Sean Penn on the Enduring Power of the 'Into the Wild' Bus (Now Out of the Wild)

By Rebecca Keegan
June 24, 2024

"Attractive nuisance" or "sacred, holy place"? The bus depicted in the book and movie about Christopher McCandless' life and death was tempting to many would-be adventurers to make a dangerous pilgrimage.

McCandless Foundation gives $125,000 to build pavilion for Bus 142

By Kristin Summerlin
February 20, 2024

A $125,000 donation from the Christopher Johnson McCandless Memorial Foundation will allow the University of Alaska Museum of the North to construct an open-air pavilion for the display of Bus 142, made famous by the book and film, “Into the Wild.”

The 'Into the Wild' Bus Was a Pilgrimage Site in the Wilderness. Can It Hold Up in a Museum?

By Eva Holland
February 7, 2024

The rusty coach where Chris McCandless spent his final days captured the imagination of people all over the world and inspired hundreds of seekers to make dangerous treks to reach it. Now a dedicated team of curators in Alaska have given it new life as a fascinating exhibit - one that tells the story not just of McCandless, but of modern Alaska.

Inside the Conservation of the "Into the Wild" 1946 International Harvester K-5 bus

By Daniel Strohl
February 3, 2023

"We're treating it as a relic more than as a vehicle," Brian Howard said of the preservation of Bus 142, the 1946 International Harvester K-5 better known as the "Into the Wild" bus. "It's gone way beyond what its function once was, from an automobile to a hunting camp to a quasi-religious shrine, and we're trying to maintain all of that."

Long Before the "Into the Wild" Bus Became a Tourist Deathtrap, It Was My Dad's Hunting Camp'

By Tyler Freel
November 23, 2022

STEPPING INTO THE BUS for the first time is a powerful experience. That’s not because I’m on a spiritual journey, or feeling the aura left by a man who slowly starved to death inside it. Yes, I’d read about Chris McCandless’s unfortunate demise and watched the movie. But I’ve heard more stories about this place from my dad and his brother.

Major grant to support Bus 142 conservation work

By Jeff Richardson
October 19, 2022

A $500,000 federal grant from the National Park Service and the Institute of Museum and Library Services will help the University of Alaska Museum of the North prepare Bus 142 for public exhibition during the summer of 2024.

Stampede Trail bus moves to UAF engineering building

By Marmian Grimes
October 7, 2021

Bus 142 is back in the public eye. 
On Wednesday afternoon, the University of Alaska Museum of the North moved the 1940s-era bus, made famous by Jon Krakauer’s book “Into the Wild” and the 2007 film of the same name, to the university’s engineering building in Fairbanks.

The Into the Wild Bus is Gone, Long Live the Into the Wild Bus

By Adam Roy
July 22, 2021

Bus 142 spent 60 years sitting in the Alaskan backcountry and saw thousands of visitors before it ended up at the Museum of the North in Fairbanks. Now, a team of conservators, students, and volunteers faces the challenge ahead.

'She Needs a lot of Work': Museum of the North Staff Begin Work on 'Into the Wild' Bus'

By Tim Ellis
June 11, 2021

Preliminary work began last week on a project to create a museum exhibit featuring the old bus where the central character in the book and movie "Into the Wild" spent his last days.

Virtual Behind the Scenes: Bus 142

Facebook Live
June 11, 2021
(17:31)

Get a virtual behind the scenes tour of Bus 142 with project lead Angela Linn, the senior collections manager of Ethnology & History at the UA Museum of the North.

Here's What's Happening to the Into the Wild Bus

By Jack Daleo
March 15, 2021

When a National Guard helicopter hauled the famous Magic Bus off of Alaska's Stampede Trail in 2020, it may have been the end of the vehicle's time as a destination for hikers. But a museum in Fairbanks is working to keep the story alive.

Writing the 'Into the Wild' bus's next chapter

By Emily Nelson
February 15, 2021

University of Iowa alumna Angela Linn, a museum professional for more than 26 years, is developing a plan to conserve, interpret, and exhibit the bus made famous by Jon Krakauer's book about Christopher McCandless.

Revisiting Into the Wild

By Ben Wright
January 22, 2021

In June 2020, controversial monuments began to come down across America... it is no surprise that the removal of another monument, near Healy, Alaska went largely unnoticed.

Jon Krakauer on the 25th Anniversary of 'Into the Wild'

By Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker
January 14, 2021

Bryan, David, and Jon discuss the story of Christopher McCandless, the impact of 'Into the Wild' on McCandless's story, and Krakauer, and what has unfolded in the 25 years since.