23 Thelma & Louise Filming Locations: Guide + Map!

This cinematic masterpiece follows mild-mannered Thelma (Geena Davis) and her strong-willed bestie Louise (Susan Sarandon). They head out on a weekend fishing trip together and leave their other halves behind.

When a man assaults Thelma at a bar, things turn south fast, including their direction of travel. Both women go on the run and harness their rebellious sides in an attempt to survive.

While hunting for Thelma & Louise filming locations in Utah, I picked up a fantastic book all about the movie’s production.

It’s called ‘Off The Cliff: How the Making of Thelma & Louise Drove Hollywood to the Edge’ by Becky Aikman. I found it in Back of Beyond Book Store in Moab and I highly recommend it!

In the movie, the women drive from their home state of Arkansas with the intention of heading to Mexico. They travel through Oklahoma and New Mexico and end their journey at the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

But did director Ridley Scott shoot the movie in those locations?

No, of course, he didn’t! This is Hollywood, after all.

Scott filmed Thelma & Louise mostly in locations in California, around Los Angeles, and in Bakersfield. However, some of the most famous (and infamous) filming locations from Thelma & Louise are in Utah.

I travelled to Moab, Arches National Park, Canyonlands, and Dead Horse Point State Park in October 2023 in search of the Utah filming locations.

Seeing the now-named Thelma & Louise Point in person was truly a bucket-list moment! It was the first time I ever saw a canyon. It was also the first time I ever drove down a canyon (more on that later …).

I’ve written this complete guide to the Thelma & Louise filming locations based on my experiences. I also found locations in California that no other guide has found—so don’t sleep on them!

Rent a 1966 Ford Thunderbird, pop the roof down, grab a gal pal, and let’s explore the settings from the movie together. Try to stay on the roads, okay?

1. Lackey Basin Road, Utah

• Address: Lackey Basin Rd, La Sal, Utah 84530
• Co-ordinates: 38.31708, -109.2944

Before the main narrative begins, Thelma & Louise opens on a shot of a mountain road. It acts as a backdrop for the opening title sequence.

Most other guides list it as simply ‘La Sal Mountains’ in Utah.

Well, that wasn’t good enough for me.

I spent ages trawling through Google Street View to find the exact road in the movie, and I found it.

Lackey Basin Road is a dirt road just outside the small town of La Sal. It’s a turn off from Highway UT-46 and heads towards La Sal Mountains.

Somewhere up that road, you’ll find the viewpoint.

2. Louise’s Diner Interior

• Address: Du-Pars Restaurant and Bakery, 6333 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90036
• Co-ordinates: 34.0719, -118.36099

Louise is a waitress in a diner. She is at work when Thelma calls her about their upcoming weekend trip.

The interior of Louise’s diner is Du-Pars Restaurant and Bakery in Los Angeles. I’m not sure if this was the diner’s name in 1991, but that’s the name today.

I also have reason to believe that a different part of this diner stood-in as the eatery where Louise and her beau Jimmy (Michael Madsen) chat. It’s the scene after they spend the night together in the Oklahoma City motel.

I’m not 100% sure, but it looks like the same diner shot in a different part of the restaurant.

However, there is a sticker on the glass behind Jimmy that says ‘Victorville’ which is another city in California. Ridley Scott may have filmed this scene in a diner there instead.

Let me know if you know!

3. Thelma’s House Exterior

• Address: 18633 Palomino Dr, Tarzana, CA 91356
• Co-ordinates: 34.15134, -118.53827

This Thelma & Louise film location may well be the interior too, I’m just not absolutely sure.

But I do know that Palomino Drive in Tarzana was the exterior location for Thelma’s House. It’s just a regular suburban street so it could be located anywhere … California or Arkansas!

4. Louise’s Diner Exterior

• Address: Best Western Plus Thousand Oaks Inn, 75 W Thousand Oaks Blvd, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
• Co-ordinates: 34.17828, -118.87877

The interior of Louise’s diner is not the same location as the exterior.

