Where was Top Gun: Maverick filmed? Guide to ALL the Filming Locations (2024)

Posted by Ra Moon

The sequel to the 1986 classic that featured breathtaking fighter jet sequences and launched the career of Tom Cruise has landed more than three decades after Maverick felt the need for speed.

Like its predecessor, Top Gun: Maverick was filmed primarily in San Diego, California, but also in Nevada, Utah, and Washington State.


Where was Top Gun: Maverick filmed? Guide to ALL the Filming Locations (1)

Set 36 years after the events of the first installment, in this new film Pete "Maverick" Mitchell returns to the Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program to lead a new generation of pilots on a near-suicide mission.

Welcome to our spoiler-free guide to all the filming locations of Top Gun: Maverick.

You can also find our wonderful article revealing all the locations where Top Gun was filmed following this link.

Where was Top Gun: Maverick filmed? Guide to ALL the Filming Locations (2)
The opening sequence, with the experimental (and fictional) Darkstar plane, was filmed at the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in the Mojave Desert.

Director Joseph Kosinski said that in the scene with Ed Harris pictured, the plane destroyed the set, ripping the roof off the guard shack.

(You can open all the locations on Google Maps by clicking on the links below in the captions ↴)
Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures - Map

The Top Gun beach and the Hard Deck bar

Where was Top Gun: Maverick filmed? Guide to ALL the Filming Locations (3)
As the local press reported, the Hard Deck bar owned by Penelope "Penny" Benjamin (played by Jennifer Connelly) was located on Breaker’s Beach in San Diego.

In 2018, the film crew built an impressive set in less than a month on this beach, located at the Coronado air station premises.

Image courtesy of Paramount - Map

The Top Gun Station

Where was Top Gun: Maverick filmed? Guide to ALL the Filming Locations (4)
The Top Gun base was filmed at several locations, including the North Island Naval Air Station on San Diego Bay.

The plane on display outside the main gate is actually an A-4E Skyhawk, not the F-14 Tomcat that the filmmakers CGI'd into the scene.

Image courtesy of Skydance Media - Map

Where was Top Gun: Maverick filmed? Guide to ALL the Filming Locations (5)
The Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada and the Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Oak Harbor, Washington, were also featured in the new film.

In the 1986 movie, most of the Top Gun school was filmed at the Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego, now the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (MCAS Miramar), nicknamed "Fightertown USA".

Image courtesy of Paramount - Maps: Fallon / Whidbey Island

Where was Top Gun: Maverick filmed? Guide to ALL the Filming Locations (6)
Penny's house is a gorgeous oceanfront home located at 4000 Bluff Place in San Pedro near Cabrillo Beach.

This is a private residence - if you are visiting, please be considerate of the owners’ property.

Image courtesy of Paramount - Map

Where was Top Gun: Maverick filmed? Guide to ALL the Filming Locations (7)
As the San Diego Union-Tribune revealed, the funeral scene was filmed at the Army's Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in Point Loma.

This beautiful burial ground, with perfectly lined-up gravestones overlooking San Diego Harbor and the Pacific Ocean, is the resting place for service members since the Battle of San Pasqual during the Mexican-American War in 1846.

At least 112,000 Army, Navy Seals, Sailors, Marines, and Air Force are buried at Fort Rosecrans.

Image courtesy of Skydance Media - Map

Where was Top Gun: Maverick filmed? Guide to ALL the Filming Locations (8)
The F-18 low-level flyover scene seems to have been filmed at the Utah Test and Training Range salt flats located in Utah's West Desert.

Covering nearly 2,675 square miles (6,930 km2), this military area is the largest supersonic-authorized restricted airspace in the United States.

Image courtesy of Paramount - Map

Where was Top Gun: Maverick filmed? Guide to ALL the Filming Locations (9)
The aircraft carrier scenes were filmed on board the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

The actors went through a three-month rigorous aviation training course to prepare for riding in an F-18, as the producers tried to use as much real aircraft footage as possible instead of green screens and CGI.

Where was Top Gun: Maverick filmed? Guide to ALL the Filming Locations (10)
A Twitter user confirmed that the spectacular low-level flight formation scene was filmed at Rimrock Lake west of Yakima in Washington State.

Some of the snowed mountains of the unnamed rogue nation were recorded at Washington's Cascade Mountains.

Image courtesy of Skydance Media - Map

Where was Top Gun: Maverick filmed? Guide to ALL the Filming Locations (11)
A team of moviemakers and stunt pilots used the Northgate Aviation Chico Jet Center in Chico, CA, as a base to shoot footage over Butte County, including Lake Oroville, Feather River Canyon, and the High Lakes region.

