Twin Peaks Filming Locations Map from the Series (1990-2017)

“Welcome to Twin Peaks. My name is Margaret Lanterman. I live in Twin Peaks. I am known as the Log Lady. There is a story behind that. There are many stories in Twin Peaks. Some of them are sad, some funny. Some of them are stories of madness, of violence. Some are ordinary. Yet they all have about them a sense of mystery – the mystery of life. Sometimes, the mystery of death. The mystery of the woods. The woods surrounding Twin Peaks. To introduce this story, let me just say it encompasses the all – it is beyond the “fire”, though few would know that meaning. It is a story of many, but begins with one – and I knew her.
The one leading to the many is Laura Palmer. Laura is the one.”

In the first episode broadcast on April 8, 1990 by the U.S. television channel ABC, one of the most bizarre characters of the series, Mrs. Stump, uses these words to introduce the events that shortly thereafter would have millions of people glued to the screen. Viewers around the world were asking just one question: “Who killed Laura Palmer?“.

Needless to say, this masterful work, created by David Lynch and Mark Frost, marked an era and influenced television forever. It was a real craze. The series was broadcast in two seasons, between 1990 and 1991. A year later, the movie Fire Walk with Me, a prequel to the series, was released. Twenty-five years after the events narrated in the last episode, FBI special agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) returned to Twin Peaks for the third season; television-wise, the most anticipated event of 2017.

Where was Twin Peaks filmed?

Alert: Spoilers! Most likely if you’re reading this article you’ve already seen Twin Peaks but, if not, keep in mind that if you continue reading the article you may encounter major spoilers!

The intrigues and mysteries that surround the town are set mainly in the State of Washington, almost on the border with Canada. In these spooky places, high mountain ranges covered with thick forests of sycamores and Douglas firs dominate the sublime landscape. Michael Horse, the actor who plays the role of Deputy Sheriff Hawk, describes the locations that served as a backdrop to the famous sequences this way:

“It’s like being in one of David’s paintings. It’s like being in a living painting. There’s still parts of it that I don’t get. The Hawk gets all of it. Hawk understands all of it. I wish I was as intuitive as that character. And [series co-creator Frost] understands it. Mark is very in tune to my culture. We’ve had long discussions about what native people believe, especially up in that area. We believe in the power of nature. There are sacred holy places up in that area.”

The images of the places used as Twin Peaks in the TV series actually belong to several towns and various locations. As already mentioned, the most striking and characterizing ones are located in the state of Washington, precisely, in the counties around the dynamic and productive Seattle. However, many sequences were shot in California; despite the use of more southern locations distant from the Cascades mountain range, the production still managed to convey the same eerie and spiritual mood to the photography that only the immense forests of North America can instill, with the fronds moved by constant winds and the large primitive trunks, can instill.

Twin Peaks Locations Map

Kiana Lodge and the Other Locations of Poulsbo

The central story begins with the discovery of the body of the young and attractive Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lynn Lee). One morning, on leaving his house for a quiet fishing trip, the naive Pete Martell (Jack Nance), husband of the more diabolical Catherine Packard (Piper Laurie), catches sight of a body wrapped in a plastic sheet on the beach next to the (1) large tree trunk.

It is the good sheriff Harry Truman (Michael Ontkean) and the town doctor Will Hayward (Warren Frost) who recognize the unmistakable face of the Twin Peaks queen and daughter of the respectable lawyer Leland Palmer (Ray Wise). We are in Poulsbo, on the property of the lovely resort Kiana Lodge. This hotel, in addition to lending the stretch of shoreline for the opening scene, also offered its interiors to represent those of the (2) Great Northern Hotel and the (3) Packard home, the Blue Pine Lodge.

Over the years, the resort has been partially renovated, but the indigenous character still fully survives. The murals on the wooden walls in the Native Coastal Art style, created by local artist Duane Pasco, are perhaps the most easily recognizable elements. The stone fireplaces, reception desk, tribal totem pole and other distinctive wooden furnishings that serve as the backdrop for the many scenes filmed in the Great Northern Hotel are also still there.

FBI Agent Cooper stays in these rooms throughout his stay in the city. Summarizing his first day to Diane (the colleague he turns to for all audio recordings) he confides that inside his room: “A hint of Douglas fir needles in the air”. Also, every morning at breakfast, he is accustomed to enjoying a cup of hot black coffee, which, as he confides to a waitress, “You know, this is – excuse me – a damn fine cup of coffee. I’ve had I can’t tell you how many cups of coffee in my life, and this – this is one of the best”.

