7 Reasons Why Lord Of The Rings Should Have Been Filmed In West Virginia

It’s fairly common knowledge that the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy (which celebrated its 20th anniversary last December) was filmed in director Peter Jackson’s home country of New Zealand – its spectacular mountain and water vistas being well suited to the grand scale of J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy saga. However, a good case can be made that Mr. Jackson would have been even better served by choosing the state of West Virginia for his filming. Read on!

Andres Lopez / Alltrails

Remember the magnificent scenes from the towering Misty Mountains? West Virginia offers settings to compete with New Zealand’s Nelson Lakes National Park. How about North Fork Mountain? Can't you picture Aragorn and Legolas running along these ridges in this footage from Youtuber Perspectrum, LLC?

Lost World Caverns / Facebook

Of course, the movies would have been incomplete without the mysterious mines of Moria. Fortunately, West Virginia offers a rich variety of stunning caves, such as the Lost World Caverns and Organ Cave. Alternatively, while perhaps not the gold and gems the dwarves were looking for, West Virginia has been the source of the precious coal that powered the country for decades, and such mining landmarks as the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine would have made an excellent Moria. The many abandoned train tunnels - such as these along the North Bend Rail Trail - offer plenty of underground cinematic opportunities, too.

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Cavan Images / Cavan Collection via Getty Images

As far as other spectacular scenery, Peter Jackson should have considered Summersville Lake's Long Point for the mighty cliffs of Argonath. Here's what that could look like, courtesy of Youtube user JohnLarinda Yelcich: 

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Enchanted forest of Lorien? Any corner of West Virginia offers pristine wild woodlands, but the enchantment doesn’t get much stronger than the virgin red spruce forest of Gaudineer Knob or Red Spruce Knob, with moss-carpeted floors soft enough even for tender hobbit feet. Youtube user Jeff Brooks even has a start on some footage of the journey through this enchanted forest! 

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Homey mountain getaway of Rivendell? Try a combination of the Smoke Hole Resort, Blackwater Falls lodge, Snowshoe Mountain Resort, and Hillbrook Inn. 

West Virginia Penitentiary / Facebook

How about all the terrifying darkness of Mordor or the evil Saruman’s tower? Well, West Virginia doesn't offer a great match for Mordor itself (maybe try another state!), but we do have eerie venues like the Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, towering command centers like the Olson Observation Tower, and haunted complexes like Itmann Company Store or the West Virginia Penitentiary. 

Cristy / OIYS

Finally, for the cozy Shire scenes, Jackson could have picked from any of the beautiful pastoral areas of Appalachian West Virginia, such as Monroe, Greenbrier, or Pocahontas Counties. 

So now we’ve established West Virginia as the perfect venue for the filming of a grand movie saga. Peter Jackson missed his big chance, but hopefully other film directors will take notice. And we didn’t even mention West Virginia’s very own hobbit hole!