Virgin River season 6 has returned to the sleepy town we all love and despite the idyllic exterior, the show still manages to pack in plenty of drama for its local residents.
However, it doesn’t stop us from wanting to dive into our screens and relax amongst the picturesque scenery. From dense forests and waterfalls to mountain vistas and cozy cabins, Virgin River takes place in Northern California in the United States but is actually shot in Vancouver, Canada.
Sadly, the northern California town of Virgin River is a fictional place, but you’ll be happy to hear that you can visit the fairytale scenery in real life as the 'town' is filmed in an amalgamation of locations in and around Vancouver and British Columbia.
So where is Virgin River filmed? Here are the real-life places where the hit romantic drama takes place…
Where was Virgin River filmed?
Virgin River town
Virgin River is in fact a small tributary of the Colorado River in the United States, but the actual town is filmed in Snug Cove, a 3,700 person community located in Bowen Island, British Columbia.
According to Destination Vancouver, it plays center stage for the town of Virgin River, reading: “Snug Cove anchors the show as the fictional town of Virgin River, with establishing shots including the local library, main streets and Artisan Lane.”
The small town is also well-known for promoting relaxation and wellness and for its retreat-inspired experiences.
Jack's Bar
The Watershed Grill, located in Brackendale, Squamish is used to film the exterior shots of Jack’s Bar, which is owned by Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson) and is a popular meeting spot for the local residents.
However, all interior shots are filmed in a local studio, so if you did want to pay the cozy hub a visit, it may look slightly different!
Mel Monroe (Alexandra Breckrenridge) and Jack’s river scenes were also filmed in Squamish, as well as the waterfall scenes which were filmed at Shannon Falls Provincial Park along the Sea to Sky Highway.
Paige's food truck
The food truck that is owned by Paige Lassiter (Lexa Doig) and was once run by Lizzie (Sarah Dugdale) who dishes out baked goods to the residents was filmed in Burnaby Fraser Foreshore Park, just 30 minutes away from downtown Vancouver. It boasts a leafy landscape and sprawling green spaces perfect for picnics.
The Mayor's house
Also filmed in Burnaby is the Mayor of Virgin River’s home, Hope McCrea (Annette O’Toole), which is actually a registered historic heritage building in real life and is located along Deer Lake Drive.
Mel's cabin
Murdo Frazer Cabin in North Vancouver is the home of Mel’s snug and warm cabin gifted to her by Hope and has also starred in other hit series including Once Upon a Time, The Flash and Supernatural.
The interior scenes at Mel's cabin are shot on a soundstage in the studios. Location manager and scout W. Robert “Fluffy” Millar told Tudum back in 2022: "They use big photographic backdrops hanging from the ceiling, so when you’re inside and look out the window, it’s actually high-resolution photos taken of the area around the real cabin. It’s a beautiful little park with tennis courts and running trails and a pond on it with turtles and stuff."
But there wasn't just drama on screen when it came to Mel's cabin back in season 5, but also off-screen when the production team discovered it was sinking! "We found out that the District of North Vancouver received a heritage grant to refurbish the cabin because it's actually sinking," says Millar. "The foundation is actually sinking into the soft earth by the water table with the pond that's right beside it. They actually need to come in and do an actual house lifting, like those proper things you see on Discovery Channel where they lift a house up and jack it up."
Doc Mullins' clinic
Doc Mullins’ (Tim Matheson) Family Practice Clinic is apparently located at 122 First Street in the oldest city of western Canada, New Westminster.
The house was built in 1889 and went on sale in 2021 for $2.3 million!
Is Virgin River Season 6 filmed in the same place?
Yes, season 6 is filmed in the same locations as all other seasons - but this time around we have a new location that has been added to the show, and that is Jack and Mel's farm, which is where Lilly's farm was before the devastating wildfire in Virgin River season 5.
Jack and Mel's farm - and wedding location
In season 6, Mel and Jack purchase Lilly's farm following the devastating wildfire in season 5 and transform it into their dream home. Not only is this new location for Virgin River destined to be where Jack and Mel get their happily ever after, it is also where our favorite couple tied the knot!
In season 6 we see Hope working hard to transform the grounds of the farm and the barn into a dreamy, picture-perfect, wedding location, and in real life the farm is located in a set in North Langley in British Columbia, Canada.
3 things you didn’t know about Virgin River
Not everyone knows this, but Virgin River is based on a series of books by an author called Robyn Carr. Fans of the show can get excited about the fact that there are a whopping 23 books in the series, so it goes quite a bit further than the show, meaning there is plenty more material for future seasons! You can read our handy guide on how to read the Virgin River books in order to learn more.
Tim Matheson, who plays Doc once directed an episode of Suits in 2011 and was full of praise for Meghan Markle. In an interview with Page Six he said: "She was charming and she had an aura about her that was special."
The series has also been commissioned for Virgin River season 7, which means we will find out more about what happened to Charmaine and her babies, who Brie will pick out of Mike and Brady and what will happen to Doc's clinic.
When does Virgin River season 6 start?
All 10 episodes of Virgin River season 6 landed on Netflix on Thursday, December 19, 2024.
Virgin River seasons 1-6 are now available to stream on Netflix.
