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While Alaska is renowned for its breathtaking natural beauty and long, dark winters, it also holds a reputation for supernatural occurrences. Over the years, paranormal enthusiasts and content creators have flocked to Alaska to investigate its eerie restaurants, cafés, hotels, and other locations. Join us as we take a virtual journey through 10 of the state's most haunted sites.
10. Alaskan Hotel
The Alaskan Hotel in Juneau, steeped in history, is infamous for its ghostly activity, particularly in room 315. Bettye Adams, the current owner who has managed the hotel for four decades, admits to being unsettled by the room. She shared, 'It’s just—it’s eerie. I’ve never seen anything, but I sense something.'
The room is preserved in early 20th-century style, complete with floral-print bedsheets and a portrait of two women believed to have been workers from that era. While the room has long been rumored to be haunted, the first widely reported chilling incident occurred in 2007.
After a navy ship arrived in Juneau, several sailors required last-minute accommodations. The Alaskan Hotel offered to host them, and one sailor specifically requested the haunted room. He was assigned to room 315 for the night. That evening, the downstairs bar was lively with celebrations, as many sailors were enjoying their first night off the ship in a long time.
Amid the noise, a guest in the room below 315 reported hearing glass shatter, followed by his own window breaking. He believed the sailor in room 315 had jumped. Police forced their way into the room and found bloodstains covering the walls, a puzzling scene given the sailor’s alleged jump. The incident was kept under wraps for years, and surprisingly, the sailor survived. To this day, the events of that night remain a mystery.
9. Red Onion Saloon
Established in 1898, the Red Onion Saloon now serves as both a bar and a brothel museum. Stepping inside feels like traveling back in time, as the saloon has been meticulously preserved to reflect its 1898 appearance. Staff members dress in period costumes, enhancing the historical and eerie atmosphere. While the saloon is now a place of fun and entertainment, its past tells a much darker story.
During the Gold Rush era, the saloon was a site of hardship and suffering. The women who worked there faced illness, disease, unwanted pregnancies, and even death. For many, this was their only means of survival, and marriage was often their only escape.
Among the spirits said to haunt the Red Onion Saloon is Lydia, a former worker whose life was marked by tragedy. Legend has it that Lydia took her own life after contracting a disease from a client. Today, she is known to play pranks on male visitors while showing kindness to women, often gently touching their hair. Lydia was known for wearing a strong floral perfume, and even now, patrons occasionally catch a whiff of her signature scent in the air.
8. 4th Avenue Theatre
Built in 1947 after World War II, the 4th Avenue Theatre was once a stunning 960-seat venue. By the 1980s, it was repurposed for banquets and meetings, though its exterior still retains the appearance of a classic theater.
Locals believe the theater is haunted by the ghost of a woman, often spotted in the reflections of the mirrors near the restrooms. In 1964, a devastating earthquake struck Anchorage, where the theater is located. At the time, the theater was operational and went into lockdown. The quake claimed 131 lives in the area, leading many to speculate that the apparition is a victim of that tragic event.
Despite numerous renovation efforts, the theater remained closed and eventually fell into disrepair. It was finally demolished in 2022. However, the question remains: will the spirits that once roamed its halls continue to linger on the property?
7. Snow City Cafe
Snow City Cafe is a charming and cozy spot known for its tasty sandwiches and soups. While it looks like any ordinary cafe, it harbors a spectral resident. A woman named Muriel was tragically murdered on September 30, 1976, outside her office building, which now houses the cafe. She was leaving work as usual when her car exploded the moment she entered it.
Muriel’s ex-husband had planted a bomb in her car while she was at work, leading to her sudden death. Today, her spirit is said to roam the cafe during late evenings. Employees report that she playfully turns water faucets on and off in the sinks. Far from being harmful, Muriel’s ghost seems to simply enjoy making her presence felt.
6. West High School
West High School seems like a typical high school, complete with lockers, bustling students, and sports fields. However, its auditorium stands out for its grandeur and elegance, something rarely seen in a high school setting. Beyond its beauty, the auditorium is also famous for its well-documented ghostly inhabitant.
The spirit haunting West High School’s auditorium is described as a woman dressed in white, appearing exclusively in this space. For decades, students, teachers, and visitors have reported sightings of her. Sometimes, she is seen quietly standing among the darkened seats, barely visible. Other times, she has been observed darting through hallways or lingering backstage. Her identity remains a mystery to this day.
5. The White House Bed and Breakfast
Originally built in 1902, The White House Bed and Breakfast has served as a hospital, daycare, and hotel. After a fire in the 1980s, the building was abandoned for a time before being restored. Following its renovation, reports of ghostly apparitions began to surface.
One frequently encountered ghost is a young woman who is said to be friendly and talkative, especially with children. This has led many to speculate that she might have been the daycare’s former owner, continuing her nurturing role even in the afterlife.
4. Igloo City Hotel
The Igloo City Hotel has stood abandoned since 2005. Originally designed as a four-story, 58-room igloo-shaped structure, the hotel never achieved significant success. Issues with building codes and insufficient funding hindered its potential, leaving it to fall into disrepair.
Today, the building is covered in graffiti, its windows shattered, and it is often used as an impromptu restroom by passersby. The odor is notoriously unpleasant, rivaling the worst of New York’s summer streets. Beyond its dilapidated state, the hotel is said to be haunted by the ghost of a woman, frequently spotted gazing out from its broken windows. Many believe she was once a local resident.
3. The Buckner Building
Situated in Whittier, the Buckner Building was initially constructed as a military bunker during World War II. For years, it held the distinction of being Alaska’s largest building, spanning 275,000 square feet (25,548 square meters) and designed to accommodate thousands of soldiers. However, after the military abandoned it in 1966, the massive structure was left largely unused.
To this day, the building remains untouched and unutilized. While such a vast space going to waste might seem surprising elsewhere, it’s understandable given Whittier’s small population of 273. Currently, entry into the deteriorating structure is prohibited. However, those who visited before the ban reported eerie encounters, fueling rumors that the building is haunted.
In 2018, an EVP recording captured a ghost uttering something vulgar within the building. To hear it for yourself, you can listen to the Funemployment Radio podcast. Given the building’s massive size and the tragic events that unfolded there, it’s no wonder it’s considered one of Alaska’s most haunted locations.
2. Begich Towers
Whittier, Alaska, is a small town with just 273 residents, 215 of whom live in Begich Towers, a 14-story condominium that also includes churches and public amenities. The building is famously haunted by two spirits: a man who wanders the halls whistling and another whose heavy footsteps echo through the night when everyone is asleep. Whittier itself feels like a ghost town, filled with abandoned structures and nearly deserted during the winter.
1. Hotel Captain Cook
Hotel Captain Cook, a luxurious establishment in Anchorage, Alaska, was completed in 1965, just a year after the devastating 1964 earthquake. Despite its relatively modern construction, the hotel is a hotspot for paranormal activity. Among the most famous apparitions is a woman in white, frequently sighted in the lobby’s women’s restroom.
Originally kept secret, it was later revealed that in 1972, a young woman took her own life in the hotel’s bathroom. While her spirit is not harmful, she enjoys playing pranks on guests, such as rapidly flickering the lights or slamming stall doors with great force. Many visitors who have experienced her antics have been so startled that they’ve reported the incidents to hotel management.