They used grey L-39 fighter jets with computer points painted in different places to digitally transform the aircraft into the F-18 we see in the film.

Image courtesy of Netflix - Maps: Northgate / Feather River Canyon

Where was Top Gun: Maverick filmed? Guide to ALL the Filming Locations (12)
The scene in the woods was filmed at the Washoe Meadows State Park located in South Lake Tahoe (California).

Image courtesy of Skydance Media - Map

Where was Top Gun: Maverick filmed? Guide to ALL the Filming Locations (13)
The SFGate informed that the destroyed airbase was filmed at Lake Tahoe Airport, near the forest.

Location manager Mike Fantasia found this spot, with a mountaintop overlooking the airport, after scouting more than 200 aerodromes.

During production, the airport was undergoing renovations, so the crew could make it look like a war zone.

Image courtesy of Skydance Media - Map

Where was Top Gun: Maverick filmed? Guide to ALL the Filming Locations (14)
The final scenes with the silver P-51 Mustang, which also appears in the video with Lady Gaga, were filmed at the Inyokern Airport in California.

This World War II veteran is actually Cruise's own airplane who is also a licensed pilot in the real world.

Image courtesy of Paramount - Map

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21 comments:

1- Anonymous - Jun 4, 2022, 9:05 AM
I want to know where they filmed Penny Benjamin's house.

Reply
2- Anonymous - Jun 5, 2022, 8:31 PM
I'm going to guess, based on my having lived in the area for two years, that her house is somewhere in or near Point Loma.

3- Hangman - Jun 5, 2022, 9:36 AM
Very well done. Thank you.

4- Anonymous - Jun 5, 2022, 12:37 PM
The final scene with the WW2 plane was filmed over the central Washington Cascade Mountains. Tampico, West of Yakima.

5- Hammer - Jun 8, 2022, 6:01 AM
The house looked like Corona del Mar.

Thank you for the information about such a well-made movie!

6- Payback - Jun 8, 2022, 7:29 PM
Excellent information. I used to work in Hollywood and have "scouted" locations... Thank you!

7- Anonymous - Jun 9, 2022, 10:42 AM
I believe Penny's house is located in San Pedro, CA, on 40th and Bluff. I just went by there, but I don't see where I can attach a picture to this comment.

Reply
8- Ra Moon - Jun 9, 2022, 11:48 AM
Thank you, it's the right location!

9- Anonymous - Jun 10, 2022, 9:43 AM
Can someone pinpoint the "target valley" used in the mission?

10- Cyclone - Jun 12, 2022, 2:41 AM
This wasn't filmed in Los Angeles - this was filmed in San Pedro, CA. The Port of Los Angeles resides in our city. If you know Pedro, you know what I mean.


11- Anonymous - Jun 12, 2022, 11:35 AM
Breaker's Beach used to be the location of the original CPO Mess at NASNI. My uncle was an E-8 in the Navy in the '70s and we used to go to that very spot and swim.

There was nobody around and we would have the entire place to ourselves on any given Sunday. Seeing the Bar and the Volley Ball game where the old building used to be was humbling. If only we had known...

12- Bob - Jun 15, 2022, 5:10 PM
Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery is the burial place for all services, not just the Army.

13- Anonymous - Jun 15, 2022, 11:26 PM
Any idea where the offshore sailing scene was filmed? Not San Diego for sure, sea conditions and coastal background are not a match.

Reply
14- Anonymous - Jul 20, 2022, 12:33 AM
I read that the sailing scene was supposed to be shot in San Pedro, but there was no wind, so they filmed it in the SF Bay instead.

15- Anonymous - Jun 16, 2022, 8:37 PM
Chico, Ca, around Butte County, 2019.

16- Marya Hayes - Jun 18, 2022, 9:32 PM
The Rosecrans Cemetery from Top Gun Maverick is the final resting place for service members slain in almost every military conflict since the Battle of San Pasqual in 1846.

17- Anonymous - Jun 21, 2022, 11:04 PM
Don’t forget Chico CA, Feather River Canyon, Oroville Lake, and Butte County!

18- Anonymous - Jul 4, 2022, 2:54 PM
Where was the external scene of Cecil’s cafe filmed? Since there are mountains in the background it can’t be the actual Cecil's cafe in Marshalltown, Iowa.

