El Mirage Dry Lake
Encyclopedia
El Mirage Lake is a dry lake bed in the Mojave Desert
of San Bernardino County, California
. The lake is located about 9 miles (14.5 km) west-northwest of the town of Adelanto and 10 mi (16.1 km) north of Highway 18 in San Bernardino County.
The dry lake, which sits an approximate elevation of 2840 ft (865.6 m), is approximately 6 mi (9.7 km) long. El Mirage Lake is part of the El Mirage Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Recreation Area. It is also known to be an extremely popular filming location for automobile commercials. Permits for the Recreation Area can be purchased on-site, at local retailers, and now online. Annual Permits are $90, weekly Permits are $30, and daily permits are $15. Private aircraft may land on the lakebed.
For 50 years the lakebed has been used by the Southern California Timing Association for timed speed runs. The club also runs the Bonneville Salt Flats
speed runs.
In the movie Lethal Weapon
(1987), a famous scene in which officer Murtaugh (Danny Glover
) tries to get his kidnapped daughter back, is entirely filmed at El Mirage. In addition to being an attractive filming location, the unique flat terrain allowed the pilot of a Bell 206
Jetranger helicopter to perform a very difficult sideway landing at very low altitude and very high airspeed.
In Terminator 2: Judgment Day
(1991), Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton
), her son John (Edward Furlong
) and the Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger
) drive away from Los Angeles and South towards the border; this whole desert sequence was shot at the El Mirage lake. Most noticeably is the orange sunlight (very visible during Sarah's nuclear nightmare), and the sparse vegetation.
Shania Twain
's music video for "That Don't Impress Me Much
" was filmed at El Mirage as was the 1997 Star Wars mockumentary, Troops.
The plane chase sequence from Metallica
's I Disappear
music video was filmed at El Mirage in 2000.
Parts of Maverick
were filmed at this lake in 1994.
Josh Groban
shot photos and music video frames for his album, "Awake"
, including "February Song" and "You Are Loved
" here.
Shia LaBeouf
's cover of a July issue of Vanity Fair
was also shot here.
The opening sequence of the 80's T.V. show Knight Rider was filmed behind its Mountain Range.
Also, El Mirage is often a filming location selected for movies and television programs where high speed time trials are depicted. Examples of this are the jet car sequence from The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
, and a sequence in Herbie Fully Loaded.
El Mirage was also featured in the second episode of Top Gear USA's first season.
El Mirage was a filming location for Punishment Park.
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
of San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...
. The lake is located about 9 miles (14.5 km) west-northwest of the town of Adelanto and 10 mi (16.1 km) north of Highway 18 in San Bernardino County.
The dry lake, which sits an approximate elevation of 2840 ft (865.6 m), is approximately 6 mi (9.7 km) long. El Mirage Lake is part of the El Mirage Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Recreation Area. It is also known to be an extremely popular filming location for automobile commercials. Permits for the Recreation Area can be purchased on-site, at local retailers, and now online. Annual Permits are $90, weekly Permits are $30, and daily permits are $15. Private aircraft may land on the lakebed.
For 50 years the lakebed has been used by the Southern California Timing Association for timed speed runs. The club also runs the Bonneville Salt Flats
Bonneville Speedway
Bonneville Speedway is an area of the Bonneville Salt Flats near Wendover, Utah, that is marked out for motor sports. It is particularly noted as the venue for numerous land speed records....
speed runs.
In popular culture
gfdIn the movie Lethal Weapon
Lethal Weapon
Lethal Weapon is a 1987 American buddy cop action film and the first in a series of films, all directed by Richard Donner and starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as a mismatched pair of LAPD detectives, and Gary Busey as their primary adversary...
(1987), a famous scene in which officer Murtaugh (Danny Glover
Danny Glover
Danny Lebern Glover is an American actor, film director, and political activist. Glover is perhaps best known for his role as Detective Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film franchise.-Early life:...
) tries to get his kidnapped daughter back, is entirely filmed at El Mirage. In addition to being an attractive filming location, the unique flat terrain allowed the pilot of a Bell 206
Bell 206
The Bell 206 is a family of two-bladed, single- or twin-engine helicopters, manufactured by Bell Helicopter at its Mirabel, Quebec plant. Originally developed as the Bell YOH-4 for the United States Army's Light Observation Helicopter program, the 206 failed to be selected...
