The world's forests, from the misty, ancient woodlands of New Zealand to the towering old-growth cedars and Douglas firs of North America, continue to provide a rich tapestry of cinematic settings. Filming on location in these majestic, ancient landscapes resonates with audiences in a way that artificial sets simply can't match. Just think of the lush rainforests of Endor in the Star Wars universe, the eerie, fog-shrouded pines of Forks, Washington in the Twilight saga, and the rugged, snow-capped Canadian boreal forests in The Revenant.
Although shooting in the wilderness can certainly add logistical challenges, like dealing with unpredictable weather conditions and rugged terrain, the payoff is a level of visual authenticity and wonder that draws viewers deep into the world of the story.
That's why we have put together a list of some of the world's most idyllic forest locations - where filmmakers have shot epic fantasies, powerful war stories, and adrenaline pumping action films.
When scouting filming locations, you must consider several crucial factors. First, the specific forest or woodland environment must match the desired aesthetic and vision for the project - does the scene require a lush rainforest, a dense woodland, or a rugged mountainous landscape? The distinct characteristics of different forest biomes can dramatically impact a scene's overall look and feel.
You must also carefully evaluate the practical logistics of a potential forest location, such as accessibility for crew and equipment, availability of power sources for portable facilities, and any obstacles or hazards that could disrupt filming. Location scouts must meticulously inspect the terrain, vegetation, and wildlife to ensure the location is suitable and safe.
Another vital factor is the time of year you plan to film, as a forest's appearance can drastically transform with the changing seasons - from the vibrant greens and blooming flowers of spring, to the brilliant autumnal colours, to the stark, skeletal branches of winter. Capturing the right seasonal aesthetic is crucial.
Finally, be mindful of any local environmental regulations or restrictions that could impact their ability to shoot on-location. Securing the necessary permits and filming permissions, and adhering to conservation guidelines, is essential for a smooth and successful forest or woodland shoot.
Featured in: Jurassic Park, E.T., The Extra-terrestrial
Spanning over 130,000 acres along the rugged Northern California coastline, this protected parkland protects critical habitats for a diverse array of wildlife, including Roosevelt elk, black bears, bald eagles, and the elusive Pacific fisher. Home to the world's tallest trees - the towering, ancient redwoods, these awe-inspiring trees are perfect if you're seeking to transport viewers to a primeval, untamed wilderness.
Films like the fantasy adventure Jurassic Park (1993) have utilised the parks' ancient forests to depict prehistoric landscapes. And who can forget the beautiful redwood forested scenes of the classic Steven Spielberg movie E.T., The Extra-terrestrial (1982) that portrays the tender friendship between the boy Elliot (Henry Thomas) and E.T.
To film in this park, you must obtain a permit from the California Film Commission.
Featured in: The Hunger Games, A Walk in the Woods, The Fugitive
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is nestled along the Tennessee-North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. Spanning over 521,490 acres, this UNESCO World Heritage site is the country's most visited national park. This park is perfect if you're looking for a dramatic mountainous landscape. At the heart of the Appalachian range, The Smokies rise majestically with their misty blue peaks which give the park its name. You'll also find lush forests of oak, maple, and hemlock covering the valleys and slopes, meandering rivers and streams, dramatic waterfalls, and the vibrant Smokies wildflowers in Spring.
The mountains made for the perfect backdrop for the dystopian setting of The Hunger Games films. Asheville served as the setting for the arena scenes, while the nearby Pisgah National Forest was used as the District 12 filming location where Gail and Katniss hunt.
Similarly, The Appalachian Trail setting of A Walk in the Woods (2015), based on Bill Bryson's popular book, prominently featured local landmarks like the Fontana Dam.
To film in the National Parks, you must obtain a permit from the National Park Service.
Featured in: The Twilight Saga, The Last of Us, Deadpool
Vancouver's diverse landscape, state-of-the-art studios, and generous tax incentives make it an ideal location for a wide range of productions. Its beautiful scenery can offer you a stunning backdrop of snow-capped mountains, lush forests, and rugged coastlines that can double for settings across the globe.
Stanley Park is located in the heart of Vancouver and is one of the largest urban parks in North America. Towering douglas firs and western red cedars line the park's winding trails, creating a serene forest that makes you forget you're in a bustling city. The famous Seawall is a 5.5-mile paved path that hugs the park's perimeter and offers breathtaking views of the North Shore mountains.