19- Anonymous - Jul 16, 2022, 5:20 PM
Immediately following Maverick’s mishap in the experimental scramjet he is shown walking towards a diner with a mountain in the distance. Does anyone know where this was shot?

20- Anonymous - Jul 18, 2022, 3:48 PM
Was any of the flying filmed at Mach Loop in Snowdonia?

21- Anonymous - Jul 23, 2022, 2:49 AM
It was pretty funny sitting in the theater watching this movie... In the Mojave Desert, which is full of aviators and test pilots, and listening to the giggles of all the locals. It was pretty true to reality, though...

Lots of Navy guys (aviators) are out there in the desert, and many of them use the smaller private hangars in nearby Inyokern (the one in the movie) as well as in Mojave and Rosamond and Lancaster.

Where was Top Gun: Maverick filmed? Guide to ALL the Filming Locations (2024)

FAQs

Where was the Top Gun: Maverick filmed? ›

Filming Locations (18)
  • South Lake Tahoe, California, USA.
  • Eldorado National Forest, California, USA (Forested mountain aircraft staging area)
  • Sierra District State Parks, California, USA (Snow-covered mountain meadows)
  • Naval Air Station Lemoore, California, USA (witnesses)
  • Lake Tahoe Basin Mgmt.

Was any of Top Gun: Maverick filmed in Washington state? ›

Like I said before, Top Gun: Maverick hits on most types of regions from sand to snow to mountains, and according to IMDb, most of the movie was filmed in California — though some scenes were filmed in Nevada and Washington.

Where was the film Maverick filmed? ›

Filming. Parts of the film were shot at Lake Powell and Warm Creek in Utah. Other filming locations include Lee's Ferry and Marble Canyon in Arizona, Lone Pine, Manzanar, Big Pine, and Yosemite National Park in California, and Columbia River Gorge in Oregon.

Where is Penny's house in Top Gun: Maverick? ›

The bungalow where Penny lives with her teenage daughter, Ameilia (Lyliana Wray), arguably the movie's most memorable locale (aside from The Hard Deck bar), can be found about 25 miles south of downtown Los Angeles in the seaside town of San Pedro. Situated overlooking the coastline at 391 W. 40th St,.

Where is the hard deck bar in Top Gun? ›

About us. Kansas City Barbeque is a restaurant and bar located in the harbor district of San Diego, California. Self-proclaimed as the “Top Gun Bar”, it is known for being the filming location for scenes used in the film Top Gun.

Where is the Top Gun school located? ›

TOPGUN is a nickname for what began as the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School and is now known as the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor Program. Formerly located at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in California, TOPGUN is now located at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada.

Is the bar in Top Gun: Maverick a real place? ›

You can't go to the Hard Deck, the bar featured in "Top Gun: Maverick," in real life because it doesn't actually exist. The good news is that there's a place both exactly like it and even better at the same time. While former naval aviator Capt.

Was Top Gun: Maverick filmed in Tahoe? ›

NV – Turns out Lake Tahoe is on the highway to the danger zone. Top Gun: Maverick was just released in theaters, and it's been a massive hit with critics and audiences alike.

How much did Jennifer Connelly get paid for Top Gun? ›

Jennifer Connelly is said to earn $3 million for her role as Penny Benjamin. Jon Hamm, who plays the role of Vice Admiral Cyclone, had a paycheque of $1.2 million. It is not clear how much Val Kilmer earned as some reports state that he took home $400,000 and others say he had a paycheque of $2 million.

Where was the mountain scene in Top Gun filmed? ›

'" Location was everything for the flight scene, and the movie's third act was shot in Washington State. The Navy flies low-level training routes out of NAS Whidbey Island, through the Cascade Mountains — an ideal setting for critical battle scenes.

Is the Top Gun House still standing? ›

The petite 1887 cottage has now been moved a few hundred feet from its original location to the grounds of Oceanside's recently-opened Mission Pacific Resort, where it houses High Pie, a “Top Gun”-themed pie shop along the beachfront promenade.

Who owns the Top Gun House? ›

Founder Scott Malkin is a fan of the movie “Top Gun,” so as part of the development deal for the 2.75-acre oceanfront property he offered to give the peripatetic Top Gun House a place to stay and a facelift. Originally known as the Graves House because of its original owner, Dr.

Where is the house Kelly McGillis lived in in Top Gun? ›

The home at 102 N Pacific St Oceanside, San Diego, California, was featured in the cult 1986 film 'Top Gun' starring Tom Cruise (as Maverick) and Kelly McGillis (as Charlie). It was the beach shack where Maverick parked his motorbike out the front of before having dinner with his love-interest, Charlie.

