Back to the Future shot mostly in Los Angeles suburbs and the Universal backlot, plus Arizona desert for Part III.
Back to the Future was filmed mainly in Southern California around Los Angeles, released in 1985. Key sites include the Universal Studios backlot's Courthouse Square, Puente Hills Mall in City of Industry, Whittier High School, and the Gamble House in Pasadena. Part III used Monument Valley on the Arizona and Utah border. The story is set in fictional Hill Valley, but no such town exists.
Back to the Future takes place in Hill Valley, California, a town invented for the screen. The real filming happened almost entirely in and around Los Angeles, where the production spread its locations across several suburbs and the Universal Studios backlot. Fans can visit most of them in a day or two of driving.
The third film widened the map. For the drive-in theater scene and other desert moments, the production traveled to Monument Valley, straddling Arizona and Utah, giving the trilogy its distinctive desert backdrop.
| Location | Where | What was filmed | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Courthouse Square | Universal City | Downtown Hill Valley scenes including clock tower | Ticketed |
| Puente Hills Mall | City of Industry | Twin Pines Mall parking lot and DeLorean time travel scene | Free to see |
| Whittier High School | Whittier | Hill Valley High School exteriors and some interiors | Outside only |
| Burger King parking lot / Doc's garage | Burbank | Doc Brown's 1985 garage and opening skateboard scene | Free to see |
| Gamble House | Pasadena | Doc Brown's 1955 mansion exterior | Ticketed |
| McFly residence 1985 | Arleta | Marty McFly family home exterior | Private property |
| Lorraine Baines house | South Pasadena | Lorraine's house on Bushnell Avenue | Private property |
| Monument Valley | Monument Valley | Pohatchee Drive-In and desert scenes | Free to see |
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Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
California, Universal City Ticketed
Filmed here: Downtown Hill Valley scenes including clock tower
This Universal Studios Hollywood backlot set stood in for downtown Hill Valley, including the famous clock tower where lightning strikes at the end of the film. The square had already appeared in To Kill a Mockingbird and Gremlins before Marty McFly arrived. It remains part of the working backlot and can be seen on the park's Studio Tour, which requires a ticket.
California, City of Industry Free to see
Filmed here: Twin Pines Mall parking lot and DeLorean time travel scene
The mall's parking lot played Twin Pines Mall, where the DeLorean first hits 88 mph and vanishes through time. It is one of the easiest locations to visit since the lot is public, though many of the original stores have since closed. Visitors simply park and walk the same asphalt where Einstein made his historic trip. The mall sits in City of Industry, east of downtown Los Angeles.
California, Whittier Outside only
Filmed here: Hill Valley High School exteriors and some interiors
Hill Valley High School exteriors, along with some interiors, were shot at this active high school in Whittier, which returned for Part II as well. Because it functions as a real school, access is limited to viewing the building from the street. Fans typically photograph the front facade and continue on. It pairs well with other Los Angeles County locations on a driving route.
California, Burbank Free to see
Filmed here: Doc Brown's 1985 garage and opening skateboard scene
A parking lot behind a Burger King on North Victory Boulevard in Burbank served as Doc Brown's 1985 garage, and the opening skateboard chase was filmed around the same spot. Today it is just a working fast food lot, which makes it an easy and free stop. Visitors can stand where Marty grabs his board and look for the alleyways used in the chase.
California, Pasadena Ticketed
Filmed here: Doc Brown's 1955 mansion exterior
Doc Brown's 1955 mansion exterior was actually the Gamble House in Pasadena, a National Historic Landmark designed as an Arts and Crafts masterpiece. Unlike most filming locations on this list, it offers ticketed tours of the interior, making it one of the few stops where visitors can go inside a building that appears in the film. Book a tour in advance through the house's own programs.
California, Arleta Private property
Filmed here: Marty McFly family home exterior
The McFly family home exterior sits on Roslyndale Avenue in Arleta, a quiet residential street in the San Fernando Valley. It is a private residence, so visits mean a look from the sidewalk and nothing more. Fans of the trilogy will recognize the driveway and front windows from Marty's departures and returns. Be respectful of the occupants and keep the stop brief.
California, South Pasadena Private property
Filmed here: Lorraine's house on Bushnell Avenue
Lorraine's 1955 home is located on Bushnell Avenue in South Pasadena, a street lined with period houses that doubled as mid-century suburbia. The house is privately owned and can only be viewed from the street. Bushnell Avenue has appeared in many productions, so a short walk here rewards film fans beyond this one address. Neighboring homes featured in other classic films.
Arizona/Utah, Monument Valley Free to see
Filmed here: Pohatchee Drive-In and desert scenes
The desert landscapes of Monument Valley, on the Arizona and Utah border, provided the setting for the Pohatchee Drive-In scene in Back to the Future Part III. The land lies within the Navajo Nation, and visitors can take a scenic drive subject to local restrictions. The sandstone buttes make this the most visually dramatic location in the trilogy, though it sits far from the Los Angeles cluster.
The story is set in Hill Valley, a fictional California town that appears across all three films, but no such place exists. The production filmed primarily in Los Angeles County, patching together locations in Universal City, Burbank, Whittier, Pasadena, Arleta, South Pasadena, and City of Industry. Additional trilogy scenes used Northern California, Arizona, and Utah, with Monument Valley supplying the desert footage in Part III.
Universal Studios in Universal City was the production's studio home, and its backlot Courthouse Square became Hill Valley's downtown. The set is still standing and remains part of the theme park's Studio Tour, so a standard park ticket gets visitors through the square where the clock tower finale was shot.
Most Back to the Future locations are self-drive stops scattered across Los Angeles County, but one guided option covers ground connected to the film alongside other Hollywood movie sites.
Los Angeles: Hollywood Film Freak Movie Locations Tour
A Los Angeles movie locations tour that includes sites from the film alongside other famous Hollywood shoots, rated 4.5 from 39 reviews at $49.99, a practical option for travelers who would rather not rent a car.
Hill Valley is fictional. The downtown scenes were filmed on Universal Studios' Courthouse Square backlot in Universal City, with other scenes shot across Los Angeles County suburbs.
Yes. The clock tower stands on Courthouse Square inside Universal Studios Hollywood, and it can be seen on the park's Studio Tour with a regular admission ticket.
Yes. Puente Hills Mall in City of Industry stood in for Twin Pines Mall, and its parking lot is open to the public, though many of the mall's stores have closed.
The 1955 mansion exterior was the Gamble House in Pasadena, a National Historic Landmark that offers ticketed interior tours.
The desert scenes, including the Pohatchee Drive-In, were shot in Monument Valley on the Arizona and Utah border, within the Navajo Nation.
It is a real private residence on Roslyndale Avenue in Arleta. Visitors can view it from the street but cannot enter the property.
For most fans, a day looping through Burbank, Universal City, Pasadena, and the San Gabriel Valley covers the core Los Angeles locations, with Puente Hills Mall a short detour east. Add the Studio Tour for the clock tower and, for the full trilogy experience, plan a separate trip to Monument Valley.
Before You Go
The tours travellers book most for Back to the Future.
