Where exactly is Buntzen Lake? Some will say near Coquitlam while others will say just north of Port Moody. To be more specific, the nearly 5km long lake sits in Anmore nestled between Eagle Mountain and Belcarra Regional Park. The region is known for outdoor recreation including its trails which are used by hikers, mountain bikers and horse riders.
The lake which was formerly named Trout Lake is also known as Lake Beautiful. It was renamed as Buntzen Lake in 1905 after the first GM of B.C. Electric Co., Johannes Buntzen. Its primary inflow comes from Coquitlam Lake while its controlled outflow goes into the Indian Arm and power stations.
Here’s 10 times Buntzen Lake has appeared on television.
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Psych
In addition to the beloved detective-comedy series filming in Vancouver for its 8 season-run, a special follow-up TV movie filmed in town during Summer 2017. Pysch aired 121 episodes from 2006 to 2014. Season 5 Episode 12 “Dual Spires” used Buntzen Lake as Dual Spires Lake where a dead body was found.
Supernatural
As the longest-running North American sci-fi series continues for Supernatural, a Rolodex of locations has been used in town over the years. Buntzen Lake was used as Lake Manitoc in Season 1 Episode 3 “Dead in the Water” where mysterious drownings were occuring.
iZombie
Popular horror comedy-drama iZombie used Buntzen Lake in its pilot episode as the shore for a boat party and its aftermath.
The X-Files
Staple sci-fi show The X-Files has shot a number of its seasons, including reboot seasons, and even a TV movie in Vancouver. Buntzen Lake was used as Lake Okobogee in Season 1 Episode 4 “Conduit” where a girl disappears while camping lakeside with her family (XF Marks the Spot).
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Eureka
Emmy Award nominee and sci-fi comedy Eureka shot its five seasons in a Burnaby studio, on location in Chilliwack and around Vancouver. It used Buntzen Lake in Season 2 Episode 2 “Try, Try Again” as Archimedes Lake for fishing.
Stargate SG-1
Stargate SG-1 gave sci-fi fans something exciting for a decade with 10 seasons spanning from 1997 to 2007. It used Buntzen Lake as the planet Nassya under evacuation in Season 2 Episode 2 “In the Line of Duty”
Related: 7 Times Fairmont Hotel Vancouver Played Another Hotel On-Screen
It
The old powerhouses at Buntzen Lake were used in the 1990 mini-series It based on the Stephen King novel. The two-night four-hour televised event aired on ABC and is an early 90’s horror classic. The story has been re-imagined again with the 2017 feature film release of It.
Also see: Pennywise the Dancing Clown has roots in Vancouver
The Buntzen Powerhouse No. 1 was Vancouver’s first hydroelectric plant in 1903 and was powered by the lake. Since the 60’s its water has been used in the Burrard Generation Station in Port Moody.
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Buntzen Lake has also been used in other TV shows like The 4400, Smallville and Dark Angel. It’s also been used in movies:
Hot Rod (2007)
Buntzen Lake was used for beach scenes in the comedy movie Hot Rod starring Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, Bill Hader, Danny McBride, Isla Fisher, Sissy Spacek, Ian McShane and Will Arnett. The movie also used locations in Cloverdale, Burnaby, North Vancouver and Vancouver.
The lake has also been used in other movies such as Roxanne (1987), Lake Placid (1999), The Blair With Project (1999) and Freddie vs. Jason (2003).
Also see:
- 23 Movies You Didn’t Know Were Filmed on Vancouver Island
- 11 Movies You Didn’t Know Were Filmed in Squamish
- 4 Movies You Didn’t Know Were Filmed in Steveston Village
- 5 Movies You Didn’t Know Were Filmed at Deer Lake Park
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Screen shot photos sourced: moviemaps.org