Laura Palmer House (Monroe and Everett)

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Monroe and Everett are home to the two upper-class homes used to represent the Palmer family mansion externally: in the first two seasons, the (4) house near Monroe at 534 S. Lewis Street was used. In the third season and the prequel “Fire Walk With Me,” the (5) house in the town of Everett at 708 33rd Street was used.

The latter was the scene of every interior scene that appeared throughout the seasons. It is here that one could relive the distressing experience of Laura Palmer’s mother, Sarah (Grace Zabriskie), as she watches the sinister staircase leading to the sleeping quarters and Laura’s bedroom, or when she surprises the evil supernatural being Bob (Frank Silva) crawling into her living room. As for all the private properties that will be mentioned below, it is useful to remember how it is extremely annoying for the residents to be disturbed, even if, as in this case, they are now accustomed to tourists who steal fleeting shots of the most infamous home in the series.

The Roadhouse and the Bookhouse

The Bang Bang Bar, more commonly known to Twin Peaks residents only as the Roadhouse, is a popular venue for bikers, couples in love, and live music lovers. In the first episode of the series, disobeying curfew, Donna Hayward (Lara Flynn Boyle) sneaks into the Roadhouse Bar and despite herself causes a fight between some patrons, including Bobby Briggs (Dana Ashbrook)and Mike Nelson (Gary Hershberger). The exterior of the town’s favorite bar is that of the (6) Fall City Roadhouse Restaurant and Inn, at 4200 Preston-Fall City Road. Today, this eatery is operating at full capacity, and in addition to offering a few overnight rooms, serves succulent meat dishes.

The interiors, captured in multiple scenes, were recreated ad hoc and shot primarily at the Raisbeck Performance Hall at Seattle’s Cornish College of the Arts (1000 Lenora Street, Seattle). Among the many live performances that frequently end the episodes, there is the one interrupted by the Giant (Carel Struycken) who appears in a vision to Agent Cooper, warning him that: “It is happening again. It is happening again.” In a 2017 episode of the series, introduced by his real name, Edward Louis Severson, Eddie Vedder also delivers a performance from the Roadhouse stage that is attended by the rejuvenated Audrey Horne (Sherilyn Fenn), before entertaining the audience with his persuasive dance to the notes of the instrumental track composed by Angelo Badalamenti (“Audrey’s Dance”), for the original series.

When Dale Cooper is made aware of the existence of Twin Peaks’ secret society, “The Bookhouse Boys,” its members, that include “Big” Ed Hurley (Everett McGill) and Sheriff Harry S. Truman (Michael Ontkean) among others, take him to their hideout, called simply Bookhouse, where “the owls are not what they seem.” While the exterior of the hideout is an ornate version of the (7) small building adjacent to the Fall City Roadhouse, the interior was shot at the popular bar and restaurant (28) The Old Place, at 29983 Mulholland Hwy, Agoura Hills, Cornell in California (part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area). At this venue, an antique bar in the center of the restaurant serves as a giant dining table. Seating at the bar is assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, and the restaurant writes of itself that: “The soul of our kitchen is our grill, which burns local red oak”.

Big Ed’s Gas Farm

The couple formed by Big Ed and Nadine Hurley (Wendy Robie) has as their only glue the guilt of the man who, years earlier on their honeymoon, caused her an accident that forced her to wear a permanent patch on her left eye. He is also the owner of a garage that also supplies gasoline, (8) Big Ed’s Gas Farm, located in Preston, at 8606 Preston-Fall City Road, now unfortunately replaced by another business. Right next door, at 31002 86th Street, stands (9) Ed and Nadine’s House. Unlike the gas station, this house is identical to how it was immortalized in the nineties. Looking out the window on the south side, it’s not hard to imagine the cyclopean homeowner pulling at her living room curtains in an attempt to examine the actual noise.