When we see her leaving work to pick up Thelma, she is exiting a building in Thousand Oaks, not Los Angeles.

Today, it’s a Best Western Inn. I’m not sure what this building was in the early 1990s!

5. Gorman (probably Ralph’s Ranch Road)

• Address: Ralphs Ranch Rd, Gorman, CA 93243, USA
• Co-ordinates: 34.79604, -118.86937

Many Thelma & Louise filming locations are roads. Lots of random highways and dirt trails! Despite spending literally hours up and down Google Street View, there are some I am not 100% sure about.

However, I do know the general area Ridley Scott shot many scenes thanks to the book I recommended earlier. As Thelma and Louise drive out of ‘Arkansas’, the setting is Gorman in California.

You can see cows in fields in the background. I imagine it’s probably a road like Ralph’s Ranch Road or the start of the Tejon Pass.

6. Cowboy Country Saloon

• Address: Cowboy Country Saloon, 3321 South St, Long Beach, CA 90805
• Co-ordinates: 33.86091, -118.15222

One of Thelma and Louise’s first road trip stops is the western bar. Yes, I think we all remember this scene!

A sleazy man takes a liking to Thelma and attempts to r*pe her in the parking lot. Louise grabs Thelma’s gun (really, her husband’s gun) and shoots the bad guy.

Silver Bullet was the name of this bar at the time of filming.

Today, it’s still a western-style saloon in Long Beach called Cowboy Country.

7. Taft Highway/I-5 Underpass

• Address: West Side Fwy, Bakersfield, CA 93311
• Co-ordinates: 35.26738, -119.22457

This is another Thelma & Louise location I’m not totally sure about.

After the shooting, Louise pulls over to vomit at the side of a road in a highway underpass. I can see a Chevron gas station in the background.

Considering the other locations, I’d guess it’s near Bakersfield. Somewhere around Taft Highway/I-5 would looks accurate.

8. 76 Gas Station

• Address: 76, 27574 Bernard Dr, Kettleman City, CA 93239
• Co-ordinates: 35.98854, -119.96009

Finally, a gas station I could find in real life!

Thelma and Louise sit in a diner to work out their plan whilst trying not to panic. Thelma calls her husband Darryl (Christopher McDonald) from a payphone.

This is the 76 gas station outside of Kettleman City in California.

9. Unknown First Motel

Thelma and Louise stop at a motel while they are still in Arkansas.

They shower, Thelma lounges by the pool, and Louise calls Jimmy to wire her money. She says they’re heading to Oklahoma.

Again, another fruitless search through Google Street View. I could not find this motel.

The sign says ‘something Motor Inn’. Kern Motor Inn is the closest I could find, but it doesn’t look anything like the motel in the movie.

I imagine Scott filmed this scene at a motel near Bakersfield, if it still exists.

10. Unknown Market and Telephone Booth

The ladies carry on driving and stop at a market.

Louise calls Jimmy to find out where she can pick up the money. Thelma buys lots of little alcoholic spirit bottles and literally bumps into attractive drifter J.D. (Brad Pitt) here.

This is really bugging me. Alas, I do not know the location of this little market which is probably also near Bakersfield or in Los Angeles.

I can see ‘Mettle Trailer Court’ and ‘Texacona RC Drive Inn’ on signs in the background. Internet searches yield nothing.

Let me know if you know!

11. Crossroads at Railway Tracks

• Address: 31301 Orange Ave E, Shafter, CA 93263, USA
• Co-ordinates: 35.478, -119.24303

I’m really proud of myself for finding the exact Thelma & Louise filming location. At last, my hours spent on Google Street View paid off.

Thelma and Louise are at a crossroads in their journey and in life. Thelma suggests taking Route 81 through Dallas to Mexico, but Louise doesn’t want to drive through Texas.

We learn that something awful happened to Louise in Texas.

In reality, they are sitting idle at a railroad crossroads on Orange Ave E in Shafter, California near Shafter Cemetery.

