“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

California homestate

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

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

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

Hollywood 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

Lone Pine california

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

Three at Hot creek

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

mcq goes seattle

Unusual locations for this lone inspector: urban Seattle and ocean beaches

MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN

The adventure story The Trail Beyond used location all across the Mammoth basin

the man from utah

John Wayne referenced the Utah locations as "Where God put the West"

wayne in Wyoming

More than 30 years after The Big Trail, Wayne returned to Wyoming to do Hellfighters

DEATH VALLEY

Some of the most gorgeous locations in any Wayne film can be found in Death Valley

ARIZONA TERRiTORY

John Wayne's Arizona locations include Rain Valley, Tombstone, and Yuma.

SADDLE UP IN SEDONA

For his first production, Wayne built a Western town in Sedona, Arizona.

©All text content on this website is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. No part may be reproduced without the prior written permission. All photos courtesy of Roland Schaefli, unless otherwise stated.

This website is in no way associated with the John Wayne Estate or business enterprises. Go to johnwayne.com to find the official website and to https://johnwayne.org/ to read about the wonderful John Wayne Cancer Foundation.

more john wayne locations to scout

If you like this site, you'll like the 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 at bookstores and online shops

For all locations mentioned on this website, the book offers behind-the-scenes stories, making-of anecdotes and never before published photos