Here’s Where Dark Winds Was Filmed

The acclaimed AMC crime thriller Dark Winds adapts the Leaphorn & Chee novel series by Tony Hillerman. With its sweeping vistas of the American Southwest, here is where Dark Winds filmed its first two seasons.

Where Was Dark Winds Filmed?

Dark Winds protagonist Joe Leaphorn is based out of the small town of Kayenta, which is located in Navajo County in Arizona, where the series primarily takes place. To bring the series’ striking landscapes to life, Dark Winds is filmed on location in Navajo Nation, an indigenous reservation that encompasses parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. Specific filming locations included Kayenta itself, as well as surrounding parts of the American Southwest.

Beyond the Navajo Nation, Dark Winds filming locations include Española, Tesuque Pueblo, Cochiti Pueblo, and Abiquiú — towns and small cities located throughout New Mexico. Similarly, Santa Fe is a major filming location for Dark Winds, along with many of the adjacent towns and counties. Outside of New Mexico and the Navajo Nation, Dark Winds also films in Mexican Hat, Utah, and the iconic Monument Valley in Arizona, the filming location for many classic western films and television series. Filming for the second season took place primarily in and around Santa Fe and Tesuque Pueblo.

What is Dark Winds About?

Dark Winds follows Joe Leaphorn and his young deputy Jim Chee as they work together on murder cases throughout the Navajo Nation in the 1970s, often ignored by other law enforcement groups. As Leaphorn and Chee dig into these investigations, they often find a deeper conspiracy at work behind the scenes, making these assignments all the more dangerous for them and the Navajo residents. In striving to capture the authenticity of the culture depicted in the series, Dark Winds goes right to where much of the story is actually set, beautifully captured for the show.