Paradise Valleywood
The majestic beauty of Montana can be captured by anyone and it is relatively easy considering you can take a scenic drive over Beartooth Pass or through the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park. Hollywood filmmakers take advantage of it too. “A Fork in the Road” was filmed in Laurel, Livingston, the Paradise Valley, Bozeman and Three Forks in 2007. “I love filming in Montana,” writer and director Jim Kouf says, “No matter which way I turn the camera, I get a million dollar shot every time.”
Over 30 movies have been filmed in Montana since 2000. Some of the big names date further back and include:
- Forest Gump (Tom Hanks)
- The River Wild (Meryl Streep)
- Broken Arrow (John Travolta)
- Far and Away (Tom Cruise and Nichole Kidman)
- Untouchables ( Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, and Robert De Niro)
The one movie almost every business in the Paradise Valley claims in their literature is “A River Runs Through It”, and rightfully so. The move portrays the true beauty of the Paradise Valley and especially the Yellowstone River.
The chances of running into Brad Pitt or Robert Redford in are slim but they do show up every now and then. Jeff Bridges, Dennis Quaid, or Peter Fonda own ranches in the Paradise Valley. Jeff Bridges met his wife right here in Paradise Valley and Dennis Quaid is known to play in the local bars with his band The Sharks. Michael Keaton frequents Livingston as does Meg Ryan.
Why do some of the most talented Hollywood stars frequent the Paradise Valley area? The same reason you do, or should. It is a majestic, laid back place loaded with life experiences. It is home to the longest undammed river in the contiguous United States which offers blue ribbon trout fishing and world class whitewater rafting. Yellowstone Park has two million acres of the best wildlife habitat in the world. It contains half the world’s geysers and is just up river of Paradise Valley. Bison, deer, and elk encounters are common. If you are lucky, a bear or wolf (not to be confused with a Coyote) might present themselves. Chances are, you will catch your own trout and nail the “Rainbow Cast”. However, the natural beauty of the Yellowstone River will make your day even if you do get skunked.
Pull out your camera, pack up the car, and head to Paradise Valley to document your own Yellowstone River Experience. Don’t worry, if you don’t have a waterproof POV Camera to document your world class whitewater rafting experience, River Source does. Check out the video gallery for some examples.
Star in your own Paradise Valley and Yellowstone River adventures. Robert Redford and Brad Pitt not included. If you do run into someone famous here, treat them like anybody else, they are here to live and relax too. See you on the River!
