Howard Hawks’s rollicking Western, pairing John Wayne and Robert Mitchum as ageing gunfighters, was filmed in the deserts of Arizona – the saguaro-studded country around Tucson and the frontier sets of Old Tucson.
Where was El Dorado filmed?
El Dorado was filmed around Tucson, Arizona – the Old Tucson film sets and the surrounding Sonoran Desert.
Every El Dorado location, explained
1
The frontier town – Old Tucson
The town of El Dorado used the Western sets around Tucson, Arizona.
2
The desert country
The film’s landscapes used the saguaro-filled Sonoran Desert of Arizona.
3
Cochise County
Additional scenes used the desert of Cochise County, Arizona.
4
The wider Arizona
The film ranges across the Arizona frontier country.
Planning a visit
The Sonoran Desert around Tucson, Arizona – a classic Western filming country – is a spectacular, accessible landscape.
El Dorado Fun Facts
1
Filmed around Tucson The Western used the desert and film sets around Tucson, Arizona.
2
Wayne and Mitchum The film paired John Wayne with Robert Mitchum.
3
A Rio Bravo cousin Howard Hawks reworked themes from his own Rio Bravo.
4
Classic saguaro country The saguaro-studded Sonoran Desert gives the film its look.
5
A Hawks Western It’s one of director Howard Hawks’s late Westerns.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where was El Dorado filmed?
Around Tucson, Arizona – the Old Tucson film sets and the surrounding Sonoran Desert.
Is it set in the American West?
Yes – and filmed in the Arizona desert.
Can you visit the locations?
Yes – the Sonoran Desert around Tucson is accessible.
Who directed El Dorado?
Howard Hawks.
Who stars in El Dorado?
John Wayne and Robert Mitchum.
