The Stampede Trail has been the subject of international attention since the 1992 death of Christopher McCandless, whose remains were found in an abandoned bus deep inside the wilderness about 28 miles down the trail. The bus was first brought to the public's attention by Jon Krakauer in an "Outside" magazine article; a book in 1996 and a film in 2007 followed. The bus' infamy led to an increase in hikers along the trail as well as complaints of a corresponding increase in unprepared hikers requiring assistance in the backcountry. Many rescues and deaths occurred annually along the trail. The Alaska State Troopers and the Tri-Valley Fire Department (Healy) were primarily responsible for these rescues and assistance. In 2020, citing safety reasons, the bus was removed and shipped to the University of Alaska Museum of the North.