When Jurassic Park first opened in 1993, it was a big deal. I mean, it was a HUGE deal! I know I saw it several times in cinemas. Back then, you had to wait close to a year for movies to come out on VHS. This brought back fans over and over again. Not only was the story compelling, but the special effects were cutting edge, and the scenery was stunning, making it a visually stunning film.
Despite taking place on an island off Costa Rica, Jurassic Park was scheduled to be filmed almost entirely on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. Unfortunately during filming, Hurricane Iniki devastated the island, causing some filming to have to shift to Oahu.
I haven’t been to as many Jurassic Park locations as I’d like, but I will share the locations I’ve been to. If you’d like to see an amazing, in-depth site featuring locations from the movie, check out this great site.
The Jurassic Park Falls
Oh Kauai, the helicopter is shown landing next to a breathtaking waterfall. The official name is Manawaiopuna Falls, and are not accessible by car. The only way for visitors to see the falls is by helicopter tour. Even from the air, the height of these falls will be impressive.
The Storm Jetty
As the storm hits the island, some scenes show the waves crashing into the shore. These scenes were filmed at the port of Nawiliwili, which is the main cruise port on Kauai, and close to the airport as well.
The Electric Fence
The scene where Timmy gets electrocuted while climbing the electric fence was filmed high up in the mountains of Kauai. Behind the fence you can see Olokele Canyon. The colours of the mountains and the vegetation make it a very beautiful backdrop to a very scary scene.
Gallimimus Stampede
The brilliant scene where Dr. Grant, Timmy, and Lex hide behind a log during the stampede was filmed at Kualoa Ranch. This is one of the scenes that was intended to be filmed on Kauai, but had to relocate after Hurricane Iniki hit. It all worked out though, and it’s hard to picture this scene happening anywhere else.
The T-Rex Chase
When Hurricane Iniki devastated Kauai, the crew had to scramble to find alternate locations to film. For the scenes where the Tyrannosaurus Rex chases the jeep, the production actually used Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank. WB’s backlot has a jungle area that was ideal for this scene. Warner Bros. offers public tours which sometimes visits the jungle.
The Dig Site
Near the opening of the film, we first meet Dr. Grant and Dr, Sattler at a dig site supposedly in Montana. These scenes were actually filmed at Red Rock Canyon, which is near Topanga, California.
I haven’t had the chance to visit yet, but my buddies Randomly Randy and Ryan from GoingToThe Movies did! Here is a video they made of the location.
Interior Sets
Most of the interior sets were filmed on various soundstages at Universal Studios Hollywood. In addition, stage 16 at Warner Bros. was used to film the T-Rex scenes, due to it’s size.
When the franchise was rebooted in 2015, filming returned to Hawaii. Please check out my page about Jurassic World to learn about some of the locations used in that film.
Please leave some comments below and share on social media if you enjoyed my look at Jurassic Park locations.
While this site is a hobby, it does cost me out-of-pocket to keep the site going. You can help support the site by clicking the link below and shopping on amazon. Thanks for all the support!
