From movies to music videos, commercials, professional photography shoots, and more, the dry lake bed locations in Nevada are a desired spot for all sorts of productions and projects. They are even sought after by car enthusiasts searching for wide open areas to drive fast and drone pilots looking to capture breathtaking aerial video.
Here are 4 Nevada Dry Lake Beds perfect for filming and photography:
Misfits Flat
Misfit Flats is an overwhelmingly large area of flat desert land located in Lyon County, NV just off of Hwy 50 (aka The Loneliest Road In America) in the town of Stagecoach, NV. It has an elevation of 4,268 feet and an area of about 3.2 square miles (about 2,000 acres).
Misfits Flat gets its name from the 1961 film The Misfits starring Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, and Montgomery Clift. The film would be the last film for Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable before their deaths.
Jean Dry Lake Bed
Jean Dry Lake Bed is a small dry lake located just 3 miles east of Jean, NV and I-15. Jean Dry Lake Bed is a popular destination for off-road racing as well as commercial photo shoots and major feature films. The flat ground amplifies shadows, helping to create a dramatic summertime look.
More notable productions that filmed at Jean Dry Lake Bed include The Hangover, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and Casino. It was also used for Kelsea Ballerini’s music video Peter Pan.
To learn more about this filming location, you can check out our Location Spotlight: Jean Dry Lake Bed.
BONUS:
Check out this video put together by a YouTube user of movie scenes filmed at Jean Dry Lake Bed.
“Movies filmed at Jean Dry Lake Bed | Filming Locations | The Hangover, Casino, Pardes…” by UBKUwe
Eldorado Dry Lake Bed
The Eldorado Dry Lake Bed is a very large dry lake bed located in Boulder City, NV. It covers approximately 20 square miles with an elevation of about 1800 feet.
Its very large size and close proximity to Boulder City makes it a very popular location for professional photography and video shoots. The landscape lends itself beautifully to drone videos to create a very dramatic effect to any video or film.
FUN FACT: Eldorado Dry Lake Bed was used in the 2010 hit video game Fallout: New Vegas as “El Dorado Dry Lake”.
BONUS:
Located right next to the dry lake bed is the Eldorado Canyon Mines, which is also a truly unique filming location with its ghost town setting. You may recognize it from the iconic gas station explosion in 3,000 Miles To Graceland.
Black Rock Desert
Last, but certainly not least, is Black Rock Desert. At more than 314,000 acres, Black Rock Desert is the largest wilderness area managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
It includes the Black Rock Desert Playa, which is an enormous lake bed that is a dry remnant of the ancient Lake Lahontan. The Playa is one of the most visited sections of Black Rock Desert.
Its surface is so flat that it became the location used for setting two successful world land speed records. Black Rock has also become a popular venue for launching rockets as well as hosting the annual Burning Man Festival.
To learn more about this filming location, you can check out our Location Spotlight: Black Rock Desert.
BONUS:
In 2016, Audi and Airbnb teamed up to film a one-of-a-kind commercial in Black Rock Desert featuring a unique luxury home that also came with the keys to a brand new 2017 Audi R8.
Learn more about the spot and be sure to check out the commercial below.
“Audi R8 and Airbnb Commercial – ‘Desolation’” by Test Drive
If you are looking for more dry lakes available as filming locations, be sure to visit our Nevada Filming Locations Database or contact a local location manager/scout for further assistance! You can also find additional location support services in our online Nevada Production Directory.
Do you own a property in Nevada that you would like to list as a filming location? Send us your location photos and be sure to include how your property is film-friendly!
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