2400 Motel
2400 Motel, Kingsway
2400 Kingsway, Vancouver · Book direct for current rates
The Mirador Motel in Wetwired. The manager says Mulder had room 127 and Scully room 274. 65 rooms and bungalows, still open.
Check dates
Fox · 1993–2002 · 2016–2018Vancouver → Los Angeles
The X-Files Where the truth was really filmed
Move the torch across the field.
For five seasons Vancouver played almost everywhere: Washington, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Siberia. Then the show moved to Los Angeles, and later came back. Mulder got through it all on sunflower seeds. This page cracks the cover stories and shows you the real places underneath, as they are now.
Where we read it
The first five seasons were shot in Vancouver; the show then moved to Los Angeles at the urging of its stars, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson.
BC Magazine: Did you know these 20 TV shows were filmed in Vancouver? (Emily Heeb, 12 February 2016)
Duchovny said Mulder’s sunflower seeds came from Chris Carter, and that it is hard to act with sunflower seeds.
Refinery29, from Entertainment Weekly’s X-Files reunion (Matthew Zuras, 16 October 2013)
Field: JSarek · CC BY 4.0. Portrait: Keven Law from Los Angeles, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0.
Exhibit A · one bag of sunflower seeds
Every place wore
a cover story.
Each seed is tagged with what a place pretended to be. Crack it and the kernel is the real place, as it looks now. Some tags are blank: those places played themselves, or played something nobody wrote down. Keep cracking and watch the shells pile up.
Pick a seed. The tag says what it played on screen.
Zero of twelve
The shells go on the desk. Twelve make an X.
Nothing cracked yet.
Twelve kernels are waiting: five in Vancouver, four around it on the North Shore, in Coquitlam and up the Sea to Sky Highway, and three around Los Angeles.
Where we read it
Seasons one to five · Atlas Obscura
One forest.
21 places.
Mulder’s map: 21 settings on three continents.
Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve
Once called the Seymour Demonstration Forest, the reserve appears in 23 episodes across the first five seasons, playing a different place almost every time. It is Collum National Forest, Oregon, in the pilot; the jungle near Arecibo, Puerto Rico, in Little Green Men; and Siberia in Tunguska and Terma. Rice Lake, in the reserve, is Scully’s dreamscape in One Breath.
Open every day from 6am; in October the gate at the foot of Lillooet Road closes at 6pm. Over 65 km of trails, including the loop round Rice Lake.
Where we read it
And Stanley Park, downtown
Stanley Park stood in for New York’s Central Park. It also played a Russian work camp in Terma and Tunguska.
Where we read it
Coquitlam · Kingsway · 1993–1998
Thirteen episodes
and two room keys.
Riverview, Coquitlam
The hospital in the pilot
The X-Files shot 13 episodes at Riverview between 1993 and 1996, the pilot, Squeeze, Young at Heart and The Calusari among them. The Crease Clinic is prominent in many exterior shots. Riverview became a haunted convalescent home in Excelsis Dei, and the two reunion seasons filmed on the grounds too.
The arboretum grounds are open to the public in daylight. The old hospital buildings are closed: look at them from outside.
Where we read it
2400 Kingsway · Wetwired and The Pine Bluff Variant
The Mirador Motel is still letting rooms
In Wetwired, in season three, the 2400 is the Mirador Motel: its neon sign appears twice and its logo is on a book of matches. It is back in season five for The Pine Bluff Variant. The motel was still open in April 2026, with a proposal before the city to replace it with four towers of rental homes.
Two doors on Kingsway. Knock.
Still open: 65 rooms and bungalows on Kingsway. Book direct on the motel’s own site.
Where we read it
May 1998 · season six
Then the rain
stopped.
Season five wrapped in British Columbia in May 1998. Season six was made in Southern California, with new production offices on the Fox lot and the Skinner’s office and apartment sets rebuilt there. Out on location, Los Angeles had to learn to look spooky.
Where we read it
Season five wrapped in British Columbia in May 1998; season six was based at new facilities on the 20th Century Fox lot, where the regular sets were rebuilt.
The X-Files Magazine (US) no. 7, Fall 1998: L.A. Story (Gina McIntyre), as reposted by EatTheCorn
The show moved to Los Angeles at the urging of David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson.
BC Magazine: Did you know these 20 TV shows were filmed in Vancouver? (Emily Heeb, 12 February 2016)
Cedar Grove, Griffith Park
The show’s location manager, Ilt Jones, said in 1999 that the year before they had shot in Cedar Grove in Griffith Park, and that it looked beautiful and spooky on screen.
A walk of about 0.7 miles from the top of Commonwealth Avenue, up Vista del Valle Drive, which is closed to cars. Picnic tables in the grove.
Where we read it
Leo Carrillo State Beach
Leo Carrillo Beach was the African beach in the season-six finale, which ends on a slow crane lift that reveals a spaceship in the water.
Day-use parking 8am–10pm, $12 a vehicle. The park can close on red-flag fire days; check before you drive.
Where we read it
2016: back to Vancouver.
For the revival Chris Carter went north again. He said he came back for the crew, for the locations, for the facilities. Riverview was on the call sheet once more.
