Maps of Movies
Insomnia (2002)
Where Insomnia says it takes place, and where it was really shot.
Nightmute, Alaska was never filmed: its police station, hotel and cemetery are in Squamish, British Columbia.
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Scenes and places
The flight into Nightmute (2002)
LAPD detectives Will Dormer and Hap Eckhart fly north to help local police with the murder of a teenage girl. The film opens with the long approach over the Alaskan wilderness.
Set in Flight to Nightmute — The opening aerial view as the detectives fly toward Nightmute.
A tidewater glacier near Valdez, Alaska.
Filmed at Columbia Glacier, near Valdez, Alaska (Columbia Glacier, Valdez, Alaska, United States) — The opening aerial scene was filmed over the Columbia Glacier. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
The float plane arrives (2002)
The detectives arrive by float plane and are met by the local detective Ellie Burr, who is assigned as their guide and idolizes Dormer.
Set in Float plane approach — The float plane approach toward the town.
A channel that forms part of the Alaska–British Columbia border.
Filmed at Portland Canal, between Hyder, Alaska and Stewart, British Columbia (Portland Canal, Stewart, British Columbia, Canada) — The float plane approach was filmed over the Portland Canal. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
The Nightmute police station (2002)
Dormer and Eckhart start questioning people about the murder of Kay Connell, including her abusive boyfriend Randy Stetz. In private, Eckhart admits he will testify against Dormer in an Internal Affairs investigation.
Set in Nightmute, Alaska — The small-town police station and high school where the investigation of Kay Connell's murder is run. Google Maps · Apple Maps
A town in British Columbia, between Vancouver and Whistler.
Filmed at Squamish, British Columbia (Squamish, Squamish, British Columbia, Canada) — Nightmute's police station and high school were filmed in and around Squamish. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
The chase in the fog (2002)
Dormer sets a trap with Kay's backpack at a shack near the coast, but the suspect flees into heavy fog. Chasing a figure with his backup weapon after his sidearm jams, Dormer fires and discovers he has shot his own partner.
Set in Rocky beach near the shack — A shack near the coast where Kay's backpack was found, and the fog-bound beach beyond it.
A creek mouth on Indian Arm, a fjord just outside Vancouver.
Filmed at Clementine Creek, Indian Arm, near Vancouver (Indian Arm, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) — The rocky beach scene in the fog was filmed here. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
The village of Umkumuit (2002)
Plagued by insomnia, Dormer learns that the victim was a fan of the local crime writer Walter Finch. He breaks into Finch's apartment in a nearby village and hides the .38 there, then Finch discovers someone has been inside.
Set in Umkumuit — The village where the writer Walter Finch has his apartment.
A port city on Vancouver Island.
Filmed at Port Alberni, Vancouver Island (Vancouver Island, Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada) — Umkumuit, where Finch's apartment is and where the log chase takes place, was filmed here. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
The meeting on the ferry (2002)
Finch contacts Dormer and arranges a meeting in public on a ferry. He wants Dormer's help in shifting suspicion onto Randy, in return for silence about the Eckhart shooting.
Set in A public ferry — A public meeting on a ferry, arranged by Finch.
The hotel in Nightmute (2002)
Dormer cannot sleep in the perpetual daylight and tries to block the sunlight from his hotel room. He confides in the hotel clerk about the Internal Affairs investigation, and she asks whether it is something he is willing to live with.
Set in Nightmute, Alaska — The hotel where Dormer tries in vain to sleep through the perpetual daylight. Google Maps · Apple Maps
A small-town hotel setting filmed in the same British Columbia town as the police station.
Filmed at Squamish, British Columbia (hotel/lodge) (Squamish, Squamish, British Columbia, Canada) — Nightmute's hotel/lodge was filmed in and around Squamish. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
The waterfall road (2002)
Dormer realizes Burr is being lured to Finch's lake house and rushes there. On the way he spins his car 180 degrees in front of a waterfall.
Set in Road to Finch's lake house — The road to Finch's lake house, in front of a waterfall.
A waterfall in Keystone Canyon on the Richardson Highway.
Filmed at Bridal Veil Falls, Richardson Highway, near Valdez, Alaska (Richardson Highway, Keystone Canyon, Valdez, Alaska, United States) — The waterfall road scene, where Dormer spins his car 180 degrees, was shot in front of Bridal Veil Falls. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Finch's lake house (2002)
Finch asks Burr to come to his lake house to collect Kay's letters. Dormer, short of sleep, races to the house to reach her first.
Set in Lake Kgun — Finch's lake house and dock on Lake Kgun.
A lake in a provincial park near the Alaska border.
Filmed at Strohn Lake, Bear Glacier Provincial Park, near Stewart, British Columbia (Bear Glacier Provincial Park, Stewart, British Columbia, Canada) — The final scene was filmed on the northwest end of Strohn Lake; the crew built the lake house and dock from scratch and removed them after filming in June 2001. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Filmed at Squamish, British Columbia (cemetery) (Squamish, Squamish, British Columbia, Canada) — Nightmute cemetery Google Maps · Apple Maps
Characters
- Will Dormer — An LAPD detective sent to Alaska to help with a murder case.
- Ellie Burr — A young local detective who idolizes Dormer.
- Walter Finch — A local crime writer.
Questions answered on the map
- Where was Nightmute, Alaska really filmed?
- Where was Finch's lake house in Insomnia?
- Where was the fog chase in Insomnia filmed?