May The Fourth Be With You
Lights, Camera, Vacation! Those in the know are keenly aware that in one movie, Death Valley is called “Tatooine.” Movie fans have been vacationing at The Oasis at Death Valley for decades on a quest to visit six (6) location sites “in a galaxy far, far, away” from the 1977 movie Star Wars. That’s when a famous movie director came to this true American Oasis in 3.4 million square miles of desert, oasis, and mountain national park to film and transport people to another galaxy.
“Want to visit Tatooine? If so, take a trip to Death Valley National Park! The famous Star Wars movie series filmed scenes in the park for Episode IV – A New Hope and Episode VI – Return of the Jedi,” reads the National Parks Service’s website. Download the free NPS App to enjoy a guided driving audio tour of the spectacular Death Valley locations featured in Star Wars.
Photo by NPS. Star Wars, A New Hope, was filmed in the national park a few decades ago, when that type of filming was permitted. Most of the filming done within the park for the movies would no longer be permitted due to modern prohibitions on commercial filming within the wilderness.
Employees at The Oasis at Death Valley have shared stories and certainly know where the movie locations are. These include the breathtakingly and picturesque locations throughout Death Valley National Park including Dante’s View, Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Desolations Canyon, Artist’s Drive, and Golden Canyon – all just a quick 20-to-40-minute drive from the resort – the only resort in Death Valley National Park.
Just two hours from Las Vegas through the desert and a little more than four hours from Los Angeles, the nearest town or pretty much anything is at least an hour’s drive at a high-speed limit and no traffic lights.
And if you want to explore the universe, this is the place – it’s one of the only Gold-Tier Dark Sky National Parks in the United States where stargazers can see the Milky Way with the naked eye.
In celebration of the epic tale and Hollywood franchise, The Oasis at Death Valley hyper-spaced an exclusive map for guests leading them to the filming locations that are easily accessible via car.
While Death Valley may seem like another universe to vacationers, those in the know have also found North America’s only true oasis that is the luxurious AAA Four-Diamond Inn at Death Valley and the family-friendly Ranch at Death Valley both part of the recent $250 million renaissance at The Oasis at Death Valley. Death Valley is usually sunny (there is almost no rain). Visitors will be met with massive spring-fed swimming pools averaging a comfortable 87 degrees year-round, the lowest-elevation USGA golf course on earth, cascading bougainvillea-adorned gardens, golf, tennis, horseback riding, numerous restaurants, a spring-watered date palm grove, a general store, post office, and an old-fashioned ice cream shop. With ample lush lawns to run and play or do just nothing but take in the stunning scenery during the day and stars at night. There is a resort, two hotels, 22 private casitas, and 80 cozy cottages.
Movie locations per the NPS website.