Though the story is set in Washington, the Twilight film series actually shot many scenes in Stanley Park. In Breaking Dawn, Bella is seen driving down the scenic Sea to Sky Highway. The second season of The Last of Us has also been spotted filming in the park, transforming it into a post-apocalyptic landscape with rusted vehicles, graffiti, and other debris.
Additionally, the Deadpool movies, including the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), feature many Vancouver landmarks, like the iconic Lions Gate Bridge that connects Stanley Park with the North Shore.
In order to film here you require a filming permit from the Park Board Filming and Special Events Office.
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On the outskirts of London, Bourne Wood is the perfect location if you are looking for a variety of woodland types. Located near Farnham and set above a large heathland clearing, Bourne Wood offers impressive views over the surrounding pine forests. The sand soil provides a good walking surface, and the many public footpaths give great access to the woodland.
Bourne Wood has been an important woodland filming location for over 20 years, attracting numerous internationally acclaimed productions. The woodland has been the backdrop for Ridley Scott's Napoleon (2023), blockbuster Gladiator (1992), the Harry Potter franchise, Warhorse, Wonder Woman (2017), Transformers 3 (2011), as well as Netflix series The Crown and The Witcher.
To film here you need to obtain a filming permit from Forestry England. They ensure the income from filming goes directly to caring for the forests and woodlands and preserving them for future generations.
Featured in: Harry Potter, Goldfinger, Jurassic World Dominion.
Black Park, a picturesque 500-acre country park nestled in the heart of Buckinghamshire, England, has long been a coveted filming location for directors. This lush expanse of greenery, with its dense forests, rolling hills, and serene ponds, has served as the backdrop for a diverse array of cinematic productions over the decades - from fantasy epics like The Chronicles of Narnia, to gritty thrillers and blockbuster franchises.
Its proximity to Pinewood Film Studios, located adjacent to the woodlands, makes it an especially convenient and cost-effective filming location. Over the years, Black Park has appeared in numerous high-profile productions, including the James Bond films Goldfinger and Casino Royale, as well as Sleepy Hollow, Bugsy Malone, the Harry Potter series, Cinderella, Captain America: The First Avenger, 47 Ronin, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and Jurassic World Dominion.
In order to film here you require a filming permit from Buckinghamshire Council. For more rural filming locations, we've got you covered with 10 British farming locations for hire.
Featured in: The Beach, James Bond
The lush, tropical island off the southern coast of Thailand has become a popular filming destination for both local and international productions. . Phuket offers you a reliable tropical climate, easy accessibility, plus a wealth of picturesque and versatile locations like rugged limestone cliffs and hidden coves to bring your creative vision to life. The well-established tourism industry also offers an array of production resources and skilled local talent.
The island is renowned for its palm-fringed beach locations that stretch along its pristine coastline, but it is also home to expansive rainforests. Khao Phra Thaeo National Park, for instance, is a vast, protected natural rainforest in northern Phuket covering over 2,200 square kilometers. This lush, biodiverse park features two beautiful waterfalls, Ton Sai and Bang Pae. Phuket's cinematic appeal has made it a popular filming location for many Hollywood productions, such as The Beach (2000) and James Bond: The Man with the Golden Gun (1974).
To film here you need to obtain a filming permit from the Thailand Film Office.
Featured in: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
The Anji Bamboo Forest in China's Zhejiang province is a breathtaking scene that stretches across thousands of acres. This sanctuary is home to a diverse array of towering bamboo species growing alongside the winding forest paths. The scale of the forest is awe-inspiring, with groves of bamboo so dense they appear impenetrable, while in other areas the trees thin out to reveal rolling hills and misty mountains. This is the perfect forest location for a tranquil and timeless backdrop.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) won four Oscars and also revived the high-budget, high-concept wuxia martial arts genre, paving the way for films like Hero and House of Flying Daggers. Several of Crouching Tiger’s most famous scenes were shot in the vast bamboo forest, and while the film's success boosted tourism, the forest has managed to maintain its serene atmosphere.
To film in China you need to partner with a Chinese production company. The China Film Co-production Corporation (CFCC) will then review the proposed project before submitting it to the Chinese Film Bureau for approval.
