Nomadland Filming Locations

Nomadland, the awards darling of 2021, paints an introspective portrait of a widowed nomad who travels the United States in a van after the Great Recession. Seemingly documentarian in its storytelling, the film’s ever-changing surroundings play as much of a role in Fern’s journey as the offbeat characters she meets. Nevada stars as the hometown from which Fern sets out, while South Dakota and California make appearances as brief stays on the road.

1. Black Rock Desert, Nevada
Fern’s hometown of Empire is an abandoned mining town situated in the heart of Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. The desolate townscape reflects loneliness and isolation on an otherworldly stretch of flat sand plains and red-banded cliffs, a familiar backdrop to the annual Burning Man festival. While you tour neighboring deserts like the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park, set up camp for a few nights at nearby Las Vegas, an ideal base for day-long desert adventures.

2. Badlands National Park, South Dakota
Later in her journey, Fern lingers in the Badlands of South Dakota where she works as a campground host before waitressing at the iconic Wall Drug truckstop known for its towering brontosaurus statue. Take a private day tour from Black Hills Tour Company to stop by for lunch and visit the historic Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, with views of grazing bison and desert sunscapes along the way.

3. Point Arena, California
Towards the end of the film, Fern arrives at the coast to visit a fellow traveler’s family home in Point Arena, a coastal city in the lush Mendocino County. Explore Point Arena Museum and Lighthouse, one of the area’s top attractions—a great picnic spot with gorgeous pelican sightings. Drive along the Mendocino Coastline for spectacular viewpoints of the North Pacific ocean roaring against cliffs, with the Travelers’ Choice Mendocino Coast Botanic Gardens just an hour away by car.