 percent increase in the year after the movie came out and, 25 years later, visitors still flock to western Montana to live out the lifestyle the Maclean brothers inspired. Head to the pioneering Dan Bailey Fly Fishing shop in Livingston to gear up before you cast off.

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Ride the 'Easy Rider' route through Navajo Nation.

The Scene: Two counterculture bikers traveling from Los Angeles to New Orleans in search of America pass through a valley riddled with bizarrely shaped rock formations.

The Place: Monument Valley along the Arizona-Utah border.

With striking sandstone buttes that rise 1,000 feet above the Colorado Plateau, Monument Valley may be one of the most photographed locations in Hollywood. Not only does this desert landscape feature in Easy Rider, but also Forest Gump, Stagecoach, The Lone Ranger, and a dozen other westerns shot over the past century. To follow the Easy Rider route, set off on your bike from Kayenta, Arizona, following US 163 northeast until you reach Bluff, Utah. Much of the valley lies within the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park (a Navajo Nation equivalent to a national park), which has one solitary hike: the four-mile Wildcat Trail. Make sure to pack a tent and camp out at Tipi Village to gaze up at the Milky Way from some of the darkest skies in the Lower 48.

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Follow 'Priscilla Queen of the Desert' to the top of the Outback.

The Scene: Three drag queens on a bus tour through the Australian Outback climb to the top of a red rock canyon dressed in their full feathery regalia.

The Place: Kings Canyon in Australia's Northern Territory

Halfway between the Outback's largest settlement (Alice Springs) and its famed sandstone monolith (Uluru) lies the region's most overlooked attraction: King's Canyon. Priscilla Queen of the Desert was such a cult hit around the world that it single-handedly put this remote canyon in Watarrka National Park on the map. Now foreigners come not only to immerse themselves in traditional Aboriginal culture (still very much preserved in Australia's Red Center), but also to explore a reserve in the middle of the desert that acts as a refuge for more than 600 species of native plants and animals. Try the four-mile Kings Canyon Rim Walk at sunrise or sunset to replicate the iconic scene from the movie, or venture further afield on the 14-mile Giles Track, which connects Kings Canyon with the spring-fed waterhole at Kathleen Springs.

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Rock-climb the cliffs from 'Cliffhanger'.

The Scene: Gabe Walker (Sylvester Stallone) dangles below a limestone overhang high above the valley floor as a rescue helicopter circles above.

The Place: The Dolomites, Italy

Cliffhanger introduced mountain climbing to mainstream America and, in the process, welcomed many of the industry's top talent into its crew to create the most realistic depiction of the sport ever seen on the silver screen. Although the film takes place in the Rocky Mountains, director Renny Harlin chose instead to shoot the majority of the climbing sequences in the Dolomites of northern Italy near the resort town of Cortina d'Ampezzo. This region — site of the 1956 Winter Olympics — is one of Europe's top climbing destinations with a number of via ferrata routes (like Col dei Bos) and more traditional mountaineering ascents (such as Ha Chiamato Kubista at Cinque Torri) to bring out your inner Stallone. To re-create the famed accents from the film, head to the Tofane cliffs within the Natural Park of Dolomiti D'Ampezzo.

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Hike through the rain forests of 'Avatar'.

The Scene: The avatar of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) encounters Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) in a lush rain forest after surviving an attack by a thanator (one of Na'vi's many predators).

The Place: Hamakua Coast, Hawaii

Director David Cameron may have dreamt up one of the most vivid fictional worlds in Hollywood history, but Avatar also included some non-CGI backgrounds that were shot on location in a very real Hawaiian rainforest. The soaring hills and cascading waterfalls of the Big Island's Hamakua Coast that stood in for the rain forests of Pandora in parts of the film. To find out why Cameron choose this verdant coast of northeastern Hawaii, take a ride along the Hamakua Heritage Corridor drive from Hilo over to the Waipio Valley Lookout. Stop along the way at Akaka Falls State Park to view a 442-foot waterfall before trail-running like Jake Sully through the native forests of nearby Kalopa State Recreation Area. Cap off the journey with a rest on Waipio Valley's deserted black-sand beach.

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Drive up to (but not over) the cliff from 'Thelma & Louise'.

The Scene: Thelma Dickinson (Geena Davis) and Louise Sawyer (Susan Sarandon) drive full speed to their certain death after a lengthy police chase leads them to the edge of the Grand Canyon.

The Place: Dead Horse Point State Park, Utah

Most people assume that Thelma & Louise drove their 1966 Thunderbird over the Grand Canyon, but this dramatic — and at the time controversial — closing shot was actually filmed in Dead Horse Point near Moab, Utah. Like the Grand Canyon, this state park features a dramatic overlook of the Colorado River and covers a vast stretch of high-altitude desert. The best way to explore the region and its immense vertical cliffs is to, yes, drive along the Dead Horse Point Mesa Scenic Byway. From the visitor center you can hike the eight miles of adjoining trails that crest the canyon rim or mountain bike along the Intrepid Trail for 17 miles of interconnecting loops. Bring a tent to camp out under the shade of juniper trees in the park's 21-site Kenyata Campground.

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