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The Last of Us is back for a second season, bringing to all our screens more emotionally intense scenes of found-family, heartbreak, hope, and of course, creepy looking zombies. Just like life in the apocalypse, it’s really relentless, isn’t it? HBO’s already hitting us in the feels, and our reunion with Joel and Ellie is bittersweet at best…
In need of some fresh air to recoup and remind yourself of the joys of the world (and the fact that we aren’t under threat of Cordyceps monsters (or, not yet, anyway))? Take a stroll in Joel and Ellie’s footsteps along The Last of Us filming locations around Canada!
The show may be bleak, but at least we’re treated to a gorgeous backdrop of rural towns, snowy mountains, and flowing rivers in spring.
Some spoilers ahead.
The Last of Us season 1 filming locations
Although the show is set in various parts of the US like Texas and Massachusetts, filming actually took place in Canada, mostly Alberta. So let’s discover exactly where.
1. Austin, Texas / Fort Macleod & High River
Before the Cordyceps outbreak, Joel, his daughter Sarah, and his brother Tommy, all lived in peace in Austin, Texas. However, the showrunners didn’t film here, and understandably so… staging a disastrous outbreak is no easy thing, especially in a capital city. You try organising a slew of snapping extras while managing traffic and the general Texas heat. But if you want to experience the hustle and bustle of the South yourself, we have the perfect itinerary for you.
Instead, the quaint neighbourhood and manic driving scenes were filmed in the small towns of Fort Macleod and High River, nearby Calgary. Storefronts of these towns were altered to better fit the feel of Austin and the south, and it’s impressive how believable the crew were able to make these scenes considering they’re on opposite ends of the American continent.
Image source:Contiki
2. Boston QZ / Calgary
20 years after the initial outbreak, we find Joel living in a devastated Boston with crumbling skyscrapers and collapsed highways, nature slowly reclaiming the city with sprouts and vines everywhere. The blend of concrete and greenery is actually quite pretty, I could see myself living in this kind of urban jungle. Maybe an apocalypse isn’t so bad…
The Boston QZ is where Joel and Ellie first meet and where their adventure starts. Of course, as one of my colleagues said, “They can’t do that to Boston”, and so the scenes from the first two episodes are not actually in Boston, though they created a rather convincing look alike. In reality, ‘Boston’ is shot in modified areas of the Inglewood neighbourhood in Calgary. Known as ‘Cowtown’ for its very Western influence, Calgary is home to the July rodeo and festival, and the annual Stampede Parade.
Right outside its ring of shimmery skyscrapers are forests and wildlife for days, and the contrast is perfect for the kind of disorienting nature of the adventure Joel and Ellie are about to embark on.
3. Lincoln, Massachusetts / Beachwood Estates in High River
Bill lives in Lincoln, a typical North Eastern town with white panelled walls, manicured lawns, and a single church in the centre. Our beloved survivalist refuses to leave the town when it is initially evacuated, and so over the years cracks start to show as it slowly decays.
As far as The Last of Us filming locations go, this one was quite easy. The neighbourhood uses Beachwood Estate as its setting, and both locations actually have similar histories. In 2013, after a terrible flood, the houses of Beachwood Estates were evacuated and they’ve remained uninhabited ever since. The area has been abandoned and the natural deterioration that occurred provided a perfect and realistic spot for filming. Only Bill and Frank’s house had to be built from scratch.
Fear not, most of the Eastern Coast has not suffered a similar fate, and it’s actually very charming and cultural.
4. Kansas QZ / Edmonton
So, listen, sh*t went down during the two episodes based in Kansas QZ, and the levels of stress and sadness were extremely high. These were also the episodes that started to show that maybe the Infected aren’t the bad guys after all… maybe people are worse… This show man, it’s a never ending punch straight to the heart.
Alberta’s capital city, Edmonton, was the chosen filming location for Kansas QZ, and some of the outskirts of Boston as well. Surrounded by a winding river, this city really provides that general feeling of claustrophobia present in this QZ overrun with insurrection and strife. A massive lot in the area was also used for that heart-attack of a scene in which a swarm of Infected stormed our group, accompanied by the infamous Bloater.
