The picturesque town of Virgin River is not in California — it’s mostly filmed in British Columbia, Canada. The cabins, the riverbank, the town streets are all around Vancouver, Squamish and Bowen Island.
One of the cabin exteriors used for Mel’s house was actually found to be sinking into the soft ground by the water table during season 5 filming!
The bar where Jack hangs out (in‑show) has a real‑life exterior at the Watershed Grill in Brackendale, but the inside scenes are built on soundstages. The filmmakers often had to battle wind, snow‑storms and unpredictable weather to shoot the outdoor forest sequences.
There’s a fun fan‑Easter‑egg: look closely at some background shots in episodes of season 3 and you can spot a real‑life eagle’s nest (Squamish River region) in the tree‑line behind Jack’s Bar exterior.
The location crew admitted that they chose that region partly because it has the “largest concentration of bald eagles in the world”. So next time you revisit the show, keep your eyes peeled — small details like that are hidden gold.
