“Vanishing Point film location”
Cisco is a ghost town in Grand County, Utah near the junction of State Route 128 and Interstate 70. At one time the town served as a saloon and water-refilling station for the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. The town's demise came with the demise of the steam locomotive. The town site contains many relics of a typical old west railroad town. The ghost town's easy access and proximity to the freeway have lured vandals; the relics are heavily damaged and the town is littered with abandoned vehicles. Johnny Cash wrote the song "Cisco Clifton's Fillin Station" about H. Ballard Harris, a man living in Cisco. Cisco was a filming location for the movies Vanishing Point (1971), Thelma and Louise (1991), and Don't Come Knocking(2005) A must-visit ghost town!
My mother was raised in Cisco and my grandfather, Ballard Harris, ran the filling station at Cisco and at the Dewey Bridge. This feels like home to me, even abandoned and empty. Thank you for keeping the memory of this lovely little community alive. :-)
SO SCARY!!! the energy shifted as soon as we stepped out of the car... one house had a dark caved in basement, another a burnt crib... scattered fridges, sinks, old clothing, and even a single childrens shoe. Watch out for the broken glass and old nails, as well as the occasional squatters. HIGHLY RECOMMENED
I was travelling through Cisco as a youngster while on vacation with my family in July 1970. This was before I-70 was complete. Just by chance we were driving through Cisco, but got detoured around Cisco because a portion of Vanishing Point (the good one released in 1971) was being filmed there. We stopped for quite awhile and tool several photos. These photos are now considered Vanishing Point Behind the Scenes photos. They are the only photos known to be in existence and have been shared widely across the internet.
There's a long story to go with this but it's too long to post here.
Anyway, whenever we are out west we stop by Cisco to remember and explore. The place has really changed when an outsider brought a bunch of junk cars and other stuff to Cisco and left then there. They are not from the original Cisco as many of us remember it. What a shame.
Another movie filmed in Cisco was Pontiac Moon, with Ted Danson. They used the Cisco Store building as a car repair shop in that movie. Not a lot of people are aware of that.
I hope you enjoyed this information!
Tom J,
Galloway Ohio
Not exactly what I expected, but still worth a stop if you are planning on passing by. It is very conveniently located, right near the start of the scenic route 128 to Moab.
My Family used to take the cattle from Moab to Cisco and load them on the trains and a few yrs ago a kid burned down the Dewey Bridge
I agree with other commenters... There are more scenic, spooky, etc. ghost towns but the fact this has been used in so many films and a Johnny Cash song really put me over the top to see it. It's a perfect little detour on your way out of Arches National Park. If you're in that area and you like Vanishing Point, Thelma & Louise, or Johnny Cash, you had better stop.
We thought we'd stop here just off I70 on the way to LA. The map showed us a location but there was no ghost town in sight. As we gave up and headed for the highway, Cisco appeared on our left. We turned in and parked, only to be thoroughly creeped out and afraid for our safety. We took a few pictures, too scared to really explore, then left in a hurry!
Worth the detour - creepy vibe. Everything we expected & more.
This was worth the stop, but you have to get our of your vehicle. It doesn't look like much, but is actually very interesting.
First of all, don't waste your time. Second, it's not at all as advertised. We didn't even stop the car, because it is literally just a couple of falling down shacks along with abandoned cars. What a letdown.
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Cisco, Utah
Hours
- Sun - Sat: 12:00 am - 11:59 pm
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Independent
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Not Wheelchair Accessible
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No Wifi
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Street Parking
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Free Parking
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Yes Parking
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