Where we read it
Chris Carter: he comes back to Vancouver “for the crew, for the locations, for the facilities”.
The two reunion seasons filmed on the Riverview grounds.
Triangle · season six · 1998
Lose a city
behind a ship.
The Queen Mary at her Long Beach berth, with the city behind her.
Chris Carter needed an old ship for the season-six episode in which Mulder is lost in the Bermuda Triangle; the location team suggested the Queen Mary, and he walked her for a long time before he wrote it. Location manager Ed Lippman said nothing else in town could have matched it. A big green screen about 20 feet out hid Long Beach so a storm could be added.
One long take after another
The episode was shot in near-continuous takes, and the crew could not drill or tape the ship’s walls, which made lighting hard. Chris Owens, who played Jeffrey Spender, said it was great to shoot on the Queen Mary and walk around the boat.
A hotel and museum ship. Guided tours include a History Tour and Belowdecks; times and prices on the ship’s own site.
Where we read it
The Queen Mary
The Queen Mary, Long Beach
1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach · Enter dates on the ship’s site for prices
Sleep aboard the liner that was lost in the Bermuda Triangle in season six.
Check datesAs themselves · photographed at events
Still
out there.
Dana Scully
Gillian Anderson
In April 2004, two years after the original run ended.
Creator
Chris Carter
He gave Mulder the sunflower seeds, and took the revival back to Vancouver.
Walter Skinner
Mitch Pileggi
In Wellington, New Zealand, June 2013.
On stage again
David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson
At Fan Expo Denver, 30 May 2026.
The story goes on without them: in February 2026 Hulu ordered a pilot for a new X-Files from Ryan Coogler, with Danielle Deadwyler starring and Carter an executive producer in name only. That one is outside this page.
Where we read it
Duchovny said the sunflower seeds came from Chris Carter.
Refinery29, from Entertainment Weekly’s X-Files reunion (Matthew Zuras, 16 October 2013)
Hulu ordered a pilot of a rebooted X-Files, written and directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Danielle Deadwyler; Chris Carter is billed as an executive producer but is otherwise not involved.
TVLine: The X-Files reboot lands Hulu pilot order (Dave Nemetz, 23 February 2026)
Carter on going back to Vancouver for the revival.
Photographs: Gillian Anderson, 2004, Keven Law from Los Angeles, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0; Chris Carter, 2013, Gage Skidmore · CC BY-SA 3.0; Mitch Pileggi, 2013, DatarkNZ · CC BY-SA 2.5; David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, 2026, SpiritedMichelle · CC BY-SA 4.0.
Case closed · go there
The truth is
on the map.
Where it is now
12 places you can visit, from East Vancouver to the Malibu coast. At Riverview you walk the grounds and see the old hospital from outside.
Pins mark public places; private homes are named but not pinned.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: building · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. The Vancouver Police Museum is open here Thursday to Saturday 10am–5pm and Sunday noon–5pm until 31 October 2026, its last day in the building. It reopens in mid-November in the Woodward’s building.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: building · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. Open daily except Tuesday, 10am–5pm (Fridays until 8pm). Adults $29 for BC residents, $35 otherwise; free on the first Friday of the month, 4–8pm.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: building · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. Still a working concert hall: shows on sale through Ticketmaster run from 9 October to 14 November 2026.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: building · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. Still open: 65 rooms and bungalows on Kingsway. Book direct on the motel’s own site.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A public park at the tip of downtown, open all year; walk the seawall or the forest trails.
The old Coroner’s Court, 240 East Cordova Street, April 2007. Bobanny · Public domain 240 East Cordova Street, Vancouver
The old Coroner’s Court
The Vancouver Police Museum says its building has hosted The X-Files, among other shows and films.
The Vancouver Police Museum is open here Thursday to Saturday 10am–5pm and Sunday noon–5pm until 31 October 2026, its last day in the building. It reopens in mid-November in the Woodward’s building.
Where we read it
The Vancouver Art Gallery, June 2022. Dietmar Rabich · CC BY-SA 4.0 750 Hornby Street, Vancouver
Vancouver Art Gallery
With Vancouver standing in for Washington, D.C., the Vancouver Art Gallery played the Smithsonian.
Open daily except Tuesday, 10am–5pm (Fridays until 8pm). Adults $29 for BC residents, $35 otherwise; free on the first Friday of the month, 4–8pm.
Where we read it
The Commodore Ballroom sign on Granville Street, July 2009. Ben Aston · CC BY 2.0 868 Granville Street, Vancouver
Commodore Ballroom
BC Magazine lists the Commodore Ballroom among the Vancouver places where The X-Files was filmed.
Still a working concert hall: shows on sale through Ticketmaster run from 9 October to 14 November 2026.
Where we read it
The 2400 Motel on Kingsway, September 2005. Mike from Vancouver · CC BY 2.0 2400 Kingsway, Vancouver
2400 Motel
In Wetwired, in season three, the 2400 is the Mirador Motel: its neon sign appears twice and its logo is on a book of matches. It is back in season five for The Pine Bluff Variant.