Snoqualmie Twin Peaks Filming Locations

This town of about 7000 inhabitants is perhaps the one with the most settings in the series. The urban center is famous above all for the (10) Snoqualmie Falls, a majestic 270-feet high waterfall that appears permanently in the opening theme song showing all its magnificence. The best way to observe it is to take the short path that starts at the bottom and goes up to the upper observation deck. From here you can enjoy the best view of both the rapids and the (11) Salish Lodge & Spa, a spectacular hotel that lent its profile to the exterior of the Great Northern Hotel, owned by Benjamin Horne (Richard Beymer) and Jerry Horne (David Patrick Kelly).

Book a room at Salish Lodge (Great Northern Hotel)

Today, the upscale resort, located at 6501 Railroad Avenue, remains a landmark among luxury hotels throughout the Pacific Northwest. Inside Railroad Community Park, one can find the (12) Snoqualmie Centennial Log, the large tree trunk that appears in the program’s opening theme song. Today, the wood is protected by a permanent structure to preserve its condition and to prevent some fanatical tourists from climbing it for a souvenir photo.

In a scene cut from the first episode, Cooper and Sheriff Truman talk in front of the (13) gazebo that can still be found in the southern part of the park. The gazebo that appears in the first two seasons of the series, is instead the one located at the Malibou Lake Mountain Club in Agoura Hills, California. Unfortunately, the structure used as a set to depict the scene where Cooper spends a day of leisure with Annie Blackburn (Heather Graham) or the one in which Donna Hayward (Lara Flynn Boyle), Laura’s cousin (Sheryl Lee) and James Hurley (James Marshall) set up a trap for Dr. Jacoby (Russ Tamblyn), was destroyed in a fire in November 2018.

Right next door to Snoqualmie’s gazebo, at 38600 SE King Street, we find (14) Smokey Joe’s Tavern, the actual name of the pub called Elk’s Point Bar #9 in the third season of Twin Peaks. At this establishment, one of the key plot sequences involving the now elderly Sarah Palmer takes place. While enjoying a Bloody Mary at the bar, Laura’s mother encounters a rude and abusive trucker who disturbs her peace of mind. Smokey Joe’s represents the classic American Dive Bar at its best: small, old-fashioned, cheap drinks, dim lighting, dated decor, pool room, neon beer signs, cash-only payment, and local clientele.

The banks of the small town of Snoqualmie, crossed by the river of the same name, are joined by numerous links. In Twin Peaks, (15) Meadowbrook Bridge and the pedestrian (16) Reinig Bridge appear. The first one is well portrayed in the last episode broadcast, when Agent Cooper, in an emblematic night in reference to the story told so far, returns to the city. The second bridge, on the other hand, is much more famous because, suspended at a height of about 100 feet, the dirty and dazed Ronette Pulaski (Phoebe Augustine) tries with difficulty to return home following the train tracks in a state of complete shock. Ronette in fact was the only direct witness to the murder of Laura Palmer and, together with her friend, suffered terrible violence on the night.

Beyond Reinig Bridge, we come across the famous intersection (17) Sparkwood & 21, the place where Laura, took her leave of James by jumping off his Harley Davidson just a few hours before losing her life. The intersection well portrayed in the movie “Fire Walk with Me”, is actually formed by SE Reining Road with 396 Drive SE.

Following the latter road north we find the (18) Twin Peaks Sheriff’s Department, the police station where much of the investigation takes place and where, every morning, the precinct officers gorge themselves on a hundred donuts lovingly arranged by the sweet dispatcher, Lucy Moran (Kimmy Robertson), on the large meeting table. This building actually belongs to Dirt Fish, a school for rally drivers.

A little further on from the building, just beyond the parking lot of the same name, you can find the ruins of (19) Weyerhaeuser Mill, an old sawmill also used in Twin Peaks to represent the Packard company owned by Josie (Joan Chen), ex-wife of the late Andrew Packard. Anyone passing through these parts can’t help but snap a photo with the “twin peaks” as a backdrop right where the famous sign (20) “Welcome to Twin Peaks” stood. There for filming only, the clearing on which the road sign announcing the entrance to the town was placed is located at 41433-41699 SE Reinig Rd.

A little further out of town, heading south at 8304 372nd Place SE, the home used for the exteriors of Leo and Shelly Johnson’s (21) house is still standing. Along the lush street, it’s not hard to relive the fear of Bobby and Shelly (Mädchen Amick), secret lovers, on seeing the truck of the tough and aggressive Leo (Eric Da Re), one of the main suspects in the murder of Laura Palmer, unexpectedly parked next to the house.

