Hi! Montrose is about 4.5-5 hours from Colorado Springs, and Denver is 1 hour from Colorado Springs, so plan on 5.5-6.5 hours, depending on weather conditions 🙂 And I would whole-heartedly agree that the San Juan Mountains are the most beautiful part of Colorado!
Hello, I was wondering, can Clear Lake Rd be done in a stock 4WD SUV? We will be visiting the area in August and I am starting to look into some activities. I am finding your website very helpful!
Hi there, sorry for the late response, I didn’t get a notice you had commented. Yes, there are several easy to get ghost towns. One is Ironton, off the Million Dollar Highway between Ouray and Silverton. There are signs to point you the way, it’s on an open stretch of the road after Red Mountain Pass. The other is Animas Forks, which is 11 miles outside Silverton on an easy dirt road. Plenty of info on both in the guide books. Regarding lakes, you can go to Ridgway Reservoir, and there are several outside Tellruride that you can reach in 2WD. One is Woods Lake, on Forest Road #618 (Fall Creek Road). Have fun!
Rhodes Stephens, my uncle, owned one of the sorrels with 4 white stockings- we called him Boots. Not sure which of the three or four horses used is Boots. I also rented my 3 year old sorrel quarter horse (Rusty) for the filming – think I was paid $150 for this – not sure. Uncle Rhodes aunt Ester Lewis owned a ranch neighboring what is now the Double RL – Ralph Lauren’s Ranch.
I have been a John Wayne fan my whole life being my dad gave me “Wayne” as a middle name because he was a Tom Mix and John Wayne fan. I was raised in Colorado with Cripple Creek and Black Hawk and Central City were places my father took my brothers and I to pan for gold back in the late 50’s early 60’s before everything was commercialized .. I am so glad to have grown up in Colorado with all the history and beauty of the state before the state became a commercialized cotton candy tourist attraction. I am a western purest and would like to be involved in making a OLD SCHOOL WESTERN FILM in Technicolor instead of digital and to have costumes that are period instead of modern day interpretation.. Instead of blood and guts , a true western film like they made back in the day with the Duke, Kirk Douglas, Gregory Peck, Allen Ladd, and others.. Today the western movies are not what, as a kid I went to the matinee movies and enjoyed.. Clint Eastwood is the last of the western traditionalist left in the film industry and when hes gone we’ll be left with producer/directors that dont have a true love or understanding for the Western code and the continuity of time period except what the wardrobe department ready made provides. I travel to Colorado but dont stay, its a much different state now but its hard to take the country out of the boy but will always have fond memories of growing up in Colorado camping, hunting, panning for gold and horse back rides with the family.. Times change but I haven’t let those times go and will take them to my grave and grateful for having the opportunity to have known a bit of a free spirit western up bringing and a love and respect for what the pilgrims carved out of this great nation.. Well keep your eyes on the horizon and your collar against the wind, Audios….
Hi there, on YouTube, under the video description, there is a SHOW MORE link and it shows the artists and songs titles. Thanks for watching! It’s a beautiful drive.
Having visited Old Tucson Studios just outside of Tucson Arizona. Not only do they claim to have filmed parts of the movie in that old west town studio, but they actually show you parts of the movie that were filmed there.
I’ve been watching your video and sharing it for years and then this post after I discovered it, yet, I didn’t think to tell you about the Ridgway Old West Fest we had a couple weekends ago celebrating 50 years since True Grit was released and the filming, ranching, and railroad history of Ridgway. Did you happen to hear about and attend it? If not, it is very likely there will be a 2nd annual Ridgway Old West Fest next year. In the meantime, you can check it out here https://www.facebook.com/RidgwayOldWestFest/ or here https://events.ourtownmatters.net/e/ridgway-old-west-fest.
Thank you so much! I received an invitation due to my videos but was unable to attend that weekend, sadly. I hope I can go next year. Thank you so much for thinking to mention that to me, I appreciate it.
We just returned from a wonderful trip to the area. It was a blast. Since we were there in 2018 they have restored the Ross Ranch house. It looks so good. Your descriptions and pictures have helped us a ton. Thanks!
I saw this movie when it first came out in 1969 I was 12 years old and I have loved it ever since I am watching it now. This movie will always be a western classic !
Thanks for taking the time and effort to put this together – and sharing it. It keeps the act of selfless sharing alive as well as keeping the good things of our past in our thoughts, may we strive to hold on to the values of the decades passed.
