A mysterious tape that kills anyone who watches it in seven days. As urban legends go, the one at the centre of The Ring has only become more creepy over the years. Based on the Japanese horror film Ringu, – itself inspired by Koji Suzuki’s series of novels – the Hollywood remake remains a solid example of how to capture the atmosphere of the original while building a fresh mythology.
The Ring revolves around Naomi Watts’ reporter Rachel Keller, who investigates her niece’s mysterious death and discovers that there are worse things to do with VHS than not rewinding them. She uncovers the cassette responsible and sets about uncovering the truth behind its creation. The horrifying result scared up a solid box office haul and critical acclaim, even inspiring two further sequels, neither of which captured the original’s winning formula. Let’s dive into The Ring filming locations.
Why Seattle was chosen for this movie
The Pacific Northwest was selected for its cloudy, claustrophobic atmosphere. Seattle in particular was chosen because, yes, it rains there a lot. Although, interestingly, some spots were perhaps too dreary, like the newspaper where Rachel works. Instead of lensing at the actual Seattle Post-Intelligencer offices, production filmed her offices on a stage in California.
“Our film is set in Seattle so we went for an overcast mood: Wet and Isolated. By only focusing on three characters, the film is a study in abstraction. Devoid of clutter,” director Gore Verbinski told The Curse of the Ring in 2002. Production began at Fort Worden State Park without a completed shooting script and prior to Naomi Watts being cast. Verbinski called this approach to filmmaking “insane”.
Where was The Ring filmed?
The Ring was shot in and around Washington state in Seattle, Stanwood, Bellingham, Monroe, Sequim, Port Townsend, and Whidbey Island, with a few sequences filmed in Oregon and almost all of the interiors shot on soundstages in California.
And while the iconic Pacific Northwest weather contributed to the desired mood, it nevertheless affected production. “The toughest thing for me creatively was trying to build sets standing in six inches of muddy water,” production designer Tom Duffield recalled. “It was also quite an experience trying to make the paint stick. Paint doesn’t stick in the rain, and it rained nearly every day.”
The Ring filming locations in the Seattle area
Fort Worden State Park, 200 Battery Way, Port Townsend, Washington 98368
Port Townsend Ferry Terminal, 1301 Water St, Port Townsend, Washington
Deception Pass Bridge, Oak Harbor, Washington 98277
Emerald Glen Farm, 23200 Yeager Road, Monroe, Washington 98272
Pass Lake, Anacortes, Washington 98221
1901 Westlake Avenue, Seattle, Washington 98121
1923 5th Avenue, Seattle, Washington 98101
Camp Firwood, 4605 Cable Street, Bellingham, Washington 98229
Harbor Steps Apartments, 1200 Western Avenue, Seattle, Washington 98101
Shelter Mountain Inn – Camp Firwood, 4605 Cable Street, Bellingham, WA
In the movie.
The Shelter Mountain Inn is where Rachel locates Samara’s videotape and discovers the cabin where Katie and her friends partied. This was filmed at Camp Firwood in Bellingham, WA up by the Canadian border on the shores of Lake Whatcom. She spots the tape on a shelf in the lobby but those interiors were shot in L.A.
Camp Firwood was established in 1955 and still exists today as a summer camp for kids. At time of writing, The Ring is the only movie to have filmed at the facility.
Cabin 12 and the red tree – 21729 50th Ave NW, Stanwood, WA
While Rachel walks a short distance from the lobby to her accommodations, the actual Cabin 12 structure isn’t located in Bellingham, but some 40 miles south in Stanwood, WA. It still stands if you drive to the address at 50th Ave NW, then head a little further south until you hit a dirt road. Take a left and drive through to a pasture until you arrive at a small clearing.
From what we know, this is situated on private property (we are heading out to visit this spot soon!) so until we know for certain, tread carefully.
The meadow where the red tree is viewed was also filmed at this location. Although production struggled to keep the tree – affectionately named Lucille on account of its red leaves – in place.
Constructed from steel tubes and plaster, with silk leaves, it proved tough to keep it rooted. “Every time we put it up, the wind would come up and blow it over. In Washington, we put it up three separate times, only to have it knocked over by nearly 100-mile-an-hour wind gusts. We tried it again in Los Angeles when it wasn’t windy at all, and that night we had 60-mile-an-hour winds that blew it down all over again. It was very strange,” Duffield said.