The last location in Snoqualmie is (22) Snoqualmie Point Park, a beautiful place used as a setting for the picnic attended by friends James, Donna and Laura, a few weeks before the latter’s death. The motorcyclist shoots the friends having fun and dancing on the hill overlooking the beautiful valley with his camera.

North Bend Filming Locations

North Bend‘s absolute attraction is (23) Twede’s Cafe/Double R Diner, the bar and restaurant owned by the lovely Norma Jennings (Peggy Lipton). The protagonists of the series take turns incessantly on the stools and tables of this diner, enjoying the delicious cups of coffee and fresh fruit pies. The greedy Agent Cooper, after having tasted the first cherry pie, orders the waitress to bring”Two more pieces of this incredible pie”, because “this must be where pies go when they die!”. Twede’s cafe, located at 137 North Bend Way, was used for both interior and exterior shots.

You can see a significant makeover in the decor between the first two seasons and the last one in 2017, but the delicacies the kitchen offers have remained the same. The pie has been renamed “Twin Peaks cherry pie” and the coffee as “A damn fine cup o’ coffee!”, a famous phrase of the charismatic protagonist. The (24) traffic lights that regulate the traffic on the intersection on which the restaurant stands, are those that Lynch most often uses allegorically in the transition between the succession of sequences.

Olallie State Park Locations

“Two-hundred, fifty-three yards east of Jack Rabbit’s Palace. Before leaving Jack Rabbits Palace put some soil from that area in your pocket”. Only Officer Bobby Briggs can decipher the riddle written twenty-five years earlier by his father, Major Briggs (Don S. Davis), to guide the officers in finding Cooper. The strange place described on a tiny piece of paper, (25) Jack Rabbit’s Palace, is in fact where he and his father used to spend time together during his childhood.

The severed tree trunk referred to in the mysterious note is located along the Weeks Falls Trail (47°26’09.6″N 121°39’12.7″W) in the large Olallie State Park on the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains. The park offers many other hiking trails and a landscape full of mighty waterfalls, lush forests, sweeping views and close contact with the incessant and rushing motion of the Snoqualmie River (South Fork). On the banks of the river itself, not far from Jack Rabbit’s Palace, you can find the exact point (47°26’12.0″N 121°39’14.7″W) where the murderer lays the lifeless body of Laura Palmer in the water, giving it up to the river’s current. This terrifying scene is shown in the prequel to the Fire Walk With Me series.

Twin Peaks Locations California

The main sacred and symbolic places that came out of the brilliant minds of Lynch and Frost, curiously enough, are located in California, several miles away from the settings that are most characteristic of the narrated story.

In the second season, a decisive step forward in the mysterious investigations conducted by Agent Cooper occurs thanks to the discovery of (27) Owl Cave, the ancient cave ruled by owls and significant for the Native American rock carvings carved on the stone walls. Owl Cave is actually Bronson Cave located in the Canyon of the same name at 3200 Canyon Drive in Los Angeles. The cave is located in the southwest section of Griffith Park, and is easily accessible from Hollywood.

Dwarves, giants, spirits, doppelgängers, and devils pass in succession through the mysterious, kaleidoscopic black lodge, whose red-draped entrance is only revealed when the stars of Jupiter and Saturn are conjoined. The entry point is in the fictitious (28) Glastonbury Grove, a place in the woods around Twin Peaks, marked by a circular pool containing a thick, black substance similar to burnt oil and surrounded by twelve sycamores. In reality, this metaphysical point is located at Franklin Canyon Park, Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority (34°07’18.5 “N 118°24’35.5 “W), in the hills north of Beverly Hills.

Where to Stay to Fit the Itinerary

The main city on the itinerary is Seattle, which is generally no more than half an hour’s drive from the main destinations in Washington State, with the exception of Poulsbo which, being across the bay, will take about an hour and a quarter to get to (and taking the ferry will not shorten the time significantly). Poulsbo can be a good choice if you don’t want to go back to Seattle after seeing all the locations, but want to go to the Olympic National Park or the Pacific coast.

Our advice on where to stay in Seattle

As for the locations in California, the city of reference is Los Angeles, since all the places in the series were shot within the county of the same name. To look for accommodation in the city, please refer to our specific advice:

Our advice on where to stay in Los Angeles