English
səmiq̓ʷəʔelə (Riverview Hospital)
2601 Lougheed Hwy, Coquitlam · Braid Station then bus 159, or drive
Hollywood North · The X-Files
The pilot shot here in 1993. Five seasons stayed. Duchovny complained about the rain; the rain is why the show looks like that. Production moved to Los Angeles after season five, and the lighting never quite recovered. If you want the original show, you want these streets, this hospital campus, this university quadrangle in cloud.
Evening Gastown walks are the legal version of the show's alleys. Riverview is self-drive, grounds only.
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Where to stay in Vancouver
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Walking order
- Riverview / səmiq̓ʷəʔelə, Coquitlam: grounds 6 a.m.–9 p.m. Thirteen episodes, including the pilot and 'Squeeze' / 'Excelsis Dei'. Buildings closed. No drones.
- Gastown cobbles after rain, night, looking east down Water Street. Repeat offender for 'anywhere, USA'.
- SFU Academic Quadrangle: the Tollan homeworld and a Washington square in 'Fallen Angel'. Overcast is the correct weather. Bus 145 from Production Way–University.
- Buntzen Lake, north beach — a 40-minute walk from the main lot — for the wooded-lake America of early monster-of-the-week episodes.
Gillian Anderson's daughter was born in Vancouver during season two; the pregnancy was written in. David Duchovny lived here 1993–1998. Public, not private: the locations above. Not their addresses.
On the map
Pins for this title only. Full dossiers — scene vs today, access, source — stay on the Hollywood North hub so we do not maintain two copies.
SFU Academic Quadrangle
8888 University Dr, Burnaby · Production Way–University Station (Millennium Line), then bus 145 to the top (~15 min)
Buntzen Lake — North Beach
Buntzen Lake Recreation Area, Sunnyside Rd, Anmore · No direct transit
Gastown
Water St at Cambie St, Vancouver · Waterfront Station
FAQ
Why did The X-Files leave Vancouver?
Cost and the lead's preference for Los Angeles after five wet seasons. Seasons 6–9 and most of the revival are California. The look of the original is this city.
Can I visit the X-Files hospital?
The grounds of Riverview, yes. The interiors, no. Entering a building is trespassing.
Is there an X-Files tour?
No official studio tour. The hub map pins every public spot on this site. Guided city tours cover Gastown; they will not take you inside Riverview.
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Photo credits
Every photograph on this page is freely licensed via Wikimedia Commons and credited below. We do not publish film stills — those belong to the studios.
riverview — Niall Williams from Coquitlam, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0 · sfu quadrangle — Arnold C, Attribution · buntzen lake — Patrick Leahy (Patleahy), CC BY 2.0 · gastown — Jennie Robinson, CC BY 2.0
