October 2017 – We never know what we’ll see when we poke our head out of our trailer in the boondocks at night, especially near a ghost town out west. Around the end of October, things can get a little spooky!
Who’s that flying by?(Our friend Bob spotted her – thank you!)
We were camping near Kanab, Utah, a place that was once known as “Little Hollywood” because so many western movies were shot there. Quite a few movie sets still remain in the area, and we explored the Johnson Canyon movie set.
Visiting the movie set at Johnson Canyon made for a fun little adventure.
Episodes of the TV show Gunsmoke were shot on this set!
Camermen and casts from TV’s Gunsmoke and many other TV shows worked on this set for years. It’s hard to imagine the commotion and excitement of those glamorous days. Now the buildings are falling apart.
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Many of the buildings have been removed since its heyday as a movie set, and the few that remain are very dilapidated.
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Stormy skies and fast moving clouds added to the mysterious air of this abandoned ghost town.
What’s odd about this place is that even though it was never a real town, it is very much a ghost town today. A rusty old stove stands forlorn among the tall grasses and fallen walls lie against a brick chimney.
Some scenes were shot inside, so there’s an old stove from the movie days rusting away in a field.
Dilapidated walls lean against a lone brick chimney.
During our stay in the area, the nights were clear and crisp, and the full moon faded away. The bright stars of the Milky Way glittered in the sky all night long.
One night Mark announced that he was going to take his camera out to the movie set ghost town and see if he could get some cool and spooky pics. Sure enough, while I was snuggled under the blankets in the wee hours of the morning, he got some real winners!
Mark braved the very cold night air to experience the ghouls and goblins of this ghost town under the stars.
If the ghost town was alluring by day, it was even more so by night.
Using a small flashlight to “light paint” the buildings in the dark and a big one so he could get from building to building without tripping in the pitch dark, he captured the ghost town buildings at their most mysterious!
Haunted house.
Very mysterious!
It was cold, and a light wind raised the hair on the back of his neck. Coyotes yelped in the distance. As he looked around, he saw pairs of eyes staring at him in the dark. A twig snapped in a tree next to him and he jumped!
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Despite being a little unnerved, Mark’s camera captured one great image after another. The photo above won him “Photo of the Day” at Steve’s Digicam today! Check it out here!!
What ghouls and goblins are living there?
This is a spooky place at night!
It turned out the eyes belonged to cows that were milling around, but he still got the creeps. When he burst in the trailer door a few hours later, a rush of cold air followed him. He was grinning, but his teeth were chattering too. It’s scary out there!!
Happy Halloween!!
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More info about the Johnson Canyon Movie Sets:
- Johnson Canyon Movie Sets – History and location
- Gunsmoke Movie Set – Visit Southern Utah website
- RV Parks near Kanab, Utah – RV Park Reviews
- Location of Johnson Canyon Movie Set – Interactive Google Maps
Other ghost towns we’ve seen in our travels:
- Terlingua, Texas – A Living Ghost Town in Big Bend
- Nevada City, MT – Rebuilding History in a Vanished Ghost Town
- Virginia City, MT – Living History in a Ghost Town
Utah is a gorgeous state. Here’s a link to all of our Utah blog posts:
Here’s a few posts from southwestern Utah in particular:
- Zion NP, Kodachrome Basin & Snow Canyon, UT – Great Red Rocks!
- Zion National Park’s Hidden Jewels – Off the Beaten Path in an RV!
- Zion National Park RV Trip – One AWESOME Canyon!
- Zion National Park “West” RV Trip – Gorgeous Kolob Canyons!
- Utah Scenic Byway 12 RV Trip – Driving An All American Road!
Photography is an ideal complement to RV travel. Here are some tips:
Photography Gear, Resources and Learning Tools
Our most recent posts:
- Beehive Trail in Arizona – A “Mini Wave” hike by Lake Powell 07/19/24
- Reese Goose Box Review: 20K Gen 3 TESTED + How to Hitch 06/27/24
- Lake Powell – Heart of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area 05/10/24
- Quick Release Pull Pins for Fifth Wheel Landing Jacks – YES! 05/03/24
- Sheep May Safely Graze (in the Mountains with Dogs!) 04/26/24
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Nice to be first to comment on those fantastic shots! (as usual from you two) I loved those night shots and the stars.
Thanks, Pete! There’s nothing like a starry sky!!
My family settled that canyon and I have to say those shots were so beautiful and looked like paintings! Great captures!!!
How totally cool that your ancestors settled this area, Cindy. What fascinating lives they must have lived. It is such rugged and beautiful country. And we’re delighted Mark’s pics put a smile on your face. I agree, they look like paintings. Thank you for stopping by!
Wow, the lighting on the night images is really creative and brings out very cool dimensions!
Thank you, Tom. Using a flashlight outside and an LED candle inside the buildings gave them a wonderfully haunted look… very fun!
Belated Happy Halloween! Thanks to Mark for braving the cold, experimenting with unusual lighting for those haunting shots and to the creative “ghost writer” (sorry, couldn’t resist the pun !!).
Picturesque as the set is, amazed authorities would permit the film crew to abandon it to disintegrate…just sayin’….
Very funny! In the old days Hollywood was very cavalier about building sets and leaving without picking up after themselves. This particular set was used for many films and TV shows, and I’m sure it was adapted for each production and went through many changes and updates. I’m not sure what the story was when it eventually fell into disuse, but there are old movie sets all over the west just like this one that are crumbling. Some become a tourist attraction and others just turn into piles of old weathered lumber!
-The Ghost Writer
What a great post, and Mark’s photo shoot, wow!! Nice job.
Thank you very much, Laura.
Hi Folks, I really enjoy your photos and information on the places you visit !!!
You enjoy the same kind of places that I do. I visited Kanab in 2013 and have it on my list of places to visit again. I went to the place in town that has several old movie set buildings that have been restored and they have people in costume. It was a big tourist place with a bus load of Germans that they dressed up in western costumes as Cowboys and Indians.
I was passing through and only stayed one night in the area but it’s such an interesting pace I plan to go back in the spring. Now that I have an RV I plan to stay for several days and visit some of the old ghost towns in the area. I started a YouTube channel and have several east coast drone videos. I hope to start my RV journey in about a month or so starting on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and travel to the Pacific coast. As I travel I want to do a Vlog of the journey so if you have any suggestions please let me know. Thanks !!!
Kanab is a wonderful area and I’m sure you’ll enjoy your return visit when you get there in your RV. We’ve loved all of our travels in America, and your trek from North Carolina to the west coast will undoubtedly traverse some beautiful spots. Our travels are organized by state in the menu system, so if you are curious about places we’ve seen on your route, whether its a northern route or southern route, check those out. It’s all good. Have fun making videos on your trip — what a blast!
Wow, great shots! What a fun place to visit….that is now going on our list of “must sees”. We are new to RVing and have decided to go fulltime in a few years. This will make a great stop for us; thank you for sharing!
Thank you for reading and appreciating, Renetta. Enjoy your travels and have fun launching your new lifestyle!