Like Mattie, I’m from near Dardanelle in Yell County. No foolin’ A lifelong friend, also from Yell County accompanied me to Ridgway in September 2021 to visit several of the filming locations. It was great fun finding them. Thank you for the effort it took to create this page.
Great to hear someone is restoring the Mattie Ross Ranch. It was badly needed. I crossed over the fence to get “the” shot of the opening scene to the movie. Unfortunately, I was so excited to be there I stayed a bit too long. Unfortunately the property owner spotted me. Came out to greet me with a not too friendly words. Told me to leave and never come back. Oh well, at least I got my pics. Some have mentioned the dugout scene and yes it was filmed at Hot Creek, CA. I wore myself out looking for that spot in SW Colorado before I finally learned it was 13 hours and 800 miles to the west. This caused much clinching and gnashing of teeth when I realized I had been to that very area years ago but hadn’t realized that was where the dugot scene had been filmed. Also, later learned Nevada Smith and North to Alaska had been filmed there as well. I initially thought True Girt had been filmed entirely in Colorado.
Lastly, I learned the indoor courthouse scenes were filmed in Ouray, CO. I’d also been to Ouray many, many times without knowing this. I finally made a trip back to Ouray to get my pics of the courthouse. In the movie, When Mattie and Yarnell went the front door of the courthouse that was supposedly the courthouse in Ouray, but you could clearly see the view out the front door the hanging scene at Ridgeway. How did they pull that off?
Enjoyed visiting this site and the Youtube video. True Grit is such a great movie, although the remake is good there is some magic in the original that keeps people interested after all these years. Went on Google Earth and was able to get the right orientation for the final shootout scene, but it was not possible to tell where they filmed it from above Deb’s meadow.
Hi! Montrose is about 4.5-5 hours from Colorado Springs, and Denver is 1 hour from Colorado Springs, so plan on 5.5-6.5 hours, depending on weather conditions 🙂 And I would whole-heartedly agree that the San Juan Mountains are the most beautiful part of Colorado!
Hello, I was wondering, can Clear Lake Rd be done in a stock 4WD SUV? We will be visiting the area in August and I am starting to look into some activities. I am finding your website very helpful!
Hi Ron! My Jeep is stock, so YES! It’s not a difficult trail. Have fun!
Hi there, sorry for the late response, I didn’t get a notice you had commented. Yes, there are several easy to get ghost towns. One is Ironton, off the Million Dollar Highway between Ouray and Silverton. There are signs to point you the way, it’s on an open stretch of the road after Red Mountain Pass. The other is Animas Forks, which is 11 miles outside Silverton on an easy dirt road. Plenty of info on both in the guide books. Regarding lakes, you can go to Ridgway Reservoir, and there are several outside Tellruride that you can reach in 2WD. One is Woods Lake, on Forest Road #618 (Fall Creek Road). Have fun!
Rhodes Stephens, my uncle, owned one of the sorrels with 4 white stockings- we called him Boots. Not sure which of the three or four horses used is Boots. I also rented my 3 year old sorrel quarter horse (Rusty) for the filming – think I was paid $150 for this – not sure. Uncle Rhodes aunt Ester Lewis owned a ranch neighboring what is now the Double RL – Ralph Lauren’s Ranch.
Is there anyone that you can hire to take you to these locations? If not they should. I would be one of their customers!
I have been a John Wayne fan my whole life being my dad gave me “Wayne” as a middle name because he was a Tom Mix and John Wayne fan. I was raised in Colorado with Cripple Creek and Black Hawk and Central City were places my father took my brothers and I to pan for gold back in the late 50’s early 60’s before everything was commercialized .. I am so glad to have grown up in Colorado with all the history and beauty of the state before the state became a commercialized cotton candy tourist attraction. I am a western purest and would like to be involved in making a OLD SCHOOL WESTERN FILM in Technicolor instead of digital and to have costumes that are period instead of modern day interpretation.. Instead of blood and guts , a true western film like they made back in the day with the Duke, Kirk Douglas, Gregory Peck, Allen Ladd, and others.. Today the western movies are not what, as a kid I went to the matinee movies and enjoyed.. Clint Eastwood is the last of the western traditionalist left in the film industry and when hes gone we’ll be left with producer/directors that dont have a true love or understanding for the Western code and the continuity of time period except what the wardrobe department ready made provides. I travel to Colorado but dont stay, its a much different state now but its hard to take the country out of the boy but will always have fond memories of growing up in Colorado camping, hunting, panning for gold and horse back rides with the family.. Times change but I haven’t let those times go and will take them to my grave and grateful for having the opportunity to have known a bit of a free spirit western up bringing and a love and respect for what the pilgrims carved out of this great nation.. Well keep your eyes on the horizon and your collar against the wind, Audios….