Is the hard deck a real bar in San Diego? ›

F-14s are (mostly) replaced with F/A-18s, Maverick's G-1 jacket is replaced with a CWU, and the Kansas City BBQ is replaced with The Hard Deck Bar. While the bar depicted in the film is a set, it is heavily inspired by a famous Navy bar that actually resides at Naval Air Station North Island.

Is the hard deck bar a real place? ›

Just like bar scenes in the original film, the fictional Hard Deck serves as a place for the Top Gun hotshots to have an unknowing first encounter with their instructor.

Is there a real hard deck bar? ›

The bar — which was quickly erected this month by studio construction workers at the air station's Breaker's Beach — has a weathered appearance and features the name “The Hard Deck,” according to photos of the site that were sent in to Task & Purpose.

How much do Navy fighter pilots make? ›

How much does a Pilot make at US Navy in the United States? Average US Navy Pilot yearly pay in the United States is approximately $72,410, which is 33% above the national average.

Is Top Gun flight school real? ›

In 2016, NSAWC was rebranded as the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center (NAWDC), where Top Gun remains a department alongside graduate-level Weapons Schools for other Naval Aviation platforms.

Do Marine pilots go to Top Gun? ›

Clemson alumnus becomes first Marine fighter pilot to graduate TOPGUN in F-35. U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Derek “Shootsbe” Heinz, a 2007 Clemson University alumnus, has graduated the Navy Strike Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) course in the nation's newest and most advanced fighter jet, the F-35C.

Did Kansas City BBQ burn down? ›

On June 26, 2008, a fire destroyed the entire building. San Diego Fire-Rescue Department spokesman, Maurice Luque, described the building as "gutted". The fire originated in an open cooking pit in the kitchen of the restaurant and eventually spread to the building's interior.

Why is there so much Kansas stuff in Top Gun? ›

The answer may surprise you. It was purely “a stroke of luck.” During a location scouting trip for the movie, the Paramount Studios' location director stopped in at the Kansas City Barbeque for a beer. He liked the place so much that he brought back the director Tony Scott with him on his next visit.

Why did Maverick get thrown out of the bar? ›

Penny then rings the bell on the bar to signal that Maverick has welched on the bill, leading to Hangman, Payback and Fanboy (who don't know who Maverick is at this point) lifting him and literally tossing him from the bar. Their reaction when Maverick turns up as their instructor the next day is priceless.

Can Tom Cruise fly a jet? ›

It's not just a stunt for Top Gun: Cruise is actually an experienced pilot who's been in possession of a professional license since 1994. In an interview with James Corden, Cruise mentioned that he has a flying license for several types of aeroplane, including fighter jets and commercial flights.

Did Tom Cruise Fly Top Gun: Maverick? ›

While they might not have actually hit the throttle and handled the joysticks, Cruise did insist that they actually go up into the air, albeit as passengers, not pilots. Ergo, he put the ensemble of Top Gun candidates through an intensive training course in the run-up to production.

How were the flying scenes in Top Gun: Maverick filmed? ›

The unique Phenom 300E is owned by Jonathan Spano, a Long Beach aviation entrepreneur and stunt pilot. Spano modified his aircraft to carry two gyro-stabilized camera systems to film "Top Gun: Maverick.” That way, they could use two combinations of lenses to shoot the same flight sequences.

Did Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer get along? ›

Director Joseph Kosinski says Cruise and Kilmer, the two Hollywood vets, had “tears in their eyes" as they shot Iceman's farewell. “Tom and I get along really well,” Kilmer writes. “We giggled like little kids in school between takes. I consider him a real friend.

What did Tom Cruise get paid for the new Top Gun? ›

Cruise took a smaller upfront payment — just $13 million, according to a previous Variety report — in exchange for a richer backend deal, in which he gets a cut of the movie's ticket sales. "Maverick" has made $1.24 billion at the worldwide box office, including $620 million in the US, with no signs of slowing down.

How much money will Tom Cruise make from Top Gun 2? ›

Tom Cruise has earned himself a massive payday. The actor, 60, is expected to earn a whopping $100 million or more salary from Top Gun: Maverick, according to a new report from Variety.

Where were the snow scenes filmed Maverick? ›

Tom Cruise has been busy filming the Top Gun sequel since September, 32 years after the original action movie was released. According to the Daily Mail, the actor, 56, transformed into Maverick once again, as he got to work on set to film at Lake Tahoe, in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, on Dec.

