'Magic Bus' Replica

A replica of Christopher McCandless’ “Magic Bus” used in the film Into The Wild is now located in the yard of the 49th State Brewing Company in the small town of Healy, Alaska, just 10 miles from the entrance of Denali National Park.

Christopher McCandless was an adventurer who went by the pseudonym “Alexander Supertramp.” McCandless traveled across North America in the early 1990s. He ventured into the Alaskan bush in 1992 with minimal supplies, hoping to live off the land. Eventually, McCandless came across an abandoned bus near the Sushana River that he used as a makeshift shelter. It would also become his final resting place. 

In 1996, Jon Krakauer published Into The Wild, a book following McCandless’s journey that became an international bestseller. In 2007, the book was adapted into a movie directed by Sean Penn and starring Emile Hirsch as McCandless. A replica of the so-called “Magic Bus” was created for the movie, and after filming was done it found a permanent home at 49th State Brewing.

As for the real bus. it remained at its remote site for many years, and visiting it became a pilgrimage for people who had been inspired by McCandless’s story. But after at least 15 people had to be rescued and two people died attempting to cross the Teklanika River, the bus was airlifted out in June 2020. It was moved to the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where there are plans to put it on display at the Museum of the North.