The Most Haunted Places in Alaska
Alaska has 26 documented haunted locations in the HauntBound index.
Top 5 identified after source-level analysis of the 12 strongest Alaska candidates.
By the numbers
- Total documented
- 26
- Haunted Hotel / Inn
- 8
- Outdoor / Natural Site
- 5
- Cemetery / Burial Ground
- 4
- Family-friendly
- 25
- Bookable
- 11
- Oldest documented site
- Kodiak History Museum (1808)
- Most-reported phenomenon
- apparitions
Ranked
- 1. Alaskan Hotel & Bar The Alaskan Hotel opened in 1913 in Juneau during the Gold Rush, its early years including rooms used by sex workers, common in mining-boom towns. Legend holds that a woman named Alice was left behind by a husband who never returned from the goldfields and turned to that work before her death. Guests report a blonde woman in white in the halls and bar, flickering lights, and footsteps, with Room 315 recurring in the stories. 4 original accounts · documented across 2 decades, 2003-2019 · retold in 2 later publications
- 2. Historic Anchorage Hotel The Historic Anchorage Hotel's Annex dates to 1936, expanding a 1916 hotel from when Anchorage was a tent camp. A 2012 paranormal investigation estimated dozens of distinct presences in the building, and guests have kept a shared ghost log at the front desk ever since, with entries noting televisions and faucets in rooms 215 and 217 turning on by themselves. 3 original accounts · documented across 2 decades, 2004-2011 · retold in 6 later publications
- 3. Birch Hill Cemetery Birch Hill Cemetery was laid out above Fairbanks in 1938 on land donated by miner Tony Zimmerman, partly to honor his late wife's wish to be buried there. It holds pioneers including Elam Harnish and governor Mike Stepovich. Local lore describes a 'White Lady' in period dress among the graves, and drivers below report glowing orbs over the hill, with a 2012 investigation recording an unexplained woman's voice. 1 original account · documented across 2 decades, 1938-2001 · retold in 4 later publications
- 4. Van Gilder Hotel Built in 1916, the Van Gilder Hotel is Seward's oldest surviving hotel and once hosted President Harding's traveling party in 1923. Its best-known story concerns Fannie Guthery, a woman killed by her husband inside the hotel in 1947. Guests describe a tall blonde woman in a blue dress on the second floor, along with moved objects, an impression left on a made bed, and occasionally the building shaking. 2 original accounts · documented in 1947 · retold in 2 later publications
- 5. Red Onion Saloon The Red Onion Saloon opened in 1898 in Skagway during the Klondike Gold Rush, a saloon downstairs with ten small rooms, called cribs, upstairs where women worked under a series of madams. Staff describe a presence they call Lydia, believed to have been one of those women, tied to footsteps on the empty second floor, the smell of perfume, and a sense of being watched. Some accounts add a second, less welcoming male presence. 3 original accounts · retold in 9 later publications
By city
- Juneau: 4 documented sites
- Anchorage: 4 documented sites
- Skagway: 4 documented sites
- Sitka: 3 documented sites
- Fairbanks: 3 documented sites
- Ketchikan: 2 documented sites
- Talkeetna: 1 documented site
- McCarthy: 1 documented site
- Kodiak: 1 documented site
- Solomon: 1 documented site
- 2 more across the rest of Alaska
Press images
- Alaskan Hotel & Bar Wknight94, CC BY-SA 3.0, via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alaskan_Hotel_and_Bar,_Juneau,_Alaska.jpg hauntbound.com/images/locations/alaska/alaskan-hotel-and-bar/hero.jpg
- Historic Anchorage Hotel Dmadeo, CC BY-SA 3.0, via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anchorage_Hotel_Annex.JPG hauntbound.com/images/locations/alaska/historic-anchorage-hotel/hero.jpg
- Van Gilder Hotel Scott McMurren, CC BY 2.0, via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Van_Gilder_Hotel_Seward_Alaska.jpg hauntbound.com/images/locations/alaska/van-gilder-hotel/hero.jpg
- Red Onion Saloon Wknight94, CC BY-SA 3.0, via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Red_Onion_Saloon_in_Skagway,_Alaska.jpg hauntbound.com/images/locations/alaska/red-onion-saloon/hero.jpg
Images listed here may be republished with the credit shown; all other HauntBound images are not offered for press use.
Superlatives
- Oldest documented site: Kodiak History Museum Documented since 1808.
- Most documented: Alaskan Hotel & Bar 4 distinct published accounts.
- Top haunted stay: Van Gilder Hotel Overnight stays bookable.
- Most family-friendly: Oscar Anderson House Museum Family Comfort rating: High.
Methodology
For purposes of the HauntBound Index, "most haunted" means the location with the strongest documented record of reported haunting phenomena. We evaluate the quantity, independence, persistence, and documentary quality of published reports. We do not attempt to determine whether paranormal phenomena are real, and we never count a source that only establishes a building's history as evidence of haunting claims. Repetitive coverage is subject to diminishing returns, so a story retold many times does not outrank a story independently documented. Rankings never consider commercial relationships.
The 2026 Index reflects sources identified and classified as of September 15, 2026.
Corrected October 5, 2026: the Alaskan Hotel & Bar's documented reports date from 2003, not 1917. 1917 is the year given in the hotel's legend, not the date of a report. Its four published accounts and its #1 rank are unchanged.
Corrected October 14, 2026: Historic Anchorage Hotel's documented reports date from 2004, not 1921. 1921 is a year in the hotel's history, not the date of a report. Its three published accounts and its #2 rank are unchanged.
This is a documentation ranking, not a visitation guide; sites not open to visitors are marked on their entries.