National Parks App Compiles a List of the Best Science-Fiction Landscapes To Visit (On Earth)

The Pocket Ranger Blog have put together a list of four national parks where major science-fiction movies have filmed in the U.S., in conjunction with their app which can help fans locate and navigate the parks. You can check out a Cliff's Notes version of the list below, or the full one at the link above, along with some photos provided by Pocket Ranger. On the list?

This awesomely named park located in the San Rafael Desert of Utah is notable for the thousands of mushroom-shaped hoodoo rocks that can be found there. When viewed from afar, the landscape of Goblin Valley very much resembles a place where you might find a goblin village. It's this quality that led to the 1999 Star Trek parody Galaxy Quest to be filmed there. The crew encounters many bizarre creatures, and Tim Allen's Captain Jason Nesmith even battles a giant composed entirely of the famous hoodoo rocks! Valley of Fire State Park (Nevada): This is the oldest state park in Nevada and is named for the beautiful red sandstone formations found on its 42,000 acres. Due to the uniqueness and brilliant red of the formations, Valley of Fire stood in for Mars in the exterior shots of the original Total Recall (top). This beautiful and barren location was also where Captain James T. Kirk met his demise in Star Trek Generations.

Red Rock Canyon State Park (Southern California): This state park features many unique and tributary canyons that are naturally painted multiple colors. These magnificent geological features and its close proximity to LA have made it an ideal filming location. Numerous movies and TV shows have been filmed here, dating all the way back to The Mummy in 1932. Since there are already multiple paleontology dig sites on the grounds, filming the dig scenes from Jurassic Park there was an easy choice. Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park (California): It is among the virgin redwoods of this park where Luke and Leia (Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher) evaded Imperial Forces on speeder bikes in the classic high-speed chase scene from Return of the Jedi. A number of other Endor scenes were also filmed here.