6 Family-Friendly Movies Filmed at California State Parks to Watch this Halloween | Cal Parks
Published: October 26, 2022

We all love to sit down and watch our favorite movies during Halloween. With California state parks as the site of some of the most notable entertainment projects throughout Hollywood history, we have compiled a list of iconic movies – full of aliens, giant robots, and dinosaurs – filmed in various California state parks, perfect for a movie night with everyone of all ages! 

 

Transformers: Bumblebee (2018) at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, Dir. Travis Knight; Rated PG-13. Click here to watch the forest chase scene!

Transformers: Bumblebee (2018)

At Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park

 

Who knew giant robots could be so kind! The year is 1987. While on the run, Bumblebee the Autobot seeks refuge in a small Californian beach town junkyard. Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld) discovers the giant robot, and their adventures lead to a budding friendship and a shared mission to save the world.  

This action-packed science fiction reboot of the Transformers Franchise features scenes throughout Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, located in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Famous for the 40-acre grove of towering old-growth redwood trees, check out the largest tree at the park that’s approximately 277 feet tall and about 1,500 years old! 

 

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, Dir. Steven Spielberg; Rated PG-13. Click here to watch the Compsognathus attack scene!

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)

At Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park

 

If the dinosaurs from the first Jurassic Park didn't scare you enough, wait until you see the sequel, The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997). After the destruction of the first Jurassic Park, Dr. John Alfred Hammond (Richard Attenborough) and his engineers explore Jurassic Park's second site. However, things go south when the dinosaurs go wild, and everyone is forced to run for their lives.  

Filmed at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park in the incredible Fern Canyon, this remarkable place was carved over the eons by a modest stream into a 50 to 80-foot-deep canyon sprouted with delicate ferns and other moisture-loving plants. It is also where we see antagonist Dieter Stark (Peter Stormare) attacked by a pack of hungry Compsognathus–ultimately leading to his demise. Yikes!

 

Landing scene at Will Rogers State Historic Park, a.k.a. "Golden Gate Park" in the movie.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) at Will Rogers State Historic Park, Dir. Leonard Nimoy; Rated PG. Click here to watch the movie trailer!

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

At Will Rogers State Historic Park

 

What could be more terrifying than an alien attack? How about humpback whales going extinct?! Earth is under attack by an alien probe that has disabled global power and evaporated the oceans. Captain Kirk (William Shatner), Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and the rest of the crew must travel back in time to 1986 San Francisco and retrieve the only beings who can communicate with it – the now-extinct humpback whales. 

Filming the stolen 'Bird of Prey' ship landing scene in Golden Gate Park occurred at the polo field at Will Rogers State Historic Park in Pacific Palisades. Once a ranch owned by famed Hollywood actor Will Rogers (1879–1935), the property was donated by his wife Betty to California State Parks in 1944 to become a state historic park after his untimely death in a plane crash.

 

The Goonies (1985) at Sonoma Coast State Park, Dir. Richard Donner; Rated PG. Click here to watch the ending scene! 

The Goonies (1985)

At Sonoma Coast State Park

 

How far would you go to protect your home from a development company? In the classic movie The Goonies (1985), we meet an adventurous band of kids who takes on the pressure of a property developing company that plans to foreclose their homes to build a country club. When the children discover an old pirate map in the attic, they follow it into an underground cavern in search of lost treasure – but come up against plenty of dangerous traps along the way. 

In the movie's final scene, the children are reunited with their families at Cauldron Point after a series of dangerous adventures that caused the pirate ship "Inferno" to sail adrift in the Pacific Ocean. Filmed at Goat Rock Beach at Sonoma Coast State Park, Goat Rock sits next to the mouth of the Russian River and is known for its scenic shoreline and easily accessible sandy beach. The beach is also home to a colony of harbor seals, but be sure to stay 50 yards away from them. 

 

Still from Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983) "Speeder Chase" scene at Gizzly Creek Redwoods State Park

Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983) at Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park, Dir. Richard Marquand; Rated PG. Click here to watch the Speeder Chase scene!

Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)

At Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park

 

In this now classic "Speeder Chase" scene from Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983), we see protagonists Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) pilot a pair of Imperial speeders to chase down scout troopers who might reveal the Rebel Alliance's presence on Endor. 

This unforgettable chase features Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park, a small but mighty—less than one square mile park with only five miles of trails features some of the finest old-growth redwood groves in the area. Established in 1943, many Star Wars fans still make pilgrimages to this grove! The movie also films in other Northern California state park locations such as Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park and Sue-Meg State Park. 

 

Planet of the Apes (1968) at Point Dume State Beach, Dir. Franklin J. Schaffner; Rated G. Click here to watch the final scene!

Planet of the Apes (1968)

At Point Dume State Beach

 

What would you do if you were one of the last few humans remaining on Earth? The devastating ending to Planet of the Apes (1968) sent shockwaves through moviegoers. In this ending scene, Astronaut George Taylor (Charlton Heston) discovers that he had been on a distant future Earth the entire time when he came across the destroyed statue of Liberty – and gives us the iconic line, “You finally really did it. You maniacs! You blew it up!”   

While several movie scenes were filmed in Malibu Creek State Park, this classic final moment took place at Point Dume State Beach. Known for its incredible view of Santa Monica Bay, parts of Malibu Coast, Santa Monica Mountains, and distant Catalina Island on a clear day – it's no surprise this beach would become the final resting place of Lady Liberty. 

 

Looking for something scarier this Halloween? Check out these bone-chilling and unexplained close encounters taken place at California state parks (if you dare).

 

 
Sources:  

Selected Motion Pictures Filmed in State Parks  

Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park  

Still from Bumblebee (2018) 

When Star Wars films go musicless, the result is strangely powerful  

Fern Canyon in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park 

Will Rogers State Historic Park 

Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park 

Point Dume State Beach