Still open: 65 rooms and bungalows on Kingsway. Book direct on the motel’s own site.
Where we read it
Stanley Park, June 2022. Dietmar Rabich · CC BY-SA 4.0 Stanley Park, West End, Vancouver
Stanley Park
Stanley Park stood in for New York’s Central Park.
A public park at the tip of downtown, open all year; walk the seawall or the forest trails.
Where we read it
Stay
Sleep in Mulder’s motel, or on the ship.
The 2400 Motel on Kingsway and the Queen Mary in Long Beach both take guests.
2400 Motel
2400 Motel, Kingsway
2400 Kingsway, Vancouver · Book direct for current rates
The Mirador Motel in Wetwired. The manager says Mulder had room 127 and Scully room 274. 65 rooms and bungalows, still open.
Check datesThe Queen Mary
The Queen Mary, Long Beach
1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach · Enter dates on the ship’s site for prices
Sleep aboard the liner that was lost in the Bermuda Triangle in season six.
Check datesGo there
A mountain, a mine and a liner.
The Grouse Mountain Skyride, the Britannia Mine Museum, the Queen Mary’s tours and live tour searches for Vancouver.
Grouse Mountain
Grouse Mountain Skyride
6400 Nancy Greene Way, North Vancouver · Prices and conditions on the mountain’s site
Ride the Skyride up the mountain where the crew filmed, above North Vancouver.
Plan a visit
Britannia Mine Museum
Britannia Mine Museum
150 Copper Drive, Britannia Beach · Adults $42.95 with the underground tour
The underground tour, Mill No. 3 and the signed X-Files photographs in the Chatterbox Cafe.
Tickets
The Queen Mary
Queen Mary History Tour and Belowdecks
Long Beach · Times and prices on the ship’s site
Guided walks through the ship whose corridors were shot in near-continuous takes for Triangle.
See tours
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Vancouver
Live marketplace results for film and TV location tours of Vancouver. Check each itinerary for its stops.
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Compare toursWhat’s on
Last weeks in the old court.
The Vancouver Police Museum leaves the Coroner’s Court on 31 October 2026.
Checking current event dates…
Take it home
The first official guide.
The Truth Is Out There, by Brian Lowry, from 1995.
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Bookshop.org UK · Ad / affiliate
The Truth Is Out There: The Official Guide to The X-Files
Brian Lowry
The first official episode guide, published in 1995, from the Vancouver years.
Find the bookDates, prices, rooms and stock change: confirm with the provider before you travel or buy. A stay or tour is described as a filming location only where the card says so.
Where we read it
The museum’s last day at 240 East Cordova is 31 October; it reopens in mid-November.
The 2400 Motel has 65 rooms and bungalows; book direct.
The Queen Mary offers a History Tour, Belowdecks and other guided tours.
Britannia Mine Museum’s autumn hours and 2026 prices.
The complete file, with sources
Every place and moment behind this page, with sources.
12 of 12 places · 17 of 17 Moments
The old Coroner’s Court
240 East Cordova Street, Vancouver
Filming in the Coroner’s Court
The museum building hosts The X-Files.
Vancouver Art Gallery
750 Hornby Street, Vancouver
The Smithsonian, on Hornby Street
The Vancouver Art Gallery plays the Smithsonian.
Commodore Ballroom
868 Granville Street, Vancouver
On Granville Street
The Commodore Ballroom is a location.
2400 Motel
2400 Kingsway, Vancouver
The Mirador Motel
The 2400 is the Mirador Motel, neon sign and matchbook.
Back for The Pine Bluff Variant
The motel returns in The Pine Bluff Variant.
Stanley Park
Stanley Park, West End, Vancouver
Central Park
Stanley Park plays Central Park.
A Russian work camp
Stanley Park plays a Russian work camp.
Grouse Mountain
6400 Nancy Greene Way, North Vancouver
Up the Skyride
The crew films on Grouse Mountain.
Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve
Lillooet Road, North Vancouver
Collum National Forest, Oregon
The Seymour forest is Oregon in the pilot.
Arecibo, Puerto Rico
The Seymour forest is the jungle near Arecibo.
One forest, twenty-three places
One North Vancouver forest appears in 23 episodes as somewhere else.
Crease Clinic, Riverview
Riverview Lands, 2601 Lougheed Highway, Coquitlam
Thirteen episodes at Riverview
The Crease Clinic appears in exterior shots across 13 episodes.
A haunted convalescent home
Riverview plays a haunted convalescent home in Excelsis Dei.
Britannia Mine Museum
150 Copper Drive, Britannia Beach
Signed photographs in the cafe
Signed photographs from the shoots hang in the Chatterbox Cafe.
Cedar Grove, Griffith Park
Off Vista del Valle Drive, Griffith Park, Los Angeles
Spooky in the cedars
The crew shoots in Cedar Grove, Griffith Park.
The Queen Mary
1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach
Lost in the Bermuda Triangle
The Queen Mary plays a ship lost in the Bermuda Triangle.
Leo Carrillo State Beach
35000 West Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu
An African beach
Leo Carrillo is the African beach of the season-six finale.