Trouble's coming to Fraser's Ridge in Outlander Season 6. But how does trouble go about finding Fraser's Ridge? Unlike Culloden, Versailles, the Isle of Skye, or Alamance, Fraser's Ridge on Outlander isn't a real place you can find on the map. But with some guidance from author Diana Gabaldon, some intrepid fans have discovered the location of Fraser's Ridge.
Jamie and Claire settled in the Blue Ridge mountains of western North Carolina in Season 4 (Drums of Autumn in the books). Gabaldon provides plenty of North Carolina landmarks in the books — Wilmington, New Bern, Cross Creek, etc. — to help pinpoint the location (the show is a little less fastidious with its mapping), with Fraser's Ridge north of the Yadkin River. She also responded to a fan on the now-defunct CompuServe in 2014 that Fraser's Ridge was located "up near Boone and Blowing Rock" (h/t Outlander Wikia and Outlander North Carolina). But because it's fictional, you can't just put Fraser's Ridge in Google Maps and start driving there... or can you?
Following the release of Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone, Audible provided a traveling map of every location that's been featured in the books with the assistance of Karen Henry, who runs Outlandish Observations and moderates Gabaldon's section on TheLitForum.com. At 5 minutes and 17 seconds, Audible shows the location of Fraser's Ridge in the mountains of western North Carolina. In the video, it's near the fictional Mount Helicon, where the Scottish settlers gather each year. But the closest real-life landmark that's referenced is Grandfather Mountain, which has a park office in Banner Elk and a mailing address in Linville. Warning tor TV-only fans: There's book spoilers in the below Audible map video.
Audible also gives the location of Fraser's Ridge in an interactive map on Google Maps. The location is 163 NC-184, Banner Elk, N.C. 28604, or 163 Tynecastle Highway. It looks like it's located right next to an Italian bistro, a contractor, and a chiropractor — all things that would've come quite handy for Jamie and Claire as they established life in the North Carolina backwoods. It's near the Cultural Arts Center at the Historic Banner Elk School as well.
Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone also provides a map by Jeffrey L. Ward that shows the location of Fraser's Ridge. For this map, the real-life landmarks of Kings Mountain and Salisbury (which are featured in the book) are shown for context, and Fraser's Ridge is to the northwest of them.
On the Starz show, Fraser's Ridge is actually in Scotland since production never moved to the U.S. following Season 3. So Jamie and Claire's home is primarily filmed at Wardpark Studios near Glasgow. But if you want a more authentic Fraser's Ridge experience, then Outlander North Carolina has you covered. They host the Fraser's Ridge Homecoming, a fan event celebrating Jamie and Claire's life in the North Carolina backcountry. And thanks to them, they've put Fraser's Ridge on the map... Google Maps that is. The location for the event is 512 Meadow Road in Ferguson, N.C., a bit more east than the "actual" location of Fraser's Ridge. (Outlander North Carolina also provides a great argument for anyone questioning the real-life existence of Fraser's Ridge.)
Wherever Fraser's Ridge would be physically if it were real, it seems trouble always finds it. Or, more accurately, trouble always finds Claire and Jamie, wherever in the world they may be. So let's see if these two can keep their American home safe in Outlander Season 6.
Images: Starz, Penguin Random House