Jetranger helicopter to perform a very difficult sideway landing at very low altitude and very high airspeed.
In Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a 1991 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron and written by Cameron and William Wisher Jr.. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, and Edward Furlong...
(1991), Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton
Linda Hamilton
Linda Carroll Hamilton is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Sarah Connor in The Terminator and its sequel Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Catherine Chandler in the television series Beauty and the Beast, for which she was nominated for two Golden Globes and an Emmy...
), her son John (Edward Furlong
Edward Furlong
Edward Walter Furlong is an American actor whose best known film roles are John Connor in Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Daniel Vinyard in American History X. He is a two-time Saturn Award nominee, winning the 1992 Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor for his performance in...
) and the Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
) drive away from Los Angeles and South towards the border; this whole desert sequence was shot at the El Mirage lake. Most noticeably is the orange sunlight (very visible during Sarah's nuclear nightmare), and the sparse vegetation.
Shania Twain
Shania Twain
Shania Twain, OC is a Canadian country pop singer-songwriter. Her album The Woman in Me , brought her fame and her 1997 album Come On Over, became the best-selling album of all time by a female musician in any genre, and the best-selling country album of all time. It has sold over 40 million...
's music video for "That Don't Impress Me Much
That Don't Impress Me Much
That Don't Impress Me Much is a song by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was the sixth country single released from her 1997 album Come on Over. It was third to pop and fourth to international markets. The song was written by Robert John "Mutt" Lange and Shania Twain, and was originally released to...
" was filmed at El Mirage as was the 1997 Star Wars mockumentary, Troops.
The plane chase sequence from Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
's I Disappear
I Disappear
"I Disappear" is a song by the heavy metal band Metallica released as single only in Germany. The song was recorded as a contribution to the Mission: Impossible II Soundtrack and reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks for seven weeks in summer 2000. It does not appear on any of...
music video was filmed at El Mirage in 2000.
Parts of Maverick
Maverick (film)
Maverick is a 1994 Western comedy film based on the 1950s television series of the same name, created by Roy Huggins. The film was directed by Richard Donner from a screenplay by William Goldman and features Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster and James Garner, as well as several cameo appearances...
were filmed at this lake in 1994.
Josh Groban
Josh Groban
Joshua Winslow "Josh" Groban is an American singer-songwriter, musician, actor, and record producer. His four solo albums have been certified at least multi-platinum, and in 2007, he was charted as the number-one best selling artist in the United States with over 21 million records in that country...
shot photos and music video frames for his album, "Awake"
Awake (Josh Groban album)
Awake is a platinum-certified album by the American singer-songwriter Josh Groban. Announced on September 13, 2006, it is Groban's third studio album, and a follow-up to his multi-platinum album Closer. Awake was released on November 7, 2006....
, including "February Song" and "You Are Loved
You Are Loved
"You Are Loved" is a song by Christian pop and rock artist Rebecca St. James. The song expresses St. James' desire to tell her childhood friend about God's amazing love. She explained: "It's written about a childhood friend of mine that I grew up with in Sydney. I fell out of contact with him after...
" here.
Shia LaBeouf
Shia LaBeouf
Shia Saide LaBeouf is an American actor who became known among younger audiences for his part in the Disney Channel series Even Stevens and made his film debut in Holes . In 2007, he starred as the leads in Disturbia and Transformers...
's cover of a July issue of Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
was also shot here.
The opening sequence of the 80's T.V. show Knight Rider was filmed behind its Mountain Range.
Also, El Mirage is often a filming location selected for movies and television programs where high speed time trials are depicted. Examples of this are the jet car sequence from The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension!, often shortened to Buckaroo Banzai, is an American spoof science fiction film that was released in 1984. It was directed and produced by W. D. Richter, and concerns the efforts of the multi-talented Dr...
, and a sequence in Herbie Fully Loaded.
El Mirage was also featured in the second episode of Top Gear USA's first season.
El Mirage was a filming location for Punishment Park.