Featured in: Avatar
Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in the Hunan province of China is a UNESCO World Heritage site spanning over 399 square kilometres. The park is renowned for its towering sandstone quartz pillars, some reaching heights exceeding 1,200 meters. These ancient, weathered formations were carved over millions of years by wind and water erosion, creating a fantastical, almost otherworldly landscape. Lush, verdant forests blanket the valleys and slopes between the soaring peaks, home to a diverse array of flora and fauna.
The park's awe-inspiring scenery served as the inspiration for the fictional planet of Pandora in the 2009 blockbuster film Avatar. Though director James Cameron did not actually shoot scenes in the National Park, he filmed the real-life mountains before editing them into the movie as the iconic Hallelujah Mountain. The success of Avatar prompted the local government to officially rename the Southern Sky Column to "Avatar Hallelujah Mountain." This has made Zhangjiajie an incredibly popular destination for both domestic and international tourists.
Featured in: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Bridge to Terabithia
Located only 40 minutes northwest of Auckland City, the expansive Woodhill Forest offers a diverse landscape ideal for film productions and a variety of licensed recreational activities. This 12,500-hectare pine forest offers horse riding, mountain biking, tree climbing, paintball, 4-wheel driving, and off-road motorcycling.
Woodhill Forest's varied terrain, ranging from pine forest and native bush to streams, lakes, a lagoon, open spaces, and a wild black sand beach, make it a versatile forest filming location. The forest has hosted numerous international feature films and smaller productions, thanks to its close proximity to the city, Auckland international airport, and industry services and film studios.
Woodhill Forest's unique scenery can bring any story to life, from the mystical settings of The Chronicles of Narnia and The Shannara Chronicles to the action-packed scenes of Power Rangers and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon II.
Filming permission must be granted by Ngā Maunga Whakahii o Kaipara, who are committed to preserving the park's natural beauty.
Featured in: Crocodile Dundee
Sprawling across nearly 8,000 square miles in Australia's Northern Territory, Kakadu National Park is a vast, breathtaking wilderness and UNESCO World Heritage Site. This ancient landscape is home to an astounding array of ecosystems, from towering escarpments and rugged sandstone formations to lush, tropical wetlands teeming with diverse wildlife. For over 65,000 years, the land has been continuously inhabited by the Indigenous Bininj/Mungguy people, whose ancient rock art sites and cultural traditions offer a profound window into the world's oldest continuous culture.
The 1988 hit film Crocodile Dundee, the highest-grossing Australian movie of all time, was filmed in the Northern Terrritory and showcases the park's natural wonders - its cascading waterfalls, serene billabongs, and dense monsoon forests. The film stars Paul Hogan as Mick Dundee, a rugged crocodile wrangler and bush-hardened folk hero inspired by real-life Territory Outback dweller Rod Ansell. In 1977, Ansell, a cattleman and buffalo hunter, was stranded in the outback for 56 days with almost no supplies.
To film in the park you must obtain a filming permit from Parks Australia.
Featured in: The Thin Red Line
The Daintree Rainforest in northeastern Australia is a vibrant, ancient ecosystem believed to have first taken root over 180 million years ago, making it one of the oldest continuously surviving rainforests on the planet. Spanning an expansive 1,200 square kilometers, this lush landscape is home to giant ferns, towering palms, tangled vines, and an incredible diversity of plant and animal life. Crystal-clear streams and rivers wind through the Daintree, teeming with an array of fish and amphibians, while vibrant parrots and cockatoos flit between the branches above. The Daintree holds great cultural significance for the indigenous Kuku Yalanji people, who have called this land home for millennia and work tirelessly to preserve it. From the towering mountains to the pristine beaches that line its coasts, the Daintree Rainforest makes for an amazing forest film location.
The 1998 epic war film The Thin Red Line boasted a star-studded cast, including Sean Penn, George Clooney, Woody Harrelson, John Cusack, Jared Leto, Adrien Brody, and John Travolta. Director Terrence Malick had originally planned to shoot the film in the Solomon Islands, but concerns about malaria and logistical issues meant that most scenes were actually filmed in the Daintree Rainforest and Bramston Beach in North Queensland.
To film here you must apply for a film permit from Douglas Shire Council.
These vast, untamed wildernesses, with their gnarled trees, filtered sunlight, and mysterious shadows, have an enchanting, otherworldly quality that simply can't be replicated in a film studio. We hope this list of woodland and forest locations have inspired you to find the perfect backdrop for your next creative project.
For more remote and exotic location scouting ideas, we've got you covered with medieval filming locations around the world and iconic desert filming locations.
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