This is a great compilation – thanks!
Chimney Peak was also in “How the West Was Won” (1962), in one of the wagon train scenes.
My friend turned me onto your videos. We were watching the Clear Lake outing and I wondered who did the music for it. That is some smooth work.
Hi there, on YouTube, under the video description, there is a SHOW MORE link and it shows the artists and songs titles. Thanks for watching! It’s a beautiful drive.
Having visited Old Tucson Studios just outside of Tucson Arizona. Not only do they claim to have filmed parts of the movie in that old west town studio, but they actually show you parts of the movie that were filmed there.
Just thought you would like to know that someone is restoring the Mattie Ross ranch to a livable condition.
I had no idea, that’s amazing. Thanks for letting me know.
I’ve been watching your video and sharing it for years and then this post after I discovered it, yet, I didn’t think to tell you about the Ridgway Old West Fest we had a couple weekends ago celebrating 50 years since True Grit was released and the filming, ranching, and railroad history of Ridgway. Did you happen to hear about and attend it? If not, it is very likely there will be a 2nd annual Ridgway Old West Fest next year. In the meantime, you can check it out here https://www.facebook.com/RidgwayOldWestFest/ or here https://events.ourtownmatters.net/e/ridgway-old-west-fest.
Ninah
Thank you so much! I received an invitation due to my videos but was unable to attend that weekend, sadly. I hope I can go next year. Thank you so much for thinking to mention that to me, I appreciate it.
Awesome! My favorite movie and I have always thought of The Duke as one of a kind. A true American icon!
We just returned from a wonderful trip to the area. It was a blast. Since we were there in 2018 they have restored the Ross Ranch house. It looks so good. Your descriptions and pictures have helped us a ton. Thanks!
Duane Peterson
Bluffdale UT
I saw this movie when it first came out in 1969 I was 12 years old and I have loved it ever since I am watching it now. This movie will always be a western classic !
Thanks for taking the time and effort to put this together – and sharing it. It keeps the act of selfless sharing alive as well as keeping the good things of our past in our thoughts, may we strive to hold on to the values of the decades passed.
Like Mattie, I’m from near Dardanelle in Yell County. No foolin’ A lifelong friend, also from Yell County accompanied me to Ridgway in September 2021 to visit several of the filming locations. It was great fun finding them. Thank you for the effort it took to create this page.
Great to hear someone is restoring the Mattie Ross Ranch. It was badly needed. I crossed over the fence to get “the” shot of the opening scene to the movie. Unfortunately, I was so excited to be there I stayed a bit too long. Unfortunately the property owner spotted me. Came out to greet me with a not too friendly words. Told me to leave and never come back. Oh well, at least I got my pics. Some have mentioned the dugout scene and yes it was filmed at Hot Creek, CA. I wore myself out looking for that spot in SW Colorado before I finally learned it was 13 hours and 800 miles to the west. This caused much clinching and gnashing of teeth when I realized I had been to that very area years ago but hadn’t realized that was where the dugot scene had been filmed. Also, later learned Nevada Smith and North to Alaska had been filmed there as well. I initially thought True Girt had been filmed entirely in Colorado.
Lastly, I learned the indoor courthouse scenes were filmed in Ouray, CO. I’d also been to Ouray many, many times without knowing this. I finally made a trip back to Ouray to get my pics of the courthouse. In the movie, When Mattie and Yarnell went the front door of the courthouse that was supposedly the courthouse in Ouray, but you could clearly see the view out the front door the hanging scene at Ridgeway. How did they pull that off?
It would’ve been cool if they could’ve left the courthouse made for the movie standing in Ridgeway.
i think the dugout scene was filmed at hot creek geological site near mamoth lakes, inyo natl forest, c
https://www.gonebackpackn.com/mytrips/hot-creek-geological-site
Enjoyed visiting this site and the Youtube video. True Grit is such a great movie, although the remake is good there is some magic in the original that keeps people interested after all these years. Went on Google Earth and was able to get the right orientation for the final shootout scene, but it was not possible to tell where they filmed it from above Deb’s meadow.