One of the first locations I recall finding from Twin Peaks Season 3 on Showtime was the site of Mr. C’s Car Crash in Part 3. The episode originally aired on Showtime Anytime on May 21 and was subsequently broadcast on May 28. By June 3, I had found the location on Google Maps.
The scene was filmed at 3646 Soledad Canyon Road, Acton, CA.
I figured the location was captured in southern California as I’ve visited the desert areas outside of Los Angeles many times in recent years. The landscape features – particularly the trees, the rocks, the color of the land – were all immediately recognizable.
The biggest clue to help me locate the area was a building seen in the distance which looked like it contained an ACE Hardware logo.
I searched for “ACE Hardware” stores in Los Angeles. I narrowed the search by visiting locations where I thought the building would be found. Any hardware store close to downtown Los Angeles was ruled out.
While using street view on Google Maps, I found a building that appeared to resemble the building seen in the distance.
I followed the road away from the hardware shop in Acton, CA using street view. It wasn’t long until I found the area on Soledad Canyon Road that matched the scenes from Part 3.
You can see some behind the scenes footage of this scene being filmed in the short, “See You on the Other Side Dear Friend” on the Twin Peaks – Season 3 Blu-ray set.
