Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for The Abandons season 1!
Netflix’s latest flagship Western series The Abandons has been riding high in Netflix’s top 2 for several days, now. Given the spectacular mountain backdrops and wild badlands we see throughout the show, many viewers are understandably asking where exactly Lena Headey and Gillian Anderson are riding high in a more literal sense, as they gallop across our screens on horseback.
In fact, the cast and crew of The Abandons ventured out to several remote locations to film the entirety of the series so far. Although these locations aren’t where the story is set – in the Washington Territory of the 1850s – their respective landscapes are almost identical to those of the rugged mountainous terrain of modern-day Washington state.
The Abandons season 2 has already been set up by episode 7’s explosive ending, and we may well see the 1859 founding of the state of Oregon become a subplot in this follow-up season. If season 2 is greenlit, production will no doubt venture north of the Canadian border once again, returning to the filming locations used to shoot season 1.
The Abandons Is Set In The Washington Territory During The 1850s
The Abandons is a must-watch for any Western fan interested in the stories of settlers who reached the end of the Oregon Trail in the mid-19th century, and set up homesteads in the badlands of the Washington Territory. It’s set in a fictional remote area of the territory known as Jasper’s Hollow, which borders the town of Angel Ridge.
These imaginary places are close to the real-life Columbia River, which today separates Washington from Oregon. They represent the kind of settlements that actually existed in the region prior to Washington’s incorporation into the United States.
Alberta, Canada Provided The Filming Locations For The Abandons
The Abandons was hallowed as Netflix’s new Yellowstone replacement before it debuted this month, and the series certainly mirrors the rugged terrain of the American West we see depicted in Taylor Sheridan’s best-known Western drama. However, despite being set in what is today the Northwestern United States, The Abandons was filmed in Canada.
More specifically, the whole of the series so far has been shot on location in the environs of Calgary, Alberta, against the backdrop of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. The Abandons crew built sets on real-life ranches and camping grounds, while using several natural beauty spots for outdoor scenes.
Abandons Ranch Scenes Were Filmed At The Nakoda Lakeside Lodge
The set of Abandons Ranch, where Fiona Dolan and her adoptive children live and work, was built at the Nakoda Lakeside Lodge in Mînî Thnî, a remote village on land belonging to the Nakoda First Nation. This area is around 50 miles west of the city of Calgary.
C L Ranches Were Used For The Town Of Angel Ridge
Meanwhile, the set used for the fictional frontier town of Angel Ridge was constructed at C L Ranches, a working ranch with its own movie backlot ready-made for period Westerns. This location is less than 30 miles from Calgary, on the road between the city and Mînî Thnî.
The Van Ness Mansion Was Set Up At The Stoney Park Campgrounds
The Van Ness mansion which burns down at the end of The Abandons’ finale episode was built on a location set close to Nakoda Lakeside Lodge, at the Stoney Park Campgrounds. This woodland camping site lies just the other site of the Bow River from Mînî Thnî.
Other Locations For The Abandons Include The Bow & Red Deer Rivers
Various locations around the Bow River were actually used extensively to shoot the seven episodes of The Abandons released so far. This river is meant to represent the Columbia River at the southern border of the Washington Territory.
The Bow isn’t the only river used in the series, though. Certain scenes were also filmed around the Red Deer river, 100 miles northeast of Calgary. The locations in this part of Alberta which appear in The Abandons are Horsethief Canyon and the Drumheller Badlands.
- Release Date
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December 4, 2025
- Network
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Netflix
- Directors
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Otto Bathurst, Stephen Surjik
- Writers
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Kurt Sutter
