‘The Last of Us’ in Salt Lake City: Are there really underground tunnels in Salt Lake?
Utah fans of “The Last of Us” on HBO were probably thrilled when Salt Lake City made an appearance in the show in Episode 6 — upon arriving in Colorado, Joel and Ellie discover that the Fireflies likely made their way to Saint Mary’s Hospital in Salt Lake City.
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Do Joel and Ellie actually make it to Salt Lake City? (Spoiler alert: they do!). While they do in the video game, you’ll have to keep watching Season 1 to see if they’ll make it to Salt Lake City in the show. Here’s everything you need to know about Salt Lake City in “The Last of Us.”
Is Salt Lake City in ‘The Last of Us’?
Salt Lake City plays a huge part in “The Last of Us” — at least, in the video game. In “The Last of Us” Part I, Ellie and Joel find themselves traveling to Salt Lake City to meet up with the Fireflies, the group of renegades resisting against FEDRA.
The duo make it to Salt Lake City, and “The Last of Us” Part I actually ends in Salt Lake City. While there is some resemblance to Salt Lake City in the video game — you can see the Salt Lake Temple in the background in one shot — there are definitely some major differences.
(Spoilers ahead!)
“The Last of Us” on HBO Max follows a similar plot to the video game: upon arriving to Salt Lake City to meet up with the Fireflies, Joel learns a terrible truth. To create a Cordyceps cure, surgeons must remove Ellie’s brain — which will obviously kill Ellie in the process.
Joel continues to save Ellie, but not before he kills practically everyone in the hospital where Ellie is being held.
What is the Salt Lake City crew in ‘The Last of Us’?
(Spoilers ahead!)
According to The Last of Us Wiki, the Salt Lake crew comprises of ex-Fireflies who have one goal — to capture and murder Joel.
In the game, Joel massacres the group of Fireflies at Saint Mary’s Hospital, who met up there in order to create the Cordyceps cure. The Salt Lake crew includes Abby Anderson, who was the daughter of the head surgeon Jerry Anderson.
After Joel’s massacre, the Fireflies disband, with Abby and her friends leaving to join the Washington Liberation Front.
Are there tunnels under Salt Lake City?
In “The Last of Us” Part I, Joel and Ellie use underground tunnels under the city to navigate Salt Lake City. Are there actually tunnels under Salt Lake City?
There have been rumors swirling around about the Salt Lake City tunnels for years. According to some sources, there are tunnels that connect the Salt Lake Temple with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ office building. There’s definitely at least one tunnel under Salt Lake City — according to Fox affiliate KSTU, construction of a 180-foot long tunnel under Temple Square wrapped up construction in 2021.
So while there probably are tunnels, or at least one, under Salt Lake City, they definitely aren’t as extensive and accessible as the ones in “The Last of Us” video game. And are there tunnels under Salt Lake City in the show? Only time will tell.
Is Saint Mary’s Hospital in ‘The Last of Us’ real?
In “The Last of Us” Part I, the Fireflies flock to Saint Mary’s Hospital in Salt Lake City to develop a cure using Ellie’s blood. But does this hospital actually exist?
While there are multiple hospitals in Salt Lake City, Saint Mary’s Hospital isn’t one of them. Saint Mary’s Hospital doesn’t really exist — it was made up entirely for the game and for the show, too.
