Stampede Aviation is the latest group hoping to cash in on the legacy left behind by Christopher McCandless, the young adventurer who died of unknown causes, although starvation was the likely culprit, after becoming stranded in the Alaskan wilderness in 1992. McCandless’ name became well known from not only the headlines that broke after his body was found one month after his death, but more notably by the popular Outside magazine article written by John Krakauer. The author was so intrigued by McCandless’ story and hoped to discover the exact cause of death, that he went on to write Into the Wild.

McCandless’ body was discovered in an old, abandoned bus where he had sought shelter, located on the Stampede Trail north of Denali National Park and Preserve. The “Magic Bus” is now something of a tourist attraction for those visiting the region, especially for those who feel personally drawn to his story.

After previously working for Fly Denali and Talkeetna Air Taxi, Brad Benson founded Stampede Aviation, which offers a number of air tours at locations around its base in Healy, Alaska. The Texas businessman said he frequently received requests from customers who wanted to see the bus. “I’ve probably taken 30 or 40 people over the bus in the past couple years,” he said, according to the Anchorage Daily News. Since posting detailed information on his company’s website in March regarding flying over the bus, he said there’s been so much interest that he’s had to start turning people away.

The website reads, “This economical tour gives an opportunity to see the grandeur of Denali National Park from a private, four-seat aircraft. Depending on weather and routing, you may fly though Healy Canyon, among many smaller peaks of the Alaska Range […] and fly over the Stampede Trail and the ‘Magic Bus’ from the book and movie Into the Wild.” For that specific trip, the cost is $250 for adults, $225 for active military and students, and $175 for children 12 and under.

But there’s one major problem with Benson’s whole pitch. In the website’s page advertising the trip that overlooks the Magic Bus, Stampede Aviation uses a high-quality photo of the bus, leaving customers assuming that’s close to the real image they’ll see if they purchase the trip. But the bus pictured is actually just an image of the replica used in the movie. When the Anchorage Daily News questioned Benson about his misleading advertising and asked why he didn’t just use a photo of the real thing, he said, “That’s a good question. It’s actually kind of a difficult place to photograph, so all my pictures were poor. This is probably more of what people are envisioning.”

Image from FCTS 142 on Wikimedia Commons