Sartaj Singh
‘A Walk in the Woods’ is a 2015 comedy adventure movie based on a 1998 book of the same name, chronicling the adventures of author Bill Bryson as he attempts to Hike through the Appalachian Trail. Bill Bryson (Robert Redford) has returned from England after 20 years, and feels the need to reconnect with his homeland by making the 2,200-mile hike of the Appalachian Trail. An old friend, Stephen Katz (Nick Nolte), responds to his call and they set off from the Amicalola Falls State Park in Georgia.
The park, which is the starting point of the trail, goes on to cross 14 states to Mount Katahdin in Maine. The pair struggle and are constantly quipping, but after getting into a rhythm for the hike, they start to rekindle their friendship and think back on their lives. Watching the serene sights of natural beauty, you might find yourself questioning if the movie was really filmed on the mammoth trail.
A Walk in the Woods Shooting Sites
‘A Walk in the Woods’ was filmed in the starting section of the trail, similar to how far Bill Bryson actually went in real life in 1996. Therefore, the shooting was carried out mainly around the woods and hills of Atlanta, Georgia, with other scenes being lensed in North Carolina, Virginia, and Connecticut. Principal photography began on May 5, 2014, and was wrapped up by June 7, 2014. Let us go through the specific locations that can be observed in the film.
Me and Acting Legend Nick Nolte on our last day on "A WALK IN THE WOODS" IT'S A WRAP. I A LUCKY GUY. pic.twitter.com/Vi8IRGYvH1
— John Kap (@BigJohnkap) June 7, 2014
Atlanta, Georgia
The starting point of the Appalachian Trail is north of Atlanta, in the Amicalola Falls State Park. In real life, Bill Bryson lived close to the location, with the trail beckoning to him regularly. The hiking in the movie also starts from this point, although some of its signs were altered to depict the 1990s look of the area as Bill Bryson saw it. The 70-year-old actors can be seen trudging across Mountain Crossings at Neel Gap, down the hill from Blood Mountain in Georgia.
The site is often where most hikers take a ride home, and those who are determined shed excess baggage and continue onwards with a lighter load. Filming locations deep in the woods were extremely remote and hard to reach, with the film crew using camels to lug bulky camera equipment to the locations.
Buford, Georgia
Buford is a city to the northeast of Atlanta in Gwinnett and Hall counties. The film crew lensed scenes of Bryson making preparations for his trek at REI – camp climb cycle travel, a store selling camping and traveling equipment. The store is located at 1600 Mall of Georgia Boulevard Suite 800.
Sharon, Connecticut
Located in Litchfield County, in the northwest corner of Connecticut, bordering New York State and Massachusetts, Sharon is a small town known for its historic sites and rural character. Filming for a few of the movie’s earlier scenes used Saint Bridget Catholic Church, 7 River Road, as a backdrop.
Fontana Dam, North Carolina
Fontana Dam is a town in Grahm County that houses the Fontana Dam, a significant source of hydroelectric power located in western North Carolina. In the movie, the duo can be seen walking across the top of the tallest dam in the Eastern United States.
Catawba, Virginia
Situated in Roanoke County in the western part of the state, Catawba is a small unincorporated community. The region was used to film the most iconic scene of the movie at the McAfee Knob, near Roanoke, a precipitous outcropping of rock overlooking the valley. The shot was used in the movie’s posters, with the leads appearing to have a small argument. To reach this remote location, the filmmakers didn’t have their camels and relied on a smaller crew to take the equipment up the hill. Upon reaching the McAfee Knob, they had to quickly complete filming as a thunderstorm was approaching.
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