This road is at the intersection of Cherry Avenue and Santa Fe Way.

12. Unknown Flatland in Taft

Thelma and Louise continue driving through ‘Oklahoma’. Which, in reality, is somewhere in the Central Valley in California.

I know many of these road scenes where filmed in (or close to) Taft. At one point, they pass a small airport/airfield.

Cuyana Highway maybe? Let me know if you know!

13. Vagabond Inn (closed)

• Address: Vagabond Inn – Los Angeles at USC, 3101 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90007
• Co-ordinates: 34.02409, -118.27889

Thelma and Louise arrive at their second motel. This one is supposed to be in Oklahoma City.

This is where Jimmy shows up out of the blue. J.D. also makes a reappearance.

The motel is miles away from Oklahoma in Los Angeles. It was the Vagabond Inn on S Figueroa Street.

However, it recently closed for good. I’m not sure if it will reopen under a different name.

14. Colony Market

• Address: 18699 Beech Ave, Shafter, CA 93263
• Co-ordinates: 35.47093, -119.26118

Their money woes temporarily relieved by Jimmy and dashed by J.D., Thelma and Louise are in dire straits.

Thelma puts on her big girl pants and confidently robs a small convenience store.

While it’s supposed to be in Oklahoma, it’s actually Colony Market in Shafter, California.

15. Cisco Hideout near Rail Tracks

• Address: Old Cisco Highway Layby, Thompson Springs, UT 84540
• Co-ordinates: 38.97086, -109.32036

Finally, another filming location I not only know but have visited! This is the first of many cinematic Thelma & Louisa Moab, Utah locations.

Thelma and Louise stop in a ramshackle town to freshen up. Maybe they’re supposed to be in New Mexico by now?

It’s actually the small ghost town of Cisco in Utah, now incorporated into nearby Thompson Springs.

In the movie, Louise talks to a man sitting outside one of the wooden buildings in the town. This is Ernie, a former Cisco resident.

He supposedly ended up in Cisco, Utah prospecting for opals and gold. And he got to talk to Susan Sarandon and have a cameo in an Oscar-winning movie?! SO COOL!

You can see the railroad track in the background. So, I think this scene takes place near the Old Cisco Highway.

16. Cisco Clifton’s Filling Station

• Address: Cisco Clifton’s Filling Station, Thompson Springs, UT 84540
• Co-ordinates: 38.97078, -109.31846

While in Cisco, Thelma calls her husband to see if the FBI is there. They are.

She contacts him from a phone booth at a gas station/diner which was Cisco Clifton’s Filling Station.

Today, it’s completely in ruins.

Cisco is also where the final big car chase sequence begins. So, maybe they’re supposed to be in Arizona already?

Who knows! It’s the southwest, at least.

17. Arches Scenic Drive, Utah

• Address: Arches National Park Scenic Dr, Moab, UT 84532
• Co-ordinates: 38.6345, -109.59875

This is the first Thelma & Louise filming location in Arches National Park!

I absolutely loved Arches. It’s a super small and popular national park, so buy your national park pass and book a timed entry slot early.

We first see the national park when Thelma and Louise are driving slowly south along Arches Scenic Drive after nightfall.

You can see the Three Gossips and Sheep Rock sandstone formations on the left. Courthouse Towers is on the right.

18. 128 Onion Creek (maybe)

• Address: 128 Onion Creek, Utah 84532
• Co-ordinates: 38.69768, -109.28659

I’m not 100% sure about this location, but I can back up why I think I’m close to the right location.

Thelma and Louise are driving along a road with the annoying oil tank driver behind them. There is a river or creek next to the road and Castleton Tower is in the distance.

Onion Creek has the correct vantage point, but it’s a dirt road. Thelma and Louise are driving on what looks like a narrow paved highway.

Let me know if you know the location!

19. Tower of Babel Layby

• Address: Tower of Babel Layby, Arches Nat’l Pk Rd, Moab, UT 84532, USA
• Co-ordinates: 38.63882, -109.60249

This is a super quick shot.

