BY RYLEE MACLENNAN / STAFF WRITER

If you’re anything like me, you too joined the Pedro Pascal bandwagon and fell in love with The Last of Us on HBO Crave, or fell in love again after seeing this father-daughter apocalypse cross-country road trip become a part of mainstream media. I found the most joy in identifying all the places in Alberta used for various scenes. Alberta was chosen as the primary filming location for its unique landscape, representing everything from Jakarta to Indonesia to Boston. It is also rumoured they chose Alberta because they assumed there would be many abandoned areas to film in – a fact they were mistaken about, and they ended up having to build more sets than expected.

The actors reported in interviews that they loved many of the filming locations, specifically naming Canmore and Fort Macleod as favourites.

So today, we will be looking at the major filming locations of The Last of Us, and I will tell you some things you can do on your next road trip to these beautiful locations. Warning: Soft Spoilers Ahead!

1. Edmonton
   1. Visit the Alberta Legislature and walk up the same steps that Ellie and Joel did when into the Massachusetts state house. The Ledge was heavily featured in the horrific scene in Episode Two: Infected.
   2. Travel time from Camrose: 1 hour 15 minutes
2. Calgary
   1. Much of the show was filmed in Southern Alberta, especially in Calgary. A notable place you can visit is the SAIT and Mount Royal University campuses. And on top of that, part of the Calgary Zoo was shut down in 2022 to film the iconic giraffe scenes with one of the Zoo’s giraffes in Episode 9: Look For The Light.
   2. Travel time from Camrose: 3 hours
3. Fort Macleod
   1. This location, as featured in the downtown Austin outbreak scene in Episode One: When You’re Lost In The Darkness, has a lot of beautiful historical buildings and architecture featured elsewhere in the series as well. The main street of Fort Macleod has been featured in many other films as well, such as Brokeback Mountain and Interstellar.
   2. Travel time from Camrose: 4 hours 20 minutes
4. Canmore
   1. Canmore was named both by Bella Ramsey (Ellie) and Pedro Pascal (Joel) as their favourite filming location. Pedro Pascal said in an interview, “Every inch of Canmore was just this magical little town… with really great fudge.” Canmore was transformed into the survivor town of Jackson, Wyoming and heavily featured in Episode Six: Kin.
   2. Travel time from Camrose: 3 hours 45 minutes 
5. Olds
   1. Willow Lane barn is where Joel and Ellie had their first hot meal in months; in real life, this barn hosts various events, from fundraisers to weddings with farm-to-table dinners. It was featured alongside Canmore in Episode Six: Kin.
   2. Travel time from Camrose: 2 hours
6. Waterton Lakes National Park
   1. Waterton Lakes National Park is known as the hidden jewel of Alberta. Its spectacular views are featured in Episode Eight: When We Are In Need. Waterton is a UNESCO world heritage site, dark sky preserve, biosphere reserve and an international peace park.
   2. Travel time from Camrose: 5 hours 20 minutes
7. Grande Prairie
   1. Grande Prairie was featured in the final episode of The Last of Us Episode Nine: Look For The Light. Its Queen Elizabeth II Ambulatory Care Centre was used for the hospital scenes.
   2. Travel time from Camrose: 5 hours 20 minutes

Honourable Mentions:

1. Lethbridge
   1. The Lethbridge High Level Bridge was used in a driving shot in Episode Four: Please Hold My Hand.
2. Bragg Creek
   1. Bragg Creek was also used as driving footage in the same episode.
3. Various Provincial Parks
   1. Fish Creek
      1. Fish Creek Provincial Park’s Shannon Terrace pedestrian bridge was featured on the hike to Frank and Bill’s property in Episode Three: Long, Long Time. 
   2. Bow Valley
      1. The Series ended looking over Bow Valley Provincial Park’s Barrier Lake in Episode Nine: Look For The Light.
4. Okotoks
   1. Okotoks Suntree Neighborhood was a filming location for Episode Seven: Left Behind and Episode Eight: When We Are In Need.
5. High River
   1. High River’s former neighbourhood Beachwood Estates serves as a backdrop for Frank and Bill’s love story in Episode Three: Long, Long Time. Since the 2013 flood, the area has been repurposed to its natural state as a floodway.

If you want more information on how the actors felt about these locations and other fun facts, visit Travel Alberta and read their episode-by-episode article about the series!

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