“What makes a Man to Wander...?”

“..…what makes a man to roam? What makes a man leave bed and board and turn his back on home? Ride away…” John Wayne was in many ways like multifaceted character of The Searchers, Ethan Edwards, the ultimate drifter, forever looking for a home. Almost to his dying breath, the actor talked about making one more movie. Making movies to him meant traveling. Go places. “Ride away”, like in the Searchers' theme song. The Duke loved being on location. Rugged surroundings helped shape the outdoor men he played. He embraced harsh environments. After his toughest location, the Sahara desert, which almost killed Sophia Loren and had tested everybody’s endurance, he summed it up: “I would not have missed this location for anything.”

Alamo texas

The Duke on his set in 1959, that would become Alamo Village.

Alamo Village, Fort Clark in Brackettville and more Texan locations

military posts

John Wayne directing "The Green Berets" in Fort Benning.

Camp Pendleton, Fort Benning and other posts of the Armed Forces

ghosts of bodie

John Wayne riding Dollor through the empty streets of Bodie.

Looking for ghosts... in the real Ghost Town of Bodie, California

Californiahomestate

Even though John Wayne's "Stagecoach" is hailed as the first western shot in Monument Valley, the large majority of the scenes were shot in California.

The majority of his films were shot in California, the state he called his home


Carson City

John Wayne's last outdoor location: on the outskirts of Carson City.

The breathtaking and historic Nevada locations for his final movie

two in colorado

Rooster shoots it out with the Ned Pepper gang: even though "True Grit" is set in Arkansas, most of John Wayne's scenes were accomplished in and around the Colorado towns of Ridgway and Ouray.

The True Grit Locations you'll still find and one from The Cowboys that you won't

corrigan ville

Several of the "Three Mesquiteer" westerns were shot in Ray Corrigan's Corriganville, including some with John Wayne.

Once a sprawling filmlocation, "Corriganville" is now a park

five in HAWAII

As the producer of "Big Jim McLain", John Wayne decided to shoot it on site, in Hawaii. His first of five films on the islands.

Does the word Aloha make you warm? Wayne filmed five films in Hawaii


Holly wood hotspots

John Wayne knew the Hollywood's legendary hotspots well, from the Brown Derby to the Trocadero.

The screen idol had made his home in Hollywood. He left his mark on Tinseltown

iverson's ranch

After filming several of his earlier B-western at the Iverson Ranch, John Wayne returned to "The Garden of the Gods" for the battle scenes of "The Fighting Seabees".

The Lost Garden of the Gods: the movie location that is now a memory

john ford points

John Wayne's mentor John Ford left his mark on Hollywood - and on a lot of other places.

The chapel John Ford built, and the statue in his hometown Portland

alabama hills

John Wayne shot a dozen movies in the Alabama Hills. He returned to Lone Pine one final time, to do a commercial. But he picked the locations himself.

Lone Pine is a Location Bonanza. He shot a dozen pictures in the Alabama Hills


mammoth mountain

John Wayne in Hot Creek in the Mammoth area. He shot a total of three movies on this spectacular site.

Hot Creek in the Mammoth area was a real hot spot: he shot three movies there

monument valley

Holy ground for John Wayne fans: the place that John Ford chose for this scene of "The Searchers" is the same spot where Nathan Brittles met with his troops in "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon".

Holy ground for every John Wayne fan. Like Ethan said, it's "Medicine country"

4 in  old tucson

John Wayne didn't just use Old Tucson in a total of 4 westerns, beginning with "Rio Bravo", he helped to expand the movie town.

Chance, McLintock, Thornton and McNally have one thing in common: Old Tucson

rooster in oregon

John Wayne filmed the "Rooster Cogburn" sequel in Deschutes County. They used two different rivers for the raft scenes.

Rooster went on the Oregon Trail. The sequel was filmed in Deschutes County


arizona ranch

During filming of "Red River", John Wayne stayed in Tombstone, Arizona, for the first - but not the last - time.

Arizona locations include Yuma, Rain Valley and Tombstone

from utah

While his early B-western titled "The Man from Utah" wasn't actually shot in Utah, John Wayne filmed many of his later movies there, beginning with "War of the Wildcats".

The Man from Utah was just the beginning

hell fighters

The plot of "Hellfighters" leads John Wayne to several exotic locales. However, he never left the US for this film.

The Big Trail leads to South American oilfields

mcq in seattle

Many of the Seattle locales John Wayne used in "McQ" can still be visited.

When Wayne turned Detective, he turned Seattle upside down

studio backlot

John Wayne worked for the Poverty Row Studios as well as for the Majors, and he returned to the backlots of his earlier films when they were turned into TV studios.

From Fox to Poverty Row and back to the Major Studios

DEATH VALLEY

Filming Three Godfathers on the Devil's Golf Course



All photos on this website courtesy of Roland Schaefli, unless otherwise stated. 

more john wayne locations to scout

If you like this site, you'll like this brandnew book: the first comprehensive guide to the John Wayne Locations, with hundreds of then-and-now photos, unpublished behind-the-scenes-pictures and detailed tour descriptions

To order from John Wayne Birthplace Winterset, Iowa
"John Wayne was here" is available online and in bookstores.
To order from Amazon

Tracking John Wayne:        The complete Tourguide

Find directions to locations and anecdotes from the Duke's movie sets in this new publication from McFarland, available now at bookstores everywhere

All pictures posted on this website are from the collection of the author, unless otherwise noted