Utah Film Trail salutes movie making locales in the Beehive State
Apr 22, 2025 11:24AM ● By Tom Haraldsen
The spot in Dead Horse Point State Park where the dramatic ending of “Thelma & Louise” was filmed in 1991 is among locations where markers will show the Utah Film Trail. (Photo courtesy of the Utah Film Commission.)
It’s been more than a century since the first commercial movie was made in Utah, an event celebrated last year by the Utah Film Commission at a ceremony in the state capitol rotunda. Now, the commission has worked with the Utah Office of Tourism to create the Utah Film Trail.
A series of markers will be installed at various locations around the state where movies have been made, including sites in Davis, Salt Lake, Utah and Weber counties. In a release about the trail, Virginia Pearce, Utah Film Commission director said, "Utah is known as America’s Film Set for a reason. Our iconic landscapes are famous for making movie magic. Now, the Utah Film Trail will take you off the beaten path to discover the settings of made-in-Utah films and television shows you’ve fallen in love with."
The Utah Film Trail, which will see markers installed over the next few months, will include locations where movies such as “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “Thelma & Louise,” and “The Sandlot” were filmed. Among other sites are Antelope Island State Park, Historic 25th Street in Ogden, Sundance Mountain Resort, Lorin Farr Community Pool in Weber County, and the Wendover Air Field. A complete list of locations can be found online by going to Welcome to the Utah Film Trail | Visit Utah.
“Visitors have been drawn to Utah’s image in film and television for over a century and the economic impact is significant. Film tourism has contributed $6 billion to the state’s economy over the past decade,” said Natalie Randall, managing director of the Utah Office of Tourism & Film. “The Utah Film Trail allows visitors to experience Utah through a different lens.”
The timing is ironic, in that Utah just lost the annual Sundance Film Festival to Boulder, Colorado, where it will be staged starting in 2027. The final festival in Park City will take place next January.
A 2023 survey found that 37% of visitors cited film and television as one of the key factors in choosing Utah as their destination. The Utah Office of Tourism continues to promote Utah’s rich film legacy. There are four feature-length movies shooting in Utah right now, and actor Kevin Costner has built a $100- million movie studio in the St. George area.