Scott is back in Arches National Park and films the pair driving south along Arches Scenic Drive from behind.

There’s a lovely view of the Courthouse Towers rock formation. The small layby/pull-in place near the Tower of Babel rock is the best place to see this vantage point.

20. Courthouse Towers Trailhead

• Address: Courthouse Towers Viewpoint & Trailhead, Arches Entrance Road, Moab, UT 84532
• Co-ordinates: 38.63705, -109.60022

This is such a great scene! Perhaps my favourite in the whole movie.

A cop pulls over Thelma and Louise. Thelma harnesses her dark side again, pulls her gun on the officer, and makes him climb inside his trunk.

He stops them directly next to the Courthouse Towers Viewpoint and Trailhead.

21. Bedrock Store (closed)

• Address: Bedrock Store, 9812 CO-90, Bedrock, CO 81411
• Co-ordinates: 38.31409, -108.89064

Thelma and Louise continue their journey through New Mexico/Arizona. They stop and call the FBI again somewhere equally as ramshackle as Cisco.

But it’s not Cisco! In fact, this filming location isn’t even in Utah!

For the first time, Scott ventures outside of California and Utah. Just. They stop at Bedrock Store in Colorado which serves Old West vibes.

It’s around an 18-minute drive east of the Utah border and 30 minutes from La Sal. Sadly, the store is closed but the structure is still there.

22. Unknown Oil Tank Location

One of the most iconic scenes in Thelma & Louise is when they blow up the oil tanker.

Where do they blow it up? Honestly? No idea. I tried, guys.

23. Thelma & Louise Point

• Address: Potash Rd, Moab, UT 84532
• Co-ordinates: 38.45195, -109.73478

Drum roll please … We made it! This is the most iconic and cinematic of all the Thelma & Louise filming locations.

Actually, not just in Thelma & Louise. It’s one of the most iconic Hollywood filming locations of all time!

FBI agents chase Thelma and Louise as far as the edge of the Grand Canyon in Arizona. There’s nowhere to go for the tender-but-tough ladies but down.

Of course, it’s not the Grand Canyon, but Canyonlands National Park. Today, you can find the Thelma & Louise ending location by simply typing ‘Thelma & Louise Point’ into Google Maps.

But I’ve visited myself, so let me explain how to get there. And how not to get there.

Many guides say the Thelma & Louise cliff location is in Dead Horse Point State Park. In reality, you can see the location from the West Rim Overlook. It’s well worth buying a state park pass and driving to this viewpoint anyway.

But that’s not where you’ll find the location.

Instead, head to Highway US-191 and turn down Potash Road. This is the track that winds around the Colorado River. This river eventually flows through the Grand Canyon too.

It’s a rocky, dirt path and you will need a 4-wheel vehicle. Driving there takes about an hour and you won’t need a national park or state park pass.

What you don’t want to do is turn off Highway US-191 onto Grand View Point Road into Canyonlands National Park.

You will end up driving down Shafer Trail. It is known for its challenging, narrow, unpaved road down switchbacks along a canyon wall.

Which is the route we took.

I cannot think about that drive without my palms sweating and it was over 18 months ago. The irony of being terrified of falling into a canyon en route to Thelma & Louise Point is not lost on me.

Thankfully, we didn’t drive back up the canyon. We continued down the route I suggest you take out of the canyon.

And I got to see Thelma & Louise Point! Swings and roundabouts, am I right?

That’s a Wrap!

So, where was Thelma & Louise filmed? I don’t know all of the filming locations, but I know most of them and have visited some too!

I hope you have an amazing time tracking them down in California, Utah, and/or Colorado.

Looking for a filming location but it’s not featured on this site? Want to share your own set-jetting photos or chat with other film fans about Thelma & Louise?

Join the Filming Locations Fan Club Facebook Group!

Or, stay on the site and read one of my related guides:

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