What ship was Top Gun filmed 2022? ›

During late August, a 15-person film crew from Paramount and Bruckheimer Films were aboard the Norfolk-based aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to shoot flight deck operations. In mid-February 2019, Cruise and the production crew were sighted on board USS Theodore Roosevelt at NAS North Island.

How old was Tom Cruise when he filmed Maverick? ›

Nearly 36 years after the original film, a sequel to Top Gun was released. Top Gun: Maverick made it clear that Tom Cruise's glory days are not behind him yet. The actor was 59 years old when Top Gun: Maverick was released, and not much has changed since 1986.

What part of Top Gun was filmed in Lake Tahoe? ›

In fact, during December of 2018, mega-star Tom Cruise was filming a pivotal winter action scene for Top Gun: Maverick aka Top Gun 2 in Washoe Meadows State Park. This relatively small state park is located in South Lake Tahoe, and happens to be in my (figurative) backyard.

What ship was Top Gun filmed 2022? ›

During late August, a 15-person film crew from Paramount and Bruckheimer Films were aboard the Norfolk-based aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to shoot flight deck operations. In mid-February 2019, Cruise and the production crew were sighted on board USS Theodore Roosevelt at NAS North Island.

Where was the last scene of Top Gun filmed? ›

The club exterior and the graduation scene with the swimming pool at the end of the movie were filmed at the Island Club at the Naval Station North Island in Coronado. What is this? However, the interior was filmed at the Lafayette Hotel in University Heights, San Diego.

Are Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer friends? ›

Thirty-six years on, Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise are still the best of pals (or, if they're anything like their Top Gun duo, frenemies — but probably not…)

How much did Tom Cruise make for Top Gun: Maverick? ›

While talking about the cast, we already know how much Tom Cruise made through Top Gun Maverick, it is $20 million but he took home a huge cheque of $100 million as Cruise also earns from the box office profits.

Is Top Gun still at Miramar? ›

Its location: not in cali anymore. Yes, TOPGUN was once in California, but not anymore. The school was founded at Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego and remained there for several years after the movie "Top Gun" came out.

Can Tom Cruise fly a jet? ›

It's not just a stunt for Top Gun: Cruise is actually an experienced pilot who's been in possession of a professional license since 1994. In an interview with James Corden, Cruise mentioned that he has a flying license for several types of aeroplane, including fighter jets and commercial flights.

Did Tom Cruise Fly Top Gun: Maverick? ›

While they might not have actually hit the throttle and handled the joysticks, Cruise did insist that they actually go up into the air, albeit as passengers, not pilots. Ergo, he put the ensemble of Top Gun candidates through an intensive training course in the run-up to production.

Is Penny's house the same as Charlie in Top Gun? ›

Is Penny's house in Maverick also Charlie's house in Top Gun? They both have charming homes by the sea in the San Diego area but they are different. Charlie's note to Maverick in Top Gun said she lived at 100 Laurel Beach – a bungalow that is now a pie shop and tourist attraction; Penny's house number is 391.

Did they actually fly the planes in Top Gun? ›

But here's something you may not know-the actors aren't actually flying. They're sitting behind military pilots who are. The scenes look real, because they are. The movie's creators made sure of it, by having all the actors go through three months of rigorous training to avoid air sickness.

Was Top Gun filmed on the USS Ranger? ›

In early 1985, Ranger was used to film some interior scenes for the film Top Gun. In 1986, the ship stood in for USS Enterprise (CVN-65) for scenes filmed for Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.

Was Top Gun filmed on a real aircraft carrier? ›

Here's What Was Used: The aircraft carrier shots in the film movie were filmed on the USS Enterprise, and some of the planes used were F-14 squadron jets, including the VF-114 “Aardvarks” and the VF-213 “Black Lions” planes, according to the book TOPGUN DAYS: Dogfighting, Cheating Death, and Hollywood Glory as One of ...

Is the hard deck a real bar in San Diego? ›

F-14s are (mostly) replaced with F/A-18s, Maverick's G-1 jacket is replaced with a CWU, and the Kansas City BBQ is replaced with The Hard Deck Bar. While the bar depicted in the film is a set, it is heavily inspired by a famous Navy bar that actually resides at Naval Air Station North Island.

Where is the bar in Maverick movie? ›

The place he took them was the I-Bar on Naval Station North Island, and they all fell in love with the place, including star Tom Cruise. They loved it so much, it became the inspiration for the bar in the film.

What airport was used in Top Gun? ›

Well, 'TOPGUN' base (it's actually one word), is Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego. You can tour the facility.

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