Double Arch in Arches National Park, Utah, is one of the most recognisable natural formations in the Moab area. The sandstone formation consists of two massive arches sharing the same end, creating a huge open chamber of red rock in the Windows Section of the park. Its scale, shape and desert surroundings give it a dramatic adventure-film quality, which makes it especially easy to understand why it was chosen for one of cinema’s most famous archaeologist-adventure openings.
Double Arch is best known from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), where it appears during the prologue with young Indiana Jones, played by River Phoenix. The film uses several locations in Arches National Park and the wider Moab area for the 1912 Utah sequence, turning the real landscape into the place where Indy’s obsession with archaeology, danger and stolen artefacts begins. Double Arch is one of the clearest and most recognisable formations in this part of the film.
In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), Double Arch appears in the opening sequence after young Indy discovers treasure hunters removing the Cross of Coronado. The area around the arch is used as part of the desert landscape where he tries to escape with the artefact, before the chase continues across other Utah and Colorado locations. The scale of Double Arch gives the scene a strong adventure tone, making the natural formation feel like the entrance to a lost world even though it is part of a real national park landscape.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was filmed across six countries, featuring iconic spots like Petra in Jordan, the Tabernas Desert and Monsul Beach in Spain, and Venice, Italy.
Ontario Mine
Ontario Mine has been used in both horror and modern Western crime drama. It appears in the horror film The Boogens, and as a recurring location in Marshals.
Boneyard Saloon
Boneyard Saloon is used in Marshals, where it stands in for the fictional Bullet ’n Barrel Saloon. In the series, the bar functions as a local watering hole.
Indiana Jones Bed & Breakfast
Indiana Jones Bed & Breakfast in Antonito, Colorado, is one of the most charming real-world locations connected to "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade".
The Stanley Hotel
The Stanley Hotel is the inspiration for King’s novel The Shining (1977) and used for The Shining in 1997. The hotel also appears in Dumb and Dumber (1994).
Devils Tower
Devils Tower is most famously connected to "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977). It also appears in the science-fiction comedy "Paul" (2011).
Two Pines Chapel
Two Pines Chapel appears in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003), Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004), and True Confessions (1981).
The Donut Hole
The Donut Hole has appeared in Moving Violations (1985), Dragnet (1987), and Calendar Girl (1993).
Puente Hills Mall
Puente Hills Mall is best known from Back to the Future (1985), where it appears as Twin Pines Mall and later Lone Pine Mall, where the parking place is used.
Whittier High School
Whittier High School is best known from "Back to the Future" (1985) and "Back to the Future Part II" (1989), where it appears as Hill Valley High School.
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