5. Jackson, Wyoming / Canmore
A three-month time jump finds Joel and Ellie trekking through the depths of winter in Wyoming, still in search of Joel’s brother, Tommy. As they look for the town of Jackson, they’re made to cross the ‘River of Death’: a wide and rapid stream of hypothermia-inducing water flanked on either side by rugged nature.
The bridge that they cross is actually Canmore Engine Bridge, and the beautiful snowy destination is just outside of Canmore, a village located in the heart of Kananaskis in the Canadian Rockies. This area is just on the edge of the gorgeous Banff National Park and is a destination for all our wilderness lovers, and guess what, we go here!
The little cabin at the start of the episode is on the bank of Bragg Creek and what is meant to be the University of East Colorado is actually two Calgary university campuses: SAIT and Mount Royal University.
Image source:Devon Hawkins @ Unsplash
6. Waterton Lakes National Park
As if Joel and Ellie hadn’t suffered enough misfortune already, the penultimate episode finds them in a bit of a predicament when they find themselves in cult territories. This makeshift town, run by the priest David, looks unassuming from the outside, tucked between frosty mountains and evergreens.
In actuality, the filming location was the cosy mountain-side town of Waterton. Completely different vibes from the horrors that happen in the show… Waterton is in the middle of Waterton Lakes National Park. It’s a shame the show doesn’t give us any glimpses of these lakes actually because they span for miles and miles and are some of the most majestic bodies of water Canada has to offer. I guess it just didn’t fit into the plot…
The Last of Us season 2 filming locations
Much like season 1, The Last of Us’ cast and crew returns to the great Canadian outdoors, but with a focus on British Columbia this time, to film the next installment of this heartbreaking show. Why do we do this to ourselves?
1. War-torn Seattle / Vancouver, Canada
While Joel and Ellie have happily (or as happily as they can) settled in the safe zone of Jackson, Wyoming, other areas of the fictional US are not quite so pleasant. Seattle, for one, is torn apart and run over by cults and military groups. Fun!
To bring this dire city to life, film-runners made use of several locations throughout Vancouver, namely Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, the Chinatown neighborhood, Stanley Park, and the Orpheum Theatre.
Image source:Contiki
2. Seattle’s Capitol Hill / Nanaimo, British Columbia
In addition to Vancouver, Nanaimo, a city nicknamed ‘Harbour City’, was also used as a stand-in for the chaos of Seattle. Horseback scenes between gun-wielding Ellie and Dina were filmed here, and this is also where the Serevana Hotel was created.
3. Jackson, Wyoming / Britannia Beach
The settlement where Joel and Ellie have found momentary peace was created with massive real life sets all around Britannia Beach, just north of Vancouver. The sets are gritty and apocalypse-worn, of course, but the real life The Last of Us filming location is actually quite idyllic with forests as far as the eye can see and an aquamarine lake that stretches for miles. You could sit on the shores and ponder what you would do in a zombie apocalypse for hours and hours.
4. Exshaw, Alberta
Much of season 2 takes place in the snow, and to best capture this, The Last of Us’ cast and crew moved to Exshaw in Alberta, specifically Highway 1A. The road was actually closed for 3 days for filming, and snow was brought in from the surrounding areas to add to the winter effect.
If you’re ever driving around here, keep your eyes peeled for that exact spot they filmed! Probably won’t be too hard to spot…
5. Mission, Fort Langley, and Langley, British Columbia
The cities of Mission and Langley, as well as the village of Fort Langley, were also used in the filming of The Last of Us season 2 as a supplement to scenes in Vancouver. These locations are a little cheaper to film in, and they offer some new diverse backdrops.
One location of significance was a house in Mission, just off the back of a golf course, which was rented by the crew to film for that scene…
Something about Canada
Just a fun fact to end things off: did you know that Canada is actually a massively popular filming location for lots of movies and TV shows? The Handmaid’s Tale, Scream VI, The Boys, Black Mirror, Interstellar, etc. were all filmed in various Canadian cities, towns, and wide open spaces.
Just goes to show how diverse Canada really is, and it’s a landscape that changes with the seasons in dramatic and beautiful ways. A year-round people pleaser, visit Canada with us to hit all these iconic pop-culture spots, and many more.