Morgan Ranch – Emerald Glen Farm, 23200 Yeager Road, Monroe, WA
The Morgan Ranch is the horse farm where Rachel confronts Samara’s father Richard Morgan (Brian Cox) toward the end of her investigation. While not a real-life horse ranch, it is an operational farm located an hour outside of Seattle at Emerald Glen Farm in Monroe, WA.
The current owners offer tours of the facility for The Ring fans if you contact them over Twitter.
Rachel’s apartment – Harbor Steps Apartments, 1200 1st Avenue, Seattle WA
Rachel’s apartment is in the Harbor Steps Apartments which is situated at 1200 1st Ave. The apartments were completed in 2000 and sit right across the street from the Seattle Art Museum. Stood towering over SAM is the iconic Hammering Man, a 48ft, 26,000lb feat of kinetic artistry. These exhibits were designed by sculptor Jonathan Borofsky, who crafted them to represent the working class women and men of the world. It’s a must-see if you venture to this area of downtown.
As they are private residences, you won’t be allowed inside to see Rachel’s flat. But you can stand outside and point at the building and shoot videos, like I did.
Photo store – 1923 5th Avenue, Seattle, WA
The photo processing store where Rachel picks up Katie’s photographs was located at 1923 5th Avenue near Virginia Avenue. It’s on the main monorail line that carries you from downtown to Seattle Center. The entire lot was chained off for years and by the time I visited in June 2023 it had been demolished.
Aidan and Noah’s encounter – 1901 Westlake Avenue, Seattle, WA
Just around the corner Rachel’s son Aidan (David Dorfman) bumps into a creepy man – that turns out to be his father Noah (Martin Henderson) outside The Westin Hotel. The spot is by the entrance to the Westin Seattle Parking Garage at 1901 Westlake Avenue, Seattle. It’s very close to the photo processing store location (more info in the video).
Noah drops Rachel at the ferry to Moesko Island – Port Townsend Ferry Terminal, Port Townsend, Washington
Noah drives Rachel to the ferry dock on her way to Moesko Island. The ferry terminal location is the Port Townsend Ferry Terminal.
Production filmed here for five days in December 2001, but toward the end of the shoot they were struck by unusual weather –- clear skies. Due to the film’s overcast, rainy look, the crew rigged up a series of hoses and sprinklers above the dock to simulate the Washingtonian downpour and placed light screens around the set to diffuse the sunshine.
Moesko Island Lighthouse – Yaquina Head Lighthouse, Newport, Oregon
The mysterious Moesko Island is where Rachel ventures to learn more about Anna Morgan’s past. Alas, Moesko Island is a fiction and the structure is the real-life Yaquina Head Lighthouse in Newport, Oregon.
A celebrated part of Oregonian history, at 93 feet tall it’s the tallest lighthouse in the state and one of the most haunted. Yep. According to lore, one of the construction workers became stuck between the walls and was never recovered; apparently his ghost haunts the property.
Should you fancy a visit, you can take a tour of the lighthouse and soak up those beautiful views. The lighthouse resides within the Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area and sits one mile out into the Pacific. Just, you know, be careful.
Rachel calls Aidan and Moesko Island deleted scenes – Dungeness Landing County Park, Sequim, WA
Several scenes set on Moesko Island were shot inside the Dungeness Oyster House, 292 Oyster House Road in Sequim, WA. This is where Rachel learns about the Morgans from local fishermen, but these were ultimately cut in favour of the Doctor Graznik sequence. You can watch those here.
The scene where Rachel calls Aidan from a payphone is from that sequence, which was shot just outside the Oyster House. The Oyster House was razed in 2009, but the park and pier remains.
Dungeness Landing County Park is a 5.6-acre park located in Clallam County with sprawling views and acres of tideland. It’s a picturesque spot that offers a terrific view of the Dungeness Lighthouse across the water on Dungeness Spit.
Anna Morgan jumps from the cliff – Fort Worden State Park, Port Townsend, Washington
Captured on the first day of shooting were the shots of Samara’s mother, Anna Morgan (Shannon Cochran), leaping from the cliffs at Fort Worden Historical State Park.
