“Top Gun: Maverick” was filmed across multiple locations in the United States, with a heavy focus on military bases and dramatic coastal and mountain landscapes. Key areas include San Diego and other parts of California, as well as naval air stations in Washington and Nevada.

Main Filming Locations

  • San Diego, California (and nearby)
    Much of the movie’s Navy world is rooted in San Diego, including the Top Gun base at North Island Naval Air Station and the beach bar sequences on the coast. Penny’s bar exterior and beach scenes were staged along the local shoreline to echo the original film’s Southern California vibe.
  • U.S. Navy ships and bases
    The production used real U.S. Navy infrastructure, including the USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Abraham Lincoln for flight deck operations and carrier scenes. Additional military filming took place at NAS Whidbey Island in Washington and Naval Air Stations Lemoore and Fallon.

Scenic California Landscapes

  • Lake Tahoe / South Lake Tahoe
    Snowy mountains and forested terrain around Lake Tahoe, including Lake Tahoe Airport and surrounding management units, appear in the film’s more rugged mission and crash-related sequences. These areas gave the climactic low-level flying and survival scenes their dramatic alpine look.
  • Other California spots
    Locations such as Eldorado National Forest and additional California mountain districts were used to build out the high-altitude training and mission environments. Coastal and inland California together provide the mix of ocean, desert, and mountain backdrops seen throughout the movie.

Other Notable Areas

  • Washington State
    Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Oak Harbor supplemented San Diego as part of the on-screen Top Gun base, especially for runway and taxi sequences. This split-location approach let the film show a broader, more varied operational world for Maverick and the pilots.
  • Nevada and surrounding region
    Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada and ranges associated with test and training flights contributed to the intense aerial photography. These areas helped capture the high-speed, low-altitude maneuvers that became a signature of the film’s practical-flight style.

TL;DR: “Top Gun: Maverick” was primarily filmed in and around San Diego, multiple U.S. Navy air stations and aircraft carriers, plus dramatic mountain and lake regions like Lake Tahoe and Eldorado National Forest, with key support from bases in Washington and Nevada.