Death Valley is a valley in the U.S. state of California. Located southeast of the Sierra Nevada range in the Great Basin and the Mojave Desert, it comprises much of Death Valley National Park. It has an area of about 3,000 square miles (~7,800 km²).
The valley was filmed for A New Hope scenes. These were mostly pick up shots that were scheduled for Tunisia, but had to be filmed nearer to home because the production went over budget.
A spot in Mesquite Flat San Dunes near Stovepipe Wells was used the for the shot of R2-D2 crossing the Dune Sea toward some mountains, on the way to find Ben Kenobi.
There was a shot filmed at Artist's Palette of R2-D2 as he sped down the Jundland Wastes canyon to try, again, to find Ben Kenobi's hut. A shot at Dante's View was cut together with a shot at Sidi Bouhlel for a scene where Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi gaze over Mos Eisley. Mardji the Asian elephant was filmed at Desolation Canyon with a costume to look like a bantha in Jundland Wastes. Numerous shots of Mark Hamill's double in his landspeeder were also taken somewhere in Death Valley as he tries to locate R2-D2. The only shot for Return of the Jedi was filmed in the canyon nicknamed Twenty Mule Team Canyon where R2-D2 and C-3PO go to Jabba's Palace.
The panoramic view from Zabriskie Point was digitally enhanced to become the shot of Arvala-7 as the Razor Crest comes in for a landing in the first episode of The Mandalorian.