'The Last Of Us' Season 2 Will Film In Canada Soon & The Show Is Switching Provinces

Downtown Calgary

Episode 1 of The Last of Us features the Boston Quarantine Zone, which in reality was a set constructed in downtown Calgary and the neighbourhood of Inglewood.

According to Travel Alberta, parts of downtown Calgary were also used for scenes set inside the quarantine zone.

Fort MacLeod

According to Travel Alberta, Fort Macleod was also heavily featured in Episode 1, including "Don’s Barber Shop, portrayed as Lone Star Watch & Jewelry, Johnny’s Restaurant, and Main Street resembled downtown Austin (in the midst of a zombie outbreak)."

The Alberta Legislature Building

In Episode 2, the cast and crew headed to Alberta's big cities of Calgary and Edmonton.

One of the main locations in this episode was the Alberta Legislature building, which acted as the Massachusetts State House.

Special effects turned the dome roof gold like the real Massachusetts State House in Boston.

Fish Creek Provincial Park

Episode 3 ofThe Last of Us, featuring new characters Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett who played Bill and Frank, was an emotional one.

Before Ellie and Joel make it to the couple's compound they walk across a bridge.

That bridge was the Shannon Terrace pedestrian bridge in Calgary’s Fish Creek Provincial Park, according to Travel Alberta.

Beachwood Estates

Once they get to Lincoln, Joel and Ellie spend a lot of the third episode inside Bill and Frank's home.

Travel Alberta says the town of Lincoln was filmed at the abandoned Beachwood Estates in High River, which was evacuated in 2013 after a flood.

As for the hardware store where Bill goes in the episode, that was filmed at a Lowe's in Calgary.

Stephen Avenue

In Episode 4 of the HBO show, Joel and Ellie drive around Kansas City as they look for a way back to the highway.

That scene was filmed on Stephen Avenue and includes the iconic Globe Cinema.

The Bell Block on Macleod Trail and First St. S.E. in Calgary were also featured in the episode.

Calgary Courts Centre

The Calgary Courts Centre was featured in Episode 5.

It was the location where the scene of the resistance group’s violent uprising against FEDRA was shot, according to Travel Alberta. In the scene, the courts centre doubled as a U.S. post office building.

Canmore

For Episode 6, the cast travelled to Canmore, which was transformed into the town of Jackson, Wyoming.

That's the town where Joel is reunited with his youngest brother Tommy, played by Gabriel Luna.

Luna shared photos on Instagram from his time filming the show in Canmore, giving fans a glimpse of the crew on set.

Canmore was a special place for the cast of The Last of Us. Both Ramsey and Pascal said it was their favourite spot they visited during filming.

"Every inch of Canmore was just this magical little town... with really great fudge," Pascal said during an interview with Mobile Syrup in January 2023.

SAIT

Two Calgary universities were used as filming locations in Episode 6, Mount Royal and SAIT.

SAIT shared some photos on X from the time of filming. In the show, SAIT was meant to stand in for the University of Eastern Colorado.

Okotoks

In Episode 7, Joel is recovering from an injury and he and Ellie find shelter in an abandoned house.

Those scenes were shot in the Suntree neighbourhood of Okotoks.

Northland Village Mall

The primary location featured in Episode 7 was Calgary’s Northland Village Mall, which was transformed into a Boston mall that was sealed off due to it being full of the infected. Ellie and Riley explore the mall throughout the episode.

According to Travel Alberta, the Northland Village Mall closed in December 2021 and is being redeveloped into an "open-air shopping centre," which made it easier for film crews to shoot there.

Bayshore Inn

​If you're curious where Episode 9 was filmed when David's group of followers forced Ellie to stay, that was at Bayshore Inn in Waterton. 

According to Travel Alberta, anyone who watched this episode also got to see what it calls one of Alberta’s most underrated destinations - Waterton Lakes National Park. 

Calgary Zoo

A beloved scene in the season is when Joel and Ellie are feeding a giraffe.

While many fans began speculating online whether the animal was CGI, it turned out that the giraffe was real.

In the Making of The Last of Us HBO documentary, it was revealed that the scene, featuring Naboo the giraffe, was shot at the Calgary Zoo.

The cast and crew spent a lot of time working with zookeepers to get the animals adjusted before filming.

"It's like a spiritual experience almost being so close to such a magnificent animal," Bella Ramsey said when talking about the experience.