9. Death Valley National Park, CA Planet Tatooine
Lots of Star Wars fans know Tatooine was filmed in Tunisia, but did you know some scenes were also filmed in the United States? Death Valley is the ultimate scavenger hunt for some of the most intense Star Wars fans. Before the internet, Star Wars fans used to scour Death Valley to find where shots from A New Hope were filmed based on hearsay of other fans and rare official Lucasfilm information. Another reason it's so hard to find these filming locations is because a few of the scenes were filmed with a matte painting behind the characters, making it harder to recognize the location. George Lucas realized that, due to thwarting meteorological conditions, the cast and crew did not have enough shots of Tatooine after they had left Tunisia. They decided to do what are called "pick-ups", where the remaining shots are filmed in an entirely different location but blended seamlessly to create the desert planet Luke calls home. These pick-ups were not filmed until spring of 1977, and the release date for Star Wars was May 25th of the same year, so they were working on a tight schedule. So, yes, we've realized it's difficult to discover these places, but fans around the internet have compiled a great list of where to go if you are willing to suffer the intense heat of the Death Valley desert. Be quiet when going to Desolation Canyon as you might disturb the Bantha's and their Tusken Raider owners; Artist's Palette is also known as Artoo's Arroyo, because it is here that Artoo rolls along without Threepio, unaware that he is about to be taken by Jawas; and finally, strolling to the top of the northern side of Coffin Peak, you arrive at Dante's View also known as the Mos Eisley Overlook, where you can survey Death Valley.
Cost: $20 for seven days with one vehicle. You might also want to add on $100 for the 100 water bottles you will go through.