Where Was “The Revenant” Filmed?

Inspired by the Leonard DiCaprio 2015 film and are wondering: where was “The Revenant” filmed? If so, then you’ve come to the right place! We’ll answer that question in detail ahead.

We’ll also share how you can find your own “The Revenant”-like setting through Peerspace. Peerspace is the largest online marketplace for hourly venue rentals and makes it easy to book unique spaces in cities across the globe. For all of you hoping to host a “The Revenant” viewing party or event film a production similar in appearance, Peerspace can help you out.

But for now, let’s discuss what you need to answer the question: “where was ‘The Revenant’ filmed?”

What is “The Revenant”?

Released in 2015, “The Revenant” stars DiCaprio as Hugh Glass, a frontiersman and fur trapper who survives a grizzly bear attack against all odds. Aside from the bear attack, we watch as Glass then fights to survive on a long trek through the wilderness.

Amazingly, the plot of the film — as shocking and even unimaginable as it might be — is not entirely fictional. It is actually based on the true story of frontiersman Hugh Glass, who became famous for surviving a bear attack in the early 19th century.

But what of the movie’s filming locations? We dive into that ahead.

Another creative project that comes to life with its setting, check out where they filmed “The White Lotus” next!

Its settings define “The Revenant”

The scenery and location are crucial to the plot. After all, it’s Glass’s fight for survival through the freezing wilderness that makes the movie so emotionally affecting.

In fact, DiCaprio himself was by no means spared the physical challenges that his character faced. He was quoted in an interview with Yahoo, saying, “I can name 30 or 40 sequences that were some of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to do. Whether it’s going in and out of frozen rivers, or sleeping in animal carcasses, or what I ate on set. [I was] enduring freezing cold and possible hypothermia constantly.”

Meanwhile, the director, Alejandro González Iñárritu, said that finally completing “The Revenant” felt like “landing after a long and turbulent flight”. The whole process was filled with numerous challenges for the whole crew. This was due to the remote natural settings they used in the midst of winter.

Where was “The Revenant” filmed?

The crew filmed the majority of “The Revenant” in Canada.

According to Looper, they filmed quite a few scenes in an area of the Canadian Rockies west of Calgary, Alberta, in Kananaskis Country.

Filming then continued in the Bow Valley over the course of the 11-month shooting schedule. This region is full of parks and natural reserves that are extremely remote and mostly undisturbed by human habitation.

Difficulties of filming in the Calgary wilderness

Notably, director Alejandro Iñárritu was committed to using only natural light for all cinematography. The days were quite short during the Calgary winter, writes Atlas of Wonders, and “traveling to the distant sets took so much time that the team had only a couple of hours a day for filming.”

Combined with the region’s capricious weather, this is why Iñárritu said this of Calgary, “Sometimes the weather would change seven times a day in Calgary. It’s the worst place for any producer to shoot a film. But it’s an incredible landscape, so we didn’t have a choice.”

Fortress Mountain Resort

According to Screen Daily, “The production had to transport horses and a crane 8,000 feet up Fortress Mountain in Alberta. Planes dropped explosives to create an avalanche the film-makers had to capture in camera in a single take.”

British Columbia: the location of the bear mauling scene

The scene in which a grizzly bear attacks Hugh Glass is perhaps the most memorable of the entire film. It is absolutely pivotal to the plot. Therefore, many readers have probably wondered where they filmed this scene.

Unlike most of the movie, this scene was filmed in the wilderness of British Columbia, in the Upper Squamish Valley, writes Lonely Planet. This was also the location of several other scenes when the production needed woodlands and campsites.

Scenes filmed outside Canada

Although most of “The Revenant” was filmed in Canada, there are several notable exceptions throughout. One of these is the scene where Glass ends up going over some rapids and a waterfall. They filmed this scene at Kootenai Falls in Montana.

The crew also made their way south all the way to Tierra del Fuego at Argentina’s southern tip toward the end of the movie. The snow had begun to melt during the course of their film shoot, with one month’s worth of filming left to complete. They needed to find another location with plenty of snow.

The cold weather is integral to the plot of the film, and a sudden lack of snow would present continuity issues. Surprisingly, the southernmost point of Argentina was a suitable alternative. This is where they filmed the crucial scene in which Glass finally locates and fights Tom Hardy’s character, John Fitzgerald.

Love all of DiCaprio’s movies? Then you may also want to check out our guide on the “Don’t Look Up” filming locations!

Where can you find shooting locations of your own?

You may be asking, “Where was ‘The Revenant’ filmed?” because you’re a filmmaker, photographer, or other creative seeking wilderness-based locations like those of the film for your own project. If the specific locations we’ve outlined above are out of your budget, you can find alternatives with a quick search on Peerspace.

Peerspace is the most extensive online marketplace for short-term rentals of all sorts of spaces, from film and photo studios to farms and large pieces of land. The site is easy to search, and there are plenty of locations available for rent comparable to some of the locations found throughout “The Revenant,” possibly even near your current location.

For example, you can rent this log cabin retreat in the Ghost River Valley wilderness of the Canadian Rockies for an affordable rate per hour. The landscape surrounding the cabin is quite comparable to that found in “The Revenant”. Check out all the amazing photos the host uploaded on the listing. That way, you can see that it’s a great option if you’re seeking something quite similar to the film.

There’s also this Blackfoot River paradise in Missoula, MT. It’s a gorgeous modern cottage surrounded by five acres of Montana wilderness. There is a main house and a smaller home for your production or event needs as well as an outdoor space that includes a trail that leads to a river for lounging, fishing, and of course, filming.

And let’s not forget this new modern home in a mountain setting in Leavenworth, WA. It’s a 2,600-square-foot cabin adjacent to the Wenatchee National Forest. The home itself is spacious and welcoming, and come winter, you can bet there is tons of snow and plenty of forest space to reenact “The Revenant” scenes.

“Where was ‘The Revenant’ filmed? conclusion

By now, you know the answer to the question, “Where was ‘The Revenant’ filmed?”

Perhaps it’s safe to say that you’re also ready to get to work on your own project. If so, remember that Peerspace can help you out. We can connect you with perfectly wild settings in locations across the globe.

All spaces are owned by local hosts who strive to ensure your event or production is perfect. So find your perfect venue, start a conversation with its host, and get down to work or partying!

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