This particular spot took us about ten minutes to find after I’d managed to scratch my legs up walking in the middle of a rather savage bramble bush. I’d recommend parking at the beach campground, walking toward the beach, and taking the Knapp Circle Trail. The tree is on a berm just west of the Point Wilson Lighthouse.
During World War II, Fort Worden was an active fortification, established to prevent hostile ships from reaching Puget Sound’s main base at the Bremerton Naval Yard. This 432-acre park is now a multi-use site that’s host to weddings, conferences, and of course filming locations. It’s perhaps most well-known as the shooting location for An Officer and a Gentleman. The scene where Richard Gere is forced to do reps on the beach, just west of the lighthouse, is the same beach from which Anna Morgan jumps.
Visit The Ring filming locations
The standout locations are based in the Pacific Northwest around Seattle and Portland. Your easiest option if coming from out of town is to fly to SeaTac International, and then hire a car. If you’re wanting to hit up all of the spots, it makes sense as many are several hours apart.
You don’t always need a car to hit up all the locations – the Seattle Monorail takes you from downtown to Seattle Center. Plus it breaks up the driving a bit!
Places to Visit in the Area
Horror hounds have several options when it comes to the Greater Seattle area. MoPop: the Museum of Popular Culture is situated in Seattle Center – perfect if you’re planning to visit some of the downtown locations from The Ring. The museum’s must-see permanent exhibit is Scared to Death: The Thrill of Horror Film which we visited recently. In that same wing are two closely-related exhibits, The Infinite Worlds of Science Fiction, which boasted lots of crossover movies and shows, and Fantasy: Worlds of Myth and Magic.
Downtown Seattle also boasts the Stranger Things Experience which runs until August 20, 2023 and late-night ghost tours.
If you wander to Sequim, make a weekend of it and venture to the Olympic National Park. Aside from hikes and seafood aplenty, you can visit some of the locations from Twilight which lensed out at La Push, WA.
Want us to cover Twilight filming locations in detail? Or another movie? Let us know.
I am curious about where the location they shot Noah’s apartment is. Is it actually in LA? Or somewhere in Seattle?
Hi Karen— thanks for dropping a line. I’m *still* figuring out Noah’s flat— but as the ladder in the alley was shot in LA I suspect his apartment was a soundstage. I’ll let you know when I get a definitive answer 🙂
were you able to find any details about cabin 12 in stanwood? i’m a settle local, & have always been curious about that location but don’t want to visit if it’s private property lol
Hello! I’m still on the hunt for specifics about the cabin and whether or not it’s possible to visit legally. I’ll let you know once I’ve got a definite answer 🙂
I found on other websites the location where Cabin #12 was filmed – enter these coordinates (without quotes) in Google Maps “48.192253, -122.296351” and hit ENTER. You’ll need to zoom in on the satellite image to see the dark brown roof of this cabin.
As for the well that appears at 1 hour 31 minutes 20 seconds in the movie The Ring (2002), I also found on the internet that the location of that grassy area, with that red tree and horses grazing and galloping in the background, would be right in front of Cabin #12 at these coordinates (enter without quotes in Google Maps) “48.191991, -122.296573”
But remember, folks, as @Gem Seddon said, the location where the filming of Cabin #12 and Samara’s well took place is likely on private property, so it’s important to only view it through Google Maps and not visit the site in person.
By the way, @Gem Seddon, do you think the scene where Samara is thrown into the well by her mother, at 1h31m59seconds in the movie, was filmed partly in this pasture where the cabin is located and partly in a movie studio? I ask this because, since the actress was thrown into the well, they probably filmed the landscape to use in the movie’s editing, and then moved to a movie studio to shoot the scene where Samara is thrown into the well. Is that how the filming of the well scene happened?
It’s on private property.
I am pretty sure that the ferry dock drop off scene is the Southworth Ferry dock near Port Orchard.
I did some digging while researching the piece and the local newspaper included several reports on the cast and crew shooting the ferry loading scene in Port Townsend. But it definitely looks like several of the docks around this side of the water, especially Southworth.
Do you have any information about any of the other filming locations from the cursed video tape? I’m assuming they were probably filmed on a sound stage, but I was wondering if the footage of the well is in an actual location.
I’m still on the hunt! Ha. I know the well was not filmed at the actual place where the cabin was shot, but, I think they were captured on soundstages in LA.