Alaska is the biggest state in the United States, so there are bound to be a few ghost stories. It’s wild, sparsely populated, and teeming with forests, mountains, and vast landscapes. So, while the natural beauty is beautiful, there’s an eeriness to its stillness. From haunted hotels to abandoned orphanages, here are seven of the most haunted places in Alaska.

Haunted Places in Alaska

1. Red Onion Saloon

The Red Onion Saloon has a long and interesting history dating back to 1898. It was originally a brothel for lonely miners during the Klondike Gold Rush. It also served as a bakery, army barracks, a laundrette, a gift shop, a union hall, and a television studio! Fast forward to today, it’s a themed bar and restaurant where the staff dress as madams of the century. Visitors can also take a tour of the brothel to learn more about the lives of the women that worked there – it’s during these tours that some chilling events have occurred.

Lydia is the most well-known ghost at Red Onion Saloon, it’s said that she took her own life there and now roams the halls, with visitors hearing her footsteps and smelling the strong scent of perfume. Male visitors should beware, she’s said to push and scratch men when they’re visiting the second floor, where the bedrooms are. She’s also been seen standing in a long dark dress at the top of the staircase and running down the hall. On a nicer note, staff often find the plants inexplicably watered when they come in and believe that it’s Lydia watering them.

2. The White House Bed & Breakfast

Built in 1902, the White House Bed & Breakfast has seen its fair share of paranormal activity. However, before it was a B&B, the White House was a hospital and a daycare. Before it became a B&B, a fire incinerated the whole building but has since been restored. The story goes that the previous owner from when the building was a daycare roams the halls, standing in one spot and looking over your shoulder. Visitors that have stayed at the B&B have reportedly seen a ghostly figure resembling a woman standing at the end of their bed. Creepy.

3. Igloo City Hotel

The abandoned Igloo City Hotel is completely isolated, sitting alone in the vast Denali National Park and Preserve. As the name suggests, it’s distinctively shaped like an igloo. Leon Smith started construction during the 1970s, but it was never finished. Probably down to running out of money. Now, it stands there abandoned and decaying. It’s definitely an eerie place, even without the paranormal activity. And it’s an interesting place, so sometimes people make the long trip out to the wild to see if for themselves. That’s where reports of a ghostly woman in white standing in the window come from. But we must warn you, it’s a popular hangout spot for grizzly bears and wolves, so there’s at least one thing lurking in the shadows.

4. Hilton Hotel Anchorage

The Hilton Hotel in Anchorage is one of the most haunted places in Alaska, if not the most. Paranormal sightings and experiences are so common that the front desk actually keeps a log to document all of the eerie and inexplicable experiences. The historic hotel is known worldwide for surviving the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake, which was the second most powerful earthquake in the world. But aside from its fascinating history, the hotel is a paranormal hotspot. Guests of the hotel say they have seen three ghosts – a little boy who was the son of the first owner, the first chief of police of Anchorage, and a bride. Visitors say they’ve seen the bride’s tall, thin ghostly figure standing in mirrors and in dark hallways. The hotel is still open for business – would you stay here?

5. Jesse Lee Home for Children

Opened in 1926, the Jesse Lee Home for Children is in the popular town of Seward. It was home to many children that were affected by the epidemics that swept across rural Alaska in the early 20th century. And it’s got some great alumni including Benny Benson, the designer of the Alaskan flag and Simon Oliver, a writer, composer, and pianist. Essentially, it doesn’t have a particularly dark history, like many other abandoned homes for children. It simply was destroyed during the 1964 earthquake, leaving the owners no choice but to move the facility to a different building. It’s then that the paranormal activities began. Most of the eerie occurrences seem to stem from the children – daring visitors have heard the sounds of children giggling, little feet tapping, and the sounds of a jump rope on the pavement. People also say they’ve seen ghostly apparitions and noticed mysterious movements.

6. Inlet Tower Hotel

Stories have circulated about the Inlet Tower Hotel for years. Lamps turning on by themselves, clear sounds of voices, strange tapping, draws inexplicably opening, the air getting thicker. Some even say they’ve seen the ghost of a little girl roaming the hallways. And new reports say they’ve seen a man standing in the elevator, only to disappear when you enter. Think you could last a night here?

7. Begich Towers

Begich Towers is one of the most interesting haunted places in Alaska. It’s located in Whittier, a tiny town in rural Alaska. Nearly all 215 of the town’s residents live in Begich Towers, a 14-storey block. The tower also has a church, public utilities, and supermarkets. It’s really a one-stop shop for the people of Whittier so that the town’s residents have everything they need during bad winter weather. But it’s during these months that the residents say the paranormal activities are at their worst. The residents can’t always leave the building during the winter, so this is when it’s the most frightening. Reports include a man whistling, chains rattling, footsteps on the stairs, and strange voices. But the creepiest is the shadowy figure that’s said to walk up and down the halls.