Where Was Stand by Me Filmed? Oregon and California Locations Guide

Stand by Me was filmed mostly in Oregon, where the small town of Brownsville in Linn County stands in for Castle Rock, with the rest of the shoot spread across Cottage Grove, Veneta, Eugene and Franklin and two railroad stops in northern California. Rob Reiner's 1986 film follows four Oregon boys who set out to find a missing boy's body. This guide covers all 22 stops, the scene shot at each and how to visit at neighborhood level. Exact pins are in the Go On Set app. The list starts with the railroad scenes and then moves through Castle Rock itself.

In this guide

Railway bridge outside Castle Rock

Railway bridge outside Castle Rock is in Cottage Grove, at the southern end of the Willamette Valley. This is where Gordie, Chris, Teddy and Vern (Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell) begin their trek, crossing the bridge together. Cottage Grove's downtown is a National Historic District, so the town rewards a walk before or after.

Burney Falls train trestle

Burney Falls puts the film in California, in Burney, roughly three hours north of Sacramento. The boys stop here to argue about whether it is safe to cross a train trestle, the first leg of their journey.

McCloud railroad tracks

McCloud Railway Line sits on the southern slope of Mount Shasta in McCloud, California. All four boys walk the rails here, passing the leaky water tower on the way toward South Harlow and the body.

Row River Trail railroad tracks

Row River Trail near Cottage Grove is a 21-kilometer (14-mile) paved National Recreation Trail on the old Oregon Pacific and Eastern Railroad line, running along the Row River and Dorena Reservoir. In the film it is where the friends finally reach their destination and search the tracks for the missing classmate. You can walk or bike it freely.

Tri-County Bake Off and Pie Eat

Pioneer Park in Brownsville is a 10-hectare (26-acre) park bordered on two sides by the Calapooia River, with ball fields, horseshoe pits and a covered dining pavilion. It doubles as the pie-eating contest in Gordie's story about Davey "Lardass" Hogan (Andy Lindberg). He drinks castor oil and swallows a raw egg, stuffs himself with blueberry pie, and sets off the "complete and total barf-o-rama."

Gordie's treehouse

The Brownsville Treehouse looks over the town, which is Castle Rock on screen. Gordie and Chris stand beside the group's treehouse and take in the view. From up there you can think about the fire of July 12, 1919, which destroyed eleven business buildings and twenty residences.

The Brownsville Penny

The Brownsville Penny is a 1959 US penny embedded in the road in downtown Brownsville, placed where Vern found one in the film. Crossing the main street, Jerry O'Connell's Vern shouts "Hey, look, a penny."

Behind the Blue Point Diner

The alley behind Main Street in Brownsville plays the back of the Blue Point Diner. Chris shows Gordie the gun he took from his father's bureau and says it isn't loaded. It goes off when Gordie pulls the trigger, aiming at a garbage bin. The city built a retaining wall and lowered part of the alley after the 1985 shoot to deal with hillside flooding, so some windows and doors no longer sit where they did on screen.

Pressman Salvage Yard

The automobile salvage yard is in Veneta, about 24 kilometers (15 miles) west of Eugene. After Milo Pressman (William Bronder) sends his dog Chopper after the trespassing boys, he taunts Teddy, saying his father is "looney up in Togus." The others try to calm things down.

Quidacioluo's General Store

Quidacioluo's General Store is in Franklin, a town that argued over whether it was Franklin or Smithfield from the late 1880s until 1990. Gordie buys supplies for the trip, and Mr. Quidacioluo (Bruce Kirby) asks if he is related to Denny (John Cusack). Wineries known as the Prairie Mountain Wineries are nearby.

Tessio home

Tessio Home is also in Franklin. Vern digs under the house for a jar of buried pennies and overhears his brother Billy (Casey Siemaszko) and Charley (Gary Riley) talking about finding Ray Brower's body. He keeps digging under the porch, not realizing what he has just heard. It is a house, so stay outside.

Ace Merrill's house

Ace Merrill's House is a private home in Brownsville. Behind it, Ace (Kiefer Sutherland) and his crew give each other tattoos and wonder whether Ray Brower's body will ever be found. Brownsville's narrow-gauge railroad arrived in 1880, and its old train station was moved to become part of the Linn County Historical Museum. Treat this stop as a drive-by only.

Mailbox Baseball road outside Castle Rock

The country road near Veneta is where Ace and his buddies play Mailbox Baseball from a moving car. In the back seat, Billy and Charlie (Gary Riley) say nothing about having found the body. Veneta sits west of Eugene on the way toward the Oregon Coast and the Willamette Valley wine country.

Long Road in Castle Rock

Long Road in Castle Rock was shot in rural farmland northwest of Eugene, near Fern Ridge Lake. As the group heads out to find the body, Ace challenges Vince Desjardins (Jason Oliver) to a race. It turns into a game of chicken with an oncoming lumber truck.

Cemetery near Castle Rock

Pleasant Butte Baptist Cemetery is in Brownsville, a town settled by Oregon Trail pioneers in 1846. On the boys' first night out, Gordie dreams about the funeral of his brother Denny (John Cusack). The surrounding area has farmland, forest and the Calapooia River.

Lachance house

Lachance House is a private home in Brownsville, near Pioneer Park. In the scene, Gordie calls out to his parents (Marshall Bell and Frances Lee McCain), who work in the backyard as if lost in grief for their older son. View it from a distance.

Near Teddy's house

Near Teddy's House is in Brownsville, close to the Linn County Historical Museum. Gordie and Chris say an emotional goodbye to Teddy (Corey Feldman) at the end of the trip. A small park nearby carries part of the millrace that once powered the Brownsville Woolen Mill, a grist mill and a sash and door factory.

Castle Rock Bridge

Castle Rock Bridge is a bridge in Brownsville, in the central Willamette Valley. The boys cross it on their way back into town after the journey. Casey Siemaszko and Bradley Gregg are the cast listed for this scene.

Irby's Billiards

Main Street, Brownsville supplies the Irby's Billiards building, originally the Linn Theatre. Here Ace (Kiefer Sutherland) takes the hat Gordie's late brother gave him. Some of the theater's seats were saved and now sit in the Boxcar Theatre at the Linn County Historical Museum. The Brownsville Saloon, which has the sloped floor leading to the old screen, put up a replica Irby's sign on "Stand By Me Day."

Gordie buys True Police Cases

Downtown Brownsville was founded in 1846. Its first schoolteacher in 1849 was the missionary Henry Harmon Spalding. Gordie walks out of a Castle Rock store clutching his copy of "True Police Cases."

Gordie and Chris walk home

This stretch of Main Street sits in Brownsville's Historic Downtown, with a few shops, eateries and an antique store. Gordie and Chris head home here after saying goodbye to Teddy.

Brownsville City Hall

Brownsville City Hall is in a town of about 1,700 residents, within 40 kilometers (25 miles) of Eugene, Albany, Corvallis, Sweet Home and Lebanon. Gordie, Chris, Teddy and Vern return from their adventure here.

How to plan the visit

Brownsville holds 13 of the 22 stops, so give it a full day. Most of them are around town and Pioneer Park.
Cottage Grove has two stops, the bridge and the Row River Trail, which can be combined in one outing.
Veneta, Franklin and the Eugene road scene are rural stops west and northwest of Eugene and work as a second loop.
McCloud and Burney are in northern California, so they need a separate trip.
Ace Merrill's house and the Lachance house are private homes. Keep to public ground, keep your voice down near any house or the cemetery, and don't step onto private property.
Exact map pins are in the Go On Set app.