One thing has been troubling me, Agent Desmond – the film location of Deer Meadow mountain behind us. Good news, Sam, I’ll explain it to you. You see the mountain is located in Olallie State Park just outside of North Bend, Washington.
I first visited this spot during a rainy Tuesday on September 17, 2019, and returned on January 24, 2020.
WHERE IS DEER MEADOW MOUNTAIN LOCATED?
According to SummitPost.org, Deer Meadow Mountain is better known as Olallie Point. The mountain’s elevation is about 2440 ft / 744 m.
You can get a better look at the entire mountain on Google Earth. I’ve indicated approximately where Agents Stanley and Desmond are standing next to the Park Ranger’s home.
This aerial view of the Park Ranger’s home and adjacent parking lot shows where the scene was shot. The approximate coordinates for this location are 47°26’08.9″N 121°39’18.9″W. I say “approximate” as your best option is to line up the top of Olallie Point and the pine trees to get the perfect shot. The mountain hasn’t really changed so it should be easy to match.
DEER MEADOW MOUNTAIN IN TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME
Before we see the FBI agents standing in front of the mountain, there is a brief establishing shot. The Ambulance isn’t seen in this shot, rather there is branches of a tree that are found on the right side of the image.
Here are a similar shot from my visits to Olallie State Park.
If you are planning on going to the park, you’ll need a Discover Pass. It’s affordable and you can visit state parks and recreation lands managed by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
THE AGENTS DISCUSS AT DEER MEADOW MOUNTAIN
In the theatrical version, Agent Desmond tells Sam Stanley to “take the van back to Portland” as he is going to “take one more look at the trailer park.” Agent Stanley says that one thing has been troubling him – Gordon Cole’s Blue Rose. He knows Desmond is going back to the trailer park for the Blue Rose.
In the August 1991 script, we get a slightly different exchange between the two Agents. The first part of their exchange is the same, except they are stationary and not moving.
32. EXT. SHERIFF’S STATION – AFTERNOON
Stanley and the driver finish loading the body into the van.
Desmond and Stanley talk.
DESMOND
Take the van back to Portland, Stanley. I’m going to take one more look at the trailer park.
They walk towards the van until Stanley stops.
The dialogue is different in this next part.
STANLEY
(confidentially)
One thing that has been troubling me. That lamp at the diner. Do you think they were working on it for esthetic reasons or was their work due to faulty wiring?
DESMOND
Faulty wiring.
STANLEY
Esthetics are subjective, aren’t they, Agent Desmond?
(extends his hand)
I’m Sam Stanley. If you ever need me.
DESMOND
Thanks, Sam, for the good work. You have a good eye for detail.
The lamp he’s referencing is from their visit to Hap’s Diner. We don’t get a good look at it in the theatrical cut.
Thanks to The Missing Pieces we have a close up view of this lamp. Not surprisingly, it looks like something that would be found in a David Lynch film – a fish lamp made from a bottle. Love it!
The Missing Pieces contains a fantastic extended scene with Jack at Hap’s. I’ve always wondered what exactly the guy was doing in the backroom on what appears to a be a safe. I can see why the lines were cut, especially if they didn’t include Jack’s extended scene.
BACK TO DEER MEADOW…
STANLEY
We do notice things, don’t we, Agent Desmond? Are you going back to the trailer park for the Blue rose?
Desmond smiles at Stanley as they shake.
The scripted scene concludes.
DESMOND’S POV
As he enters the van, Desmond can barely make out what Stanley says as he points to the driver.
STANLEY
(very muffled)
83,000 dollars.
This would have been a call back to Sam’s earlier scene just outside the morgue when he tells Agent Desmond the he figures the whole office with furniture included is worth $27,000.
The spot for their exchange is slightly over from the previous establishing shot.
I attempted to recreate the shot using my iPhone. I got close but it looks like I’m staring at a miniature outhouse. Ha!
In the theatrical cut, the Blue Rose from Lil’ the Dancer at the private Portland Airport is superimposed over the two Agents.
It appears to be the same close-up shot from earlier in the film.
PAN DOWN THE MOUNTAIN
After the events in the Pink Room at the Power and the Glory bar, we see a shot of cigarettes covering the floor. Deer Meadow Mountain is superimposed over this scene as the cigarettes fade from view.
The camera basically follows a ridge with silhouettes of trees on the mountain. I created the collage image to show the full shot.
Here’s a similar shot of the mountain. Unfortunately, some of the trees seen in the film are no longer standing on the mountain.
I’m guessing the crew captured this shot toward sunset to get the silhouette effect.
The Missing Pieces contains a part of this shot in the title sequence.
One crazy thing to see was mist periodically rising from the mountain.
During the fight scene in The Missing Pieces, you can see the bottom of Olallie Point along with the utility pole next to the Park Ranger’s home.
It appears to be either the exact utility pole or one that is similar that is still found in the park today.
DEER MEADOW MOUNTAIN IN TWIN PEAKS PARTS 9 AND 12
The mountain makes a cameo in Parts 9 and 12 of Twin Peaks Season 3 on Showtime. At first, I thought it was recycled footage from Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. Yet I believe it’s newer footage captured during filming at Olallie State Park.
Here’s a similar shot I took at Olallie on September 17.
The camera pans down the mountain in both episodes. The bottom image is from my visit where you can see mist rising.
The mountain can be seen from multiple spots near the parking lot of Olallie State Park. The shot above is from the Snoqualmie River, which doubled as Wind River from Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.
VIDEO OF DEER MEADOW MOUNTAIN
Here is a short video of Deer Meadow during my rain-filled day in Washington State.
