Back To The Future Filming Locations - Part 1 - Seeing

Part 2

Actual Southern California locations where "Back to the Future" was filmed. .[ Click here for an interactive MAP of all B.T.T.F. locations!].

We then see 'Marty' skateboarding down his home street, past those aging "Lyon Estates" gates.

You can see those actual gates on display during the Universal Studios tram tour. In the real world, Marty's home street is a long way from both Whittier & Burbank.

It's Roslyndale Avenue, a working class street in the Pacoima/Arleta area of the San Fernando Valley.

But although Marty's house is on Roslyndale Avenue, the aerial shot of the street where he's skateboarding (see above) was actually shot three streets west of Roselyndale, looking southeast down Sandusky Avenue, from the corner of Sandusky & Kagel Canyon Street.

Here's a GoogleStreetView of the same street.

Here's a shot looking northwest up Roslyndale Avenue in 2009: (from Steve Mynott)

Marty's family home (circa 1985) is located at 9303 Roslyndale Avenue, in Arleta, CA.

(Look for that giant electrical towers behind the home.) (This is a private home, do not trespass on their property or disturb the residents!)

And below is a 2009 shot of the same house, from Steve.

Here's a matching Google StreetView of the house, towers and all.

Having received a phone call from 'Doc Brown' (Christopher Lloyd), asking him to meet him at night at the "Twin Pines Mall", 'Marty' shows up there and is introduced to Doc's time-traveling DeLorean...

(...and some hostile Libyan terrorists who try to kill them both).

This is indeed a real mall. (Only the sign is fake.) But it's nowhere near Marty's home.

It is actually the Puente Hills Mall, located 40 miles to the east, in the City of Industry.

The exact address is 1600 Azusa Ave., City of Industry, CA. You'll find it right next to the Pomona (60) Freeway, at the Azuza Ave. exit.

(The mall looks more or less the same today.)

'Marty' and 'Doc' successfully test out the time-traveling Delorean in the mall's parking lot, then are suddenly attacked by angry, machine-gun-toting Libyan terrorists, who shoot 'Doc'.

In order to escape, 'Marty' jumps into the DeLorean and tries to outrun them. In the process, he accidentally drives back in time 30 years, to the year 1955.

These scenes were shot in the mall parking lot of on the south side of the Puente Hills mall, with the camera looking north towards what was then a JC Penny store.

(That JC Penny store seen in these scenes is now a 24-Hour Fitness gym.)

You'll find the mall's official website at http://www.puentehills-mall.com

And here are two shots Steve took of the Puente Hill mall (after dark & in the daytime) in 2009:

Here is a matching Google StreetView of the mall.

Finding himself back in the past, Marty first crashes into an old barn (above) that's actually located behind the gates of Disney's Golden Oak Ranch (off 19802 Placerita Canyon Road, in Newhall, CA.)

(It's a movie ranch, which is off-limits to visitors, so don't bother trying to go there.) Marty then discovers the stone "Lyon Estates" gates (below) that will mark the entrance to his home street in 1985. In 1955, however, it's just empty land.

And empty farm land isn't easy to find in modern L.A. So, unfortunately, the scene was shot way out in the town of Chino, CA (which is southeast of Pomona).

The land is just north of the small Prado Airpark, and south of a women's prison (and the larger Chino Airport), at approximately 7550 Cucamonga Ave., in Chino, CA.

The GPS coordinates are approximately 33°56'07.9"N 117°37'59.8"W

It's about 60 miles southeast of Universal Studios and, suffice it to say, it's not worth the hour-long drive.

Here is an aerial view of the land.

( The prop Lyon gates, of course, are no longer there, but are on display at Universal Studios Hollywood. )

'Marty' then discovers 1955 Hill Valley, a much cleaner and brighter place than the run-down 1985 town he has left behind.

Naturally, we are back at Universal Studios, on the Courthouse Square set.

The set has been "redressed" in brighter colors, new signs and vintage shops (e.g. the 'aerobics studio' is now 'Lou's malt shop').

As we previously mentioned, you'll pass this well-know outdoor set on the Universal Studios tram tour.

After spotting his young father in the malt shop, and realizing he's a hapless nerd, Marty follows him, and finds him up a tree (with binoculars) peeping on his future wife (Marty's mother), via the bedroom window on the second floor of her 1955 family home.

Later, Marty tracks his Dad down to his 1955 home, but his offer of help is not welcomed (forcing Marty to disguise himself as a spaceman and 'invade' his Dad's room to convince him).

Both his young Mom's and his young Dad's homes are real houses, and both are located on the same block, and on the same (west ) side of the street.

His Mom's house (above) is located at 1727 Bushnell Ave., in South Pasadena.

His Dad's house (below) is located just to the north, at 1711 Bushnell Ave.

(These are private homes, do not trespass on their property or disturb the residents!)

South Pasadena is located about 17 miles southeast of Universal City, and about 5 miles southeast of Doc's Gamble House.

Here is a Google StreetView of the house.

More "Back to the Future" Locations! Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 3

The photos on this page are stills from the DVD of "Back to the Future" (which you can buy by clicking here) and are copyright Universal Pictures.

The rest of the page is Copyright © 1999-2024-Gary Wayne / Seeing-Stars.com