Where was Easy Rider filmed?

The La Contenta opening scene depicts the two protagonists buying narcotics in Mexico. It’s a revealing scene, in the sense that it introduces us to one of the film’s thematic issues.

Even in the freedom-charged landscape of the ‘60s, the laws governing the land still reigned supreme. The scene essentially serves as the trigger action that guides the lead characters’ actions and leads them to their eventual redemption.

Along the way, they are shunned by just about everyone who views them as threats. Hanson’s statement explains it, “They're not scared of you. They're scared of what you represent to 'em.”

The production unit filmed the Easy Rider scene at 1302 Paseo Del Pueblo Norte in La Contenta. Located north of Taos in New Mexico, the Red Arrow Emporium, which is now located down the road, was formerly found in the area.

The Red Arrow uses the building seen in the road trip movie as warehouse space. It’s worth a stopover for a photo op on your way to the Rio Grande Bridge.

After their drug run, the duo sells their stash to a dealer in Los Angeles. They get their big payday from the sale, stash it in one of their bikes, and set off to enjoy their fortune in New Orleans.

The ill-gotten sum more or less seals their fate because it enables them to take to the road and retire to Florida as Billy envisions. Captain America sees it otherwise and delivers his iconic line, “You know Billy, we blew it.

Phil Spector, the legendary record producer who later became the subject of headlines because of his murder convictions, portrayed the dealer. The production team filmed the scene at 11000 Aviation Boulevard.

Anyone set on getting a peak at the Easy Rider location should consider staying at the TownPlace Suites by Marriott. The 3-star hotel is near the area at 14400 Aviation Blvd, Hawthorne.

Just after setting off on their road adventure, Wyatt symbolically tosses his Rolex watch in the desert. Perhaps it foreshadows the movie’s ending but in the simplest sense; his actions communicate a sense of seeking freedom which isn’t truly achievable without making amends.

Hanson’s words best highlight the situation when he says, “They’ll talk to you and talk to you and talk to you about individual freedom. But if they see a free individual, it’s gonna scare ‘em.”

The Rolex toss scene was filmed in Ballarat, California in the area east of 178. It’s smack between the Stovepipe Wells, bordering the Death Valley’s western edge, and Trona. Now a ghost town, the former boom town dates to 1897 when natives discovered gold at the Radcliffe Mine.

A graded dirt road running from Highway 178 leads to the town but it's prone to flooding during the rainy season. A few derelict buildings still stand in the area, and overall, the Easy Rider filming location makes for a scenic drive with a picnic shelter available to enjoy a secluded meal.

After stopping by a farmstead in Arizona, after stopping to repair a flat on Wyatt’s bike, the pair meet a hippie hitch-hiker. He invites the two to visit his commune, and they spend the rest of the day in the communal living locale which is swayed by free love.

Before leaving, the hitch-hiker offers Wyatt some LSD explaining, “When you get to the right place, with the right people, quarter this. You know this could be the right place. Time's running out.” Wyatt responds with his famous, “I’m hip about time” line.

The Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument provided the backdrop for the shot where they meet the hitchhiker. The cinder cone is the youngest of the volcanoes found on the San Francisco volcanic field.

Sadly, the 2022 Tunnel Fire razed the entirety of the Easy Rider location except for the visitor’s center. Nearby, you’ll find the Wupatki National Monument in Coconino where they filmed camp scenes. In particular, the Wupatki Pueblo ruins provided the setting for those sequences.

Further north, the Sacred Mountain is where the production team filmed the gas station sequence when the hitchhiker insists they shouldn’t pay for gas. It closed but the building that housed the gas station still stands on the west side of Route 89.

The biking duo crosses paths with Hanson during their stint in jail, and after he helps them get out, Hanson joins them on their journey to New Orleans. He explains, “You know, I must've started off to Mardi Gras six or seven times. Never got further than the state line.”

Sadly, he never makes it to New Orleans because he’s killed during an attack near a small Louisiana town. After stopping at a local diner and attracting attention, the trio sets up camp just outside town.

A group of locals assaults them with clubs while they are sleeping. Billy brandishes a knife and scares the attackers away. While the two bikers only sustain minor injuries, Hanson isn’t as lucky and he dies after getting bludgeoned.

The production unit filmed the camping scene at 11770 Foothill Boulevard, Lake View Terrace. Constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1940, the man-made barrier is a flood control dam. Homer and Marie Hansen, horse ranchers who established a ranch in the area, lent their name to the dam.

The flood control basin houses the Hansen Dam Recreation Center and Park which is accessible via Highway 210 or 5. Some of the highlights around the Easy Rider location include the Hansen Dam Horse Park, Hansen Dam Golf Course, and the Hansen Dam Aquatic Center.

The ending is equally ominous and symbolic, perhaps foreshadowed by the build-up to the characters’ ultimate atonement. Conveying the air of hopelessness, characteristic of other late ‘60s flicks like “Bonnie and Clyde,” the two protagonists lose their lives.

The theme of paranoia also recurs, particularly through Billy who trips every time he smokes grass. It’s like a final nail to Billy’s sentiments, “What the hell’s wrong with freedom man? That’s what it’s all about.”

The tragic scene unfolded against the backdrop of one of the most scenic sights, which is North Levee Road on Route 105, north of Krotz Springs, Louisiana. The St. Landry Parish town rests next to the Atchafalaya River. Besides hosting the Easy Rider production team, Krotz Spring has had cameos in other productions like Nevada Smith and Out of Sight.