Where Jurassic Park, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Lost, and dozens more were actually filmed.
We may link to trusted Hawaiʻi resources at no extra cost to you.
Hawaii has stood in for primeval jungles, lost islands, tropical paradises, and alien worlds in more than 100 major productions. Kauai alone has hosted Jurassic Park, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and South Pacific — sometimes using the same valleys. Oahu's Kualoa Ranch has appeared in so many blockbusters it runs its own movie site tours.
Below: the real locations behind the screen, organized by island, with links to visit guides where they exist.
The Kaʻaʻawa Valley behind Kualoa Ranch is the most-filmed valley in the world. The same ridgelines where dinosaurs stampeded in Jurassic Park served as the jungle island in Lost for six seasons. Kualoa offers dedicated movie site tours of the valley by ATV, horseback, and bus.
Hawaii Five-0Blue HawaiiMagnum P.I.Tora! Tora! Tora!
Diamond Head's silhouette is one of the most recognized backdrops in television history — it bookended every episode of the original Hawaii Five-0 (1968–1980) and its reboot. Elvis Presley filmed multiple scenes along Waikiki in Blue Hawaii (1961), the film that launched a decade of Elvis-in-Hawaii productions.
The Seven Mile Miracle between Haleiwa and Sunset Beach is the world's most-filmed surf coastline. Blue Crush (2002) was shot almost entirely here, with Pipeline and Sunset as primary locations. John Milius used Sunset's massive winter swells for North Shore (1987), the surf cult classic.
Ko Olina's calm lagoons and the Marriott Ko Olina Beach Club stood in for the fictional Turtle Head resort in Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008). Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler filmed several beach scenes for 50 First Dates at Oahu's leeward shore as well, including at Waimanalo on the windward side.
Jurassic ParkRaiders of the Lost ArkKing Kong (1976)South PacificPirates of the Caribbean 4
The Nā Pali sea cliffs are the most-filmed coastline on Kauai — the opening helicopter shot in Jurassic Park, the opening jungle sequence of Raiders of the Lost Ark, and the island of Bali Ha'i in South Pacific all used these 3,000-foot green cliffs. Accessible by boat tour or the 11-mile Kalalau Trail.
The 400-foot waterfall where the Jurassic Park helicopter first descends into Isla Nublar is Manawaiopuna Falls on private Hanapepe Valley land. It earned the nickname "Jurassic Park Falls" and remains the signature helicopter tour destination on Kauai — reachable only by air, never on foot.
Mitzi Gaynor washed that man right out of her hair on this sweep of dark sand backed by jungle at the start of the North Shore road. The opening beach scene of South Pacific (1958) put Lumaha'i on the map; the beach is essentially unchanged 65 years later. Strong shore break — swimming is risky, but the view is worth the stop.
The DescendantsSouth Pacific (1958)Puff the Magic Dragon (1978)
The two-mile crescent bay backed by fluted green mountains is as cinematic in person as on screen. George Clooney filmed several scenes of The Descendants (2011) around the Hanalei area. The surrounding taro fields and valley also feature in the animated Puff the Magic Dragon special.
Alexander Payne filmed scenes of The Descendants around the remote Hana coast, using the jungle-to-sea landscape as a stand-in for the kind of old Hawaii money the story centers on. Hamoa Beach — a half-mile arc of dark volcanic sand south of Hana town — appears in several key sequences. Getting here requires driving the full Road to Hana.
The 10,023-foot summit crater looks less like Earth than almost any landscape in the state — a landscape of red cinder cones and moonlike lava fields that has attracted filmmakers looking for an alien or post-apocalyptic setting. Portions of the cinder desert near the summit have stood in for Mars in several productions. The sunrise view alone is reason enough to visit.
The mile-wide valley with its black sand beach and 2,000-foot walls has served as a dramatic backdrop in several productions. The Big Island coast near Waimea and Kawaihae was a primary filming location for Waterworld (1995) — the most expensive film of its era, whose $175 million budget became infamous partly because of the Hawaii shoot.
The jet-black olivine sand of Punalu'u, formed by lava flowing into the ocean, is unlike any beach in the continental US. The otherworldly color and the green sea turtles that haul out here regularly make it a standout location for nature documentaries and productions looking for a visually striking Hawaii that doesn't look like Waikiki.
Kualoa Ranch's movie site tours are the most popular, but every island has helicopter, boat, and guided tours that hit the famous spots. Compare options on Viator.
Trade winds are strong right now, with high surf hitting the south shore today. Windward areas are seeing frequent showers through the weekend.
South-facing beaches have dangerous surf today through Sunday—stay out of the water unless you're an experienced swimmer. East-facing shores will build rough water by Sunday or Monday. The bigger picture is a tropical system, Fausto, heading our way. It's weakening but should arrive near the islands by Tuesday or Wednesday as a tropical storm or weaker system, bringing strong winds, rough seas, and heavy rain. The exact track is still uncertain, so check the forecast daily.
Get your beach time and water activities in today through early next week on the leeward side, where conditions stay calmer. Be ready to shift plans by midweek when conditions turn rough.
0:000:52
Voice
Read the transcript
Windy conditions across Maui right now, with trade winds gusting strong. South-facing shores have high surf today and will see another big swell Saturday and Sunday—the water's dangerous unless you're an experienced ocean swimmer.
Through the weekend, windward areas will get frequent showers while trade winds stay gusty. The bigger picture arrives midweek: Hurricane Fausto is weakening as it moves toward the islands and should reach Maui as a tropical storm or weaker system Tuesday or Wednesday. That'll bring rough seas, strong winds, and heavy rain. Track and timing are still uncertain, so check updates daily.
Hit the leeward beaches and snorkel south Maui coasts today through early next week, but stay out of windward and south-facing waters through Sunday.
0:000:54
Voice
Read the transcript
Windy conditions dominate right now with strong trade winds pushing across the island. South-facing shores have high surf today—dangerous water if you're not an experienced swimmer.
Through the weekend, those south shores see another big swell Saturday and Sunday, and east-facing shores will build dangerous conditions by Sunday or Monday. Windward areas get frequent showers. A tropical system—the remnants of Hurricane Fausto—is weakening and headed toward the islands as a tropical storm or weaker system by Tuesday or Wednesday, bringing rough seas, strong winds, and heavy rain midweek. Timing and track are still uncertain, so check updates daily.
Leeward beaches on the Kona side stay your best bet today through early next week, but avoid the water on the windward and south shores through Sunday.
0:000:57
Voice
Read the transcript
Strong trade winds are pushing showers across windward areas through the weekend. On Kauaʻi, expect frequent showers on the windward side.
High surf is running on south-facing shores today and will build again Saturday and Sunday—stay out of the water unless you're an experienced swimmer. East-facing shores will also see dangerous swell by Sunday or Monday. Hurricane Fausto is weakening as it moves toward Hawaii. By Tuesday or Wednesday it should reach the islands as a tropical storm or weaker system, bringing rough seas, strong winds, and heavy rain. Track and timing are still uncertain, so check updates daily through midweek.
Beach time on leeward shores works through early next week. Plan water activities for today, but be ready to shift if Fausto's track becomes clearer—conditions will deteriorate by midweek.
Created with AI from the official NWS forecast discussion · verify with NWS before heading out