Culture + Design TV + Movies How to Visit the Real-life New Mexico Sets of 'Hell or High Water' By Cailey Rizzo Cailey Rizzo Instagram Twitter Website Cailey Rizzo is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure. She specializes in reporting on travel, culture, and the arts. She is currently based in Brooklyn. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines Published on January 6, 2017 Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Coman Movie, LLC “Hell or High Water”—nominated for three Golden Globes, including Best Picture—is often likened to a modern, western version of “Robin Hood.” In the film, two brothers in west Texas team up to rob a bank and save their family ranch. But in order to save their production budget, film crew headed to eastern New Mexico, just miles from the Texas border, to shoot. For those who want to relive this old school, western drama, here are the New Mexico spots where the film shot its gunslingin’ fantasies. Clovis, New Mexico Nicholas Mondragon The town of Clovis was used for much of the film’s shooting. Much of North Main Street—including a Bill’s Jumbo Burger—was transformed into West Texas. And two of the town’s buildings were transformed into banks waiting to be robbed. Portales, New Mexico Film crews took over a few blocks of downtown Portales. Efrain Padro / Alamy The city has an impressive collection of historic architecture still standing—including the Yam Theatre, which was one of the most modern in the nation when it opened in 1926. Tucumcari, New Mexico Tucumcari is an essential stop for anyone traveling down Route 66. The town—with a population of about 6,000 people—shut down a few blocks along the route last year for filming. miroslav_1/Getty Images The town is packed with old Americana signage and buildings that look straight out of dust bowl days. Albuquerque, New Mexico The Route 66 Casino and Hotel in Albuquerque stands in for the casino in the film (which is supposed to be in Oklahoma). Robert Alexander/Getty Images Apparently the parts of the movie filmed here used casino customers and employees as extras in the scenes. Estancia, New Mexico In Estancia, rangers set up shop outside the Blue Ribbon Bar & Grill while they wait for the robbers to slip up. Asaavedra32 via Wikimedia Commons The restaurant has since been closed, but the building still stands. Caprock Escarpment in Quay County, New Mexico Caprock Escarpment stretches from Eastern New Mexico through West Texas. mzanussi/Getty Images To capture their fantastic shots of the landform, film crew went along New Mexico’s Route 156. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit