Where Netflix’s Dark Winds Is Set

Dark Winds‘ setting plays just as important a role in its storytelling as its characters and the criminal conspiracies they investigate. It is, frankly, hard to imagine what the series would be without its dry desert backdrop. All that said, where is Dark Winds actually set?

Where Does Dark Winds Take Place?

Dark Winds, which is based on a series of novels by Tony Hillerman, takes place in the Four Corners region. This is an area in the continental United States where the southeastern corner of Utah, southwestern corner of Colorado, northwestern corner of New Mexico, and northeastern corner of Arizona meet. Multiple Native American reservations make up the majority of the region, and its resident tribes oversee the Four Corners with somewhat autonomous authority separate from the United States government.

The largest of the region’s reservations is the Navajo Nation, which is also the United States’ largest Native American reservation. Spanning 16 million acres, it’s roughly the size of West Virginia, and it belongs to the Navajo people. Dark Winds, notably, centers on three Navajo Tribal Police officers: Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon), Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon), and Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten).

The show’s first season follows Leaphorn and company as they investigate an armed robbery that spilled into Navajo territory. The latter twist of fate opens the door for the federal government to become more involved in the affairs of the Four Corners’ tribes than Dark Winds‘ Navajo heroes would like.

Is Dark Winds Filmed Where It Is Set?

The Four Corners area is part of the Colorado Plateau. It’s known for its largely arid, rocky environment, and that is on full display in Dark Winds. That’s because the show doesn’t just take place in the Navajo Nation. Its creative team also shoots the series on location in and around the reservation.

That’s a behind-the-scenes decision has paid off in spades, too. Dark Winds‘ real-life locations imbue it with a sense of authenticity that just makes its episodes all the more immersive. Even more importantly, by putting in the effort to shoot in the same places where it is set, Dark Winds has managed to recapture the spirit of its source material.

Dark Winds is available to watch now.