Back to the Future: 5 Locations from the 80s Cult Saga Every Fan Should Visit

Since 1985, Back to the Future has not only been a cinematic success: it has become a true cultural phenomenon, capable of redefining the collective imagination of time travel . The adventures of Marty McFly and the brilliant, crazy Doc Brown have crossed eras, generations and memorable scenarios, leaving behind them not only iconic quotes and jokes, but also a trail of places that have become legendary for fans. Behind the temporal paradoxes, skateboard chases and crazy inventions, there is a trilogy that has been able to tell the story of time with intelligence, irony and heart. And while the DeLorean sped between the past and the future, real, tangible locations came to life in the background, which can still be visited today.

Written by Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis , the Back to the Future saga overcame production hurdles, controversial casting choices, and years of waiting before exploding at the box office in the summer of '85. The rest is history. Or rather: it's cinema history . Today, in our present, there's something fascinating about returning to those places where time, for a moment, stopped. So, without the need for a channeling flow, let's set off on a journey to discover 5 real locations where some of the most iconic scenes of the trilogy were filmed.

Marty's High School Prom

The school attended by Marty McFly and young George McFly is actually Whittier High School , located in the town of the same name southeast of Los Angeles. Even today, the building maintains its original facade with the classic entrance and stairs that are seen in various scenes of the film. Walking in front of those doors makes you feel like you are about to enter a class with Professor Strickland. This is where one of the first scenes that inevitably comes to mind when thinking about this saga takes place: Michael J. Fox playing “ Johnny B. Goode ” at the prom. In the role of Marty, the young actor gives a performance full of energy, while the audience moves to the notes of a song that was not yet written in 1955. This scene leads Marty to say: “ I guess you're not ready yet. But your kids are going to love it .” It is a classic moment in which the cultural elements of the different periods of the trilogy transcend generations and leave their mark.

The famous clock in Courthouse Square

Few moments in cinematic history are as emotional as the lightning that strikes the clock tower in the first Back to the Future film. Between Doc tending to the cable and Marty speeding the DeLorean up to 88 miles per hour as midnight approaches, the scene is full of twists and turns and the stakes are high for both main characters. It's a satisfying moment for the characters and the audience, thanks in large part to the performances of Fox and Lloyd. Everything falls into place at just the right time: lightning strikes the clock tower, Doc connects the cable, and the DeLorean transports Marty back to 1985. The square with the famous clock tower is probably the most iconic location in the trilogy. This is the Courthouse Square , a permanent set inside Universal Studios Hollywood. Although it has been modified for other films and TV shows over the years, much of the original atmosphere has remained intact. Visiting this place is like literally entering the heart of Hill Valley.

Sierra Railroad

The beautiful, wide-open spaces of Jamestown , California are a picturesque setting for any Western. Keeping its railroad network alive and well has also paid off for the town, earning it the title of California Historical Landmark . Paying homage to one of the hidden-in-plain-sight details of Back to the Future Part II , the entire plot of Back to the Future Part III revolves around the mighty locomotives around which the town was built. Its lush, rural aesthetic has led to the town appearing in several productions, including the film Hidalgo (2004). Jamestown even has a museum where you can see the train from Back to the Future Part III and other props from the film.

The DeLorean in the parking lot of the Twin Pines Mall

The scene where Marty first travels in time with the DeLorean takes place in the parking lot of the Twin Pines Mall. This mall is a real mall called Puente Hills Mall , located in the town of Industry, California. Although the sign has changed, the building is easily recognizable to those who know the movie by heart. At night, it still has that suspended and cinematic atmosphere that made it famous. With only three main stores remaining and a series of burglaries, the mall could be considered in intensive care with little hope for its future.

In the Arizona desert

In the film Back to the Future Part III (1990), when Marty travels in time to 1885 and finds himself in the Old West, some of the scenic scenes with the DeLorean in the desert were filmed in Monument Valley , on the border between Arizona and Utah. This iconic place in the United States has been made famous by dozens of classic westerns , and offers breathtaking landscapes with its red rock formations. It is most visible in the scene where Marty is riding on horseback or walking in the desert landscape, trying to orient himself in the new time context. This was the ideal location for Doc Brown to take Marty back to 1885, with wide open spaces where he could reach 88 mph without being seen. It was also in the same place in 1885, immediately after being teleported back in time, that Marty encountered the Indians being chased by the US Army. The drive-in takes its name from the fictional Pohatchee Indian tribe that inhabited the area before the founding of Hill Valley.

Although much of the 1885 Western town of Hill Valley was reconstructed on a set in Northern California (Sonora), the Monument Valley filming served to give cinematic depth to the new Western setting. The set, built specifically in 1989, was dismantled and removed after the film's production. Monument Valley has been a set for numerous other films such as Stagecoach (1939) and The Searchers (1956), as well as Easy Rider (1969), and Forrest Gump (1994), to name a few.