British Columbia is often buzzing with Hollywood productions due to its beautiful scenery, skilled crews and competitive tax incentives.
From Netflix shows to blockbuster movies, the province has stood in for various locations in the U.S. and beyond over the years.
Every year dozens of productions are shot in Vancouver, Langley, and Victoria and it’s exciting to watch a Canadian city be transformed on the big screen.
From the hit Netflix show Virgin River, to FX’s Shogun and the popular Deadpool franchise, there are many stunning B.C. locations to be seen in these shows and films.
Here are 12 of the most picturesque locations you may have spotted in your favourite shows and movies that you can visit yourself.
Virgin River
The cast and crew of Virgin River have been coming back to Vancouver year after year to film the show.
The Netflix series starring Alexandra Breckenridge and Martin Henderson takes place in a fictional town in the U.S., but you’re actually looking at British Columbia’s incredible scenery in every episode.
The locations range from Squamish to North Vancouver to Whistler and beyond.
While it’s tough to choose one location to highlight, the scene where Breckenridge’s character, Mel Monroe, runs across the Lynn Valley Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver (seen in the first episode of Season 2 and the above photo), offers views that are tough to beat.
Tracker
The show Tracker is currently airing on CBS and if you’ve watched it then you may have recognized B.C.’s incredible scenery in every episode.
In the show, Justin Hartley’s character, Colter Shaw, is a survivalist who drives around the U.S. to help track down missing persons. However, the series is entirely filmed on Canada’s West Coast.
From Kamloops to Burnaby and Maple Ridge, there are many places you can visit.
One of those picturesque locations is near the Cleveland Dam at the head of the Capilano River in North Vancouver. That’s where a car chase ends for Shaw’s character in the first episode of Season 1.
Shogun
A scene from the FX series Shogun.
One of the most impressive transformations of B.C. seen on the screen has to be for the new FX show Shogun.
That’s because the historical drama is set in Japan in the year 1600, but the majority of the show was shot around Vancouver and in Ucluelet on Vancouver Island.
One of the stunning locations was a set built along the waterfront in Port Moody, which resembles Osaka and a fishing village in the show.
Deadpool
One of Ryan Reynolds’ biggest films, Deadpool 2, was shot in the actor’s home province of B.C.
The 2018 film was almost entirely shot in Vancouver, but possibly the most scenic spot is an iconic castle on Vancouver Island.
Hatley Castle stood in for the Xavier Institute in the X-Men films and Reynold’s character pays a visit in Deadpool 2.
Many people have since visited the castle located at Royal Roads University to recreate Deadpool’s cool pose.
Firefly Lane
Firefly Lane, starring Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke, was filmed all over Vancouver.
From Kate’s stunning waterfront house located in West Vancouver’s Horseshoe Bay to Tully’s penthouse showing views from the top of The Residences on Georgia in Vancouver, there’s no shortage of B.C. beauty in the Netflix series.
One of the most popular tourist spots was shown in Episode 5 when Tully and Max go for a walk along the Vancouver Seawall.
Maid
The Netflix series Maid which stars Margaret Qualley as a young mom who flees an abusive relationship with her daughter, was filmed at 160 locations in B.C.
The show took over Vancouver Island with filming locations in Sidney, North Saanich, Esquimalt, Saanich, Colwood, Oak Bay, and Sooke. Filming also happened onboard the BC Ferries.
If you want a true sense of the town where the show is set, you can take a walk in downtown Victoria.
One of the beautiful outdoor locations where Qualley’s character takes her daughter for a walk among the trees and next to the water in Episode 4 was filmed at Matheson Lake Regional Park.
Riverdale
The CW show Riverdale, starring KJ Apa, Lili Reinhart, Cole Sprouse and Camila Mendes, was filmed around B.C. and many of the locations are worth visiting.
One of the most popular locations in the series where the gang hangs out a lot is Pop’s Diner which can be found in Mission at 32786 Lougheed Highway.
However, one of the most picturesque spots is the Blossom mansion, a combination of two locations: Copper Stone Mansion in Langley and Cecil Green Park House at the University of British Columbia (UBC).
Twilight
While the first Twilight movie was filmed in Washington and Oregon, the remaining four installments were shot around British Columbia.
If you’ve ever wanted to see where Bella (played by Kristen Stewart) and Edward (played by Robert Pattinson) got married then you’ll need to take a trip to Squamish.
The couple’s wedding in Breaking Dawn: Part 1 was filmed in Stawamus Chief Provincial Park.
Jurassic World Dominion
A scene from Jurassic World Dominion filmed at Cathedral Grove in B.C.
Jurassic World Dominion was filmed around the world, including on Canada’s West Coast.
According to Hollywood North Buzz, the Canadian locations included Kamloops and Merritt in B.C.
One of the most picturesque filming locations included Cathedral Grove, an old-growth forest on Vancouver Island (seen in the photo above).
To All The Boys
Netflix’s teen romance series To All the Boys was filmed around British Columbia, including at Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Park, Fort Langley and Playland in Hastings Park.
Another cool location that was meant to stand in for the Portland Aquarium in To All The Boys I Loved Before 2 was the Vancouver Aquarium.
In an interview with Narcity, Anna Cathcart who plays Kitty, says the cast shot inside the aquarium after hours so they could get the place to themselves.
Chesapeake Shores
Chesapeake Shores is a series that highlights some of the most beautiful locations on Vancouver Island.
The Hallmark Channel drama was shot in Parksville, Qualicum Beach, Nanaimo, and Nanoose Bay, according to Tourism Vancouver Island.
While you can’t necessarily visit the O’Brien family house where many of the scenes were shot, there are multiple other locations you can visit.
One of those locations includes Fairwinds Marina at Schooner Cover in Nanoose Bay.
The Adam Project
Ryan Reynolds returned to his hometown of Vancouver to film The Adam Project.
The Netflix movie, which also stars Jennifer Garner, Zoe Saldaña, and Mark Ruffalo, includes many backdrops around B.C.
Reynold’s character Adam has a house in Lynn Valley Woods, which you can walk and hike through to get a sense of the nature that the Canadian star did while he was filming.
This article’s cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
Source: Narcity Canada
