UA Museum Has Received More Funds To Display The Famed Stampede Trail Bus

The Bus on the Stampede Trail, before it was taken to the Museum. (Journal archives) 

The 'Magic Bus' That Chris McCandless Died In Near Denali Park Has Received Funding So It Can Be Displayed To The Public 

The University of Alaska Fairbanks Museum of the North will be getting a $300,000 grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Sciences for a uniquely Alaskan project. 

The funds will be used to make an exhibit of Bus 142 — the Stampede Trail bus near Healy and Denali National Park where a young loner named Chris McCandless starved to death in 1992. 

‘The Bus’ grew to fame when a writer named Jon Karakauer came to Alaska, following McCandless’ trek across America to his death. 

Although it is not that unusual to die in Alaska if you stray off the roads like McCandless did, the story of his death suddenly became known throughout the world. 

The bus stayed out on the Stampede Trail, an old mining trail, for years after Krakauer’s smash best-selling book, Into the Wild, was published. Many pilgrims made a trek out to the vehicle. Some died, and some had to be rescued. In 2020, state land managers airlifted the bus, and it was taken to the UA Museum in Fairbanks. 

A movie was made about the bus and McCandless. The movie was filmed near Cantwell, with a view of Denali in the background. The ‘movie’ bus which was duplicated for the film has been on display for years at 49th State Brewery in Healy, in the front yard. 

The real bus will be on display at the Fairbanks museum, in an outdoors exhibit.