Where was Yellowstone Kelly filmed?

This Yellowstone Kelly location opens on Kelly atop his horse overlooking the river. A boat is coming into the waterway. He loads his gun and lets off three shots, and the boat responds with three long toots of its horn.

Overtop of the picturesque beauty found in this scene is this text, giving the history of both Luther Kelly and the Yellowstone Valley.

“The West was opened by courageous trail-blazing pioneers like Lewis & Clark and Luther “Yellowstone” Kelly, --the trapper, surveyor, and Indian scout who was the first frontiersman to cross the mighty Yellowstone Valley.”

As the riverboat pulls into the harbor, Kelly is seen below unwrapping his fur pelts to load onto the boat. While he packages them up, Anse Harper strikes up a conversation with him. He asks Kelly where he does his trapping, and he tells him in Sioux country. He invites Kelly to join him for a drink. Kelly questions his age, and when he discovers he is two years younger than the legal drinking age, he agrees to accompany him to the bar.

To visit this Yellowstone Kelly filming location, take Route 66 to N 89, traveling along this route until you pass a McDonald’s on the right-hand side. Take a left at Fire Road 545 then a left onto Schultz Pass Road. Your next right leads onto N Sky View Street, continue along this road taking a slight right and then a sharp right. Turn right then left, following along the road for 1.3 miles until you reach E Bent Tree Circle. Take a left onto S. Clubhouse Circle and then a right onto E. Judy Street. Just 0.3 miles from here, you will find the base of San Francisco Mountain. Enjoy the view from the ground or get in a strenuous hike by climbing to the top to enjoy the same view Kelly did in this iconic film scene.

Kelly meets the major in a local bar to share a drink together. The two men discuss the war the Sioux are waging to protect the land they claim as their own. The following dialogue continues between Kelly and the Major.

Kelly: You ever go against the Sioux, Major?

Major: I’m not an Indian fighter if that’s what you mean.

Kelly: That’s what I mean. The country south of the big money belongs to them.

Major: The government doesn’t think so.

Kelly: They do, and they intend to keep it.

Enjoy the spirit of the region where this Yellowstone Kelly scene was shot by visiting Sedona, Arizona. Though the exact film shoot set no longer exists, several other filming sequences were shot in the heart of this desert town, making it well worth visiting for nostalgic reasons alone. To get to Sedona, drink in the beauty found on the scenic route by taking State Route (SR) 89A through Oak Creek Canyon.

In one of the most interesting scenes in Yellowstone Kelly, a band of five soldiers meet and challenge Yellowstone Kelly. They address him with this remark and a conversation ensues.

Cavalryman: Hey, Indian, you and the other jackasses are blocking the army’s way.

Kelly: Go around me.

Cavalryman: I’ll do my best.

The men charge toward Kelly, knocking him off his horse. Kelly stands back and watches as Harper jumps into the scene, singlehandedly battling the five men. Kelly finally comes to Harper’s aid, taking on the impudent soldiers himself in a bloody fight. Three of the soldiers are knocked out, and the other two flee in their wagon.

Filmed on flatter ground, this Yellowstone Kelly film set is found at the base of the San Francisco Peaks in Flagstaff. Check out this site from the base of the mountain before making your ascent to higher ground for views of the river and surrounding areas where other scenes in this classic Western were shot.

Kelly and Harper are kneeling by a campfire when they are surrounded by a group of Native Americans. The two look around them in bewilderment and engage in the following conversation in an ominous yet somewhat funny scene from Yellowstone Kelly.

Harper: What do they want?

Kelly: They’ll get around to it.

The chief is summoned and addresses the men, saying that he has been searching for Kelly for quite a long time. Kelly said that he didn’t come of his own accord but was forced to come by Gall’s nephew Sayapi. Gall inquires whether or not this is true, and Sayapi admits that it is. His uncle chastens him for disobeying his orders.

Gall: My nephew is young. His heart is bad towards all whites.

Kelly: And Gall? How is his heart?

Gall: You know my name.

Kelly: Like I know my own.

A massively large property, it could take weeks to navigate this incredibly beautiful property that provided the backdrop for many of the best scenes in Yellowstone Kelly. With so much incredible land to explore, a trip to Coconino National Forest is sure to feel like a grand adventure. To get to this beloved facility where many of Yellowstone Kelly’s action scenes were shot, take I-17 from Phoenix. Those wishing to view some of the northern regions of the forest should follow I-40 to highway 89, continuing north.

Gall and Kelly continue their conversation. Gall reminds Kelly of a time when his actions saved his life. He asks for Kelly’s help in saving a sick Arapaho woman named Wahleeh that he and his nephew have grown deeply fond of.

Gall: You found me and cut the iron that kills from my body. Here {Gall points to his side.} Now do you remember?

Kelly: I remember.

Gall: You saved my life. And you’ll do the same for another. An Arapaho captive lies wounded in my lodge. The wound must be mended, or the captive will die.

Kelly: All this for an Arapaho?

Gall: This one must live. Come.

Kelly enters the lodge and meets Wahleeh for the first time.

Filmed on low-lying ground in a clearing in the Coconino National Forest, it is difficult to determine the exact location where this scene was shot. Still, there are many similar spots where you can visualize Kelly, Harper, and Gall preparing for Wahleeh to move on for the winter to be nursed back to health in Kelly’s care.

Kelly, intending to fulfill his word to Gall, travels on horseback toward Gall’s reservation. They meet a group of Cavalrymen that were attacked by Gall earlier. He addresses the man by asking.

Cavalryman: They caught us in the canyon. We didn’t have a chance.

Kelly: Where’s the Metis?

Cavalryman: Dead. I gotta get these boys back to Buford, Kelly. You gotta help me.

Kelly: Can’t.

Cavalryman: You mean you won’t.

Kelly: I mean I can’t.

Behind them, they see Gall and his men advancing toward the Cavalrymen for round two of their attack on the soldiers.

To reach this area of the Coconino National Forest, travel 25 miles on Forest Highway 3 until you reach the intersection for Forest Road 90. Continue to the west on Forest Road 90, traveling approximately four miles until you reach the Mormon Lake site.