Where is The Last of Us filmed? Real places of the Apocalypse

What’s in Alberta?

For a post-apocalyptic show like Last of us, it is imperative to have access to both the central urban locations where the remnants of civilization struggle to succeed, and the more rural locations that show the vast void left after the fungal infection of the brain devastated humanity. Alberta has it with the big cities of Calgary and Edmonton, as well as a vast and snowy wilderness that can double for much of the Midwestern United States. The first few episodes of the show take place in what should be the QZ of Boston and the QZ of Kansas City. The last few episodes were filmed in a more pastoral setting as Joel and Ellie travel further west on their journey to Wyoming in search of fireflies.

A very Texan town recreated north of the border

According to The Calgary Herald, in the pilot episode when we see Joel, Tommy and Sarah (Nico Parker) living their daily lives in the capital city of Austin, Texas shortly before the Cordyceps outbreak, set artists were able to take the small towns of Fort MacLeod, a few hours south of Calgary and the nearby High River areas, and make them believable places. for one of the southernmost cities in all of America. The opening scenes, in which the three protagonists casually interact with their neighbors before they suddenly start fighting for their lives and zigzag in and out of traffic in search of an escape route, are filmed in the quaint little towns of Fort Macleod and High. River. Remarkably enough, the scenes are reproduced as believably as far as they are from each other. Making two cities in western Canada double for the Hill Country in the heart of Texas is quite an impressive feat. The production team redesigned several of the city’s shop windows to better capture the atmosphere of Austin. Episode 3 titled “Long, Long”, which tells the story of Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett) was shot many times at the Beechwood estate in High River, where the crew could build everything to their specifications.

QZ in Boston and Kansas City were shot in Calgary and Edmonton.

The location managers and production artists are doing a great job of making these various Canadian cities feel like the American cities they are supposed to be set in. For Boston QZ, the team built a large set in Inglewood, which is very close to Calgary’s Stampede Park. The dilapidated and dilapidated buildings of the Massachusetts hub and its quarantine zone were actually filmed in altered areas of downtown southwest Alberta, according to the Calgary Herald. In the scene where Joel, Tess (Anna Torv) and Ellie attempt to escape from the outskirts of Boston’s quarantine zone, an area called Rice Howard Way in downtown Edmonton was used by Joel to attack and kill a FEDRA agent who bought drugs from him earlier in the first episode before the three make a fuss. over the fence, finally escaping. Edmonton was also used as a backdrop for Kansas City’s QZ, while the huge lot was used for a free whirlpool of the infected and a giant Bloat emerging from a huge fiery crater.

Jackson, Wyoming, actually Canmore, Alberta

In episode 6 titled “Kin”, Joel and Ellie finally reach Tommy in Jackson, Wyoming after a three month time jump. We see them crossing the “River of Death”. These shots were taken in the small town of Canmore, located in Kananaskis, a beautiful valley in the Canadian Rockies, just a few hours west of Calgary and on the edge of Banff National Park. The bridge that Joel and Ellie cross is the beautiful Canmore Engine Bridge. When Joel finally reunites with his brother, the small town they live in is also filmed in Canmore. Marlon (Graham Green) and Florence (Elaine Miles) the small cabin shown at the beginning of episode 6 is located right on the banks of Bragg Creek, a small town just a few miles southwest of Calgary. And as the duo continues west after leaving Jackson, they stumble across Eastern Colorado University just before Joel is attacked and stabbed by one of David’s cult members. is located in Calgary. Ellie and Riley’s offline backstory (Storm Reed) in episode 7 titled “The Leftovers” was primarily filmed at the Northland Village Mall in Calgary.

Episode 8 “When We’re in Need”

In the penultimate episode of the first season, when Joel and Ellie have the misfortune to run into David (Scott Shepherd) and his gang of cannibal hunters and followers, filming ended in the cozy coastal town of Waterton, Alberta, in the middle of the Waterton Lakes National Park. Scenes of David’s cult, snow-covered forests, and the home of Silver Lake, including the episode’s dramatic and fiery final scenes, were filmed at a location called the Bayshore Inn. Travelers from all over the world flock to Waterton and Bayshore for hiking and snowshoeing. During the summer months, it is a popular holiday destination for vacationers looking to enjoy the beautiful and serene surroundings of the small resort town. If you’re interested in learning more about locations used for HBO shows, the Travel Alberta website is a very helpful guide to finding your favorite filming locations. It also offers facts about Last of usincluding that it is the largest project ever filmed there.