Last Alaskans Cast: Where Are They Now? (2026 Update)

Seven years after the cameras left, fans still ask the same question: the Last Alaskans cast, where are they now? The Discovery docuseries followed some of the most isolated people in America — families living in hand-built cabins deep inside the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, with no roads, no running water and winter temperatures that can plunge past 50 below. The show premiered on Animal Planet in 2015, moved to Discovery Channel for seasons three and four, and quietly ended in 2019.

But the story did not end when the show did. The cast members kept trapping, hunting, fishing and raising families hundreds of miles from the nearest town. Here is everything we know about the Last Alaskans cast in 2026 — who is still in the refuge, who left, and what the next generation is building.

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, where The Last Alaskans cast lives — where are they now in 2026 — The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska — the remote home of The Last Alaskans cast. Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

What Was The Last Alaskans About?

Before the updates, here is a quick refresher. The Last Alaskans documented a handful of families who are among the only people legally allowed to live inside the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Only seven permitted cabins remain in the refuge, and no new ones will ever be issued. When the last permits expire — within the next century — there will be no human residents left at all.

The show’s cast included the Korth family, trapper Bob Harte, the Lewis family, young couple Tyler and Ashley Selden, and bush pilot Charlie Jagow. It was a slow, beautiful show about a fast-disappearing way of life. Film crews lived in tents near the cabins through brutal winters, because the cabins themselves could not be used for commercial purposes.

The series ran four seasons, then Discovery stopped making new episodes after 2019. The network never announced a formal cancellation. Production costs were enormous, and filming in one of the most remote places on earth simply became too expensive to continue. Cast updates compiled since the finale confirm the families scattered into private life. Fans have asked for a season five ever since, but nothing has been announced. For now, reruns and streaming keep the show alive for new viewers — much like fellow Alaska reality hit Alaskan Bush People, which also built a devoted audience around frontier life.

Brooks Range mountains in the Arctic Refuge where the Last Alaskans cast's Heimo Korth traps — The Brooks Range rises over the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, where Heimo Korth has trapped for more than four decades. Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

Heimo and Edna Korth: Still in the Refuge in 2026

If the show had a soul, it was Heimo Korth. The Wisconsin native left home as a teenager in the 1970s and never looked back. He met Edna, a Siberian Yupik woman, in a whaling village on St. Lawrence Island, and eventually persuaded her to move more than 150 miles above the Arctic Circle. They have lived off the land along the Coleen River, south of the Brooks Range, ever since.

As of 2025 and 2026, Heimo and Edna are still living their legendary life — and, remarkably, sharing it with fans again. The couple launched a joint YouTube channel, Heimo and Edna: Tales from the Tundra, in May 2025. In their early videos, Heimo walks viewers through spring duck hunts and explains the couple’s yearly rhythm: they now spend about eight months of the year in the refuge and four months in a small house in Fort Yukon, where they hunt spring geese, cut firewood, fish for salmon and stock supplies before returning north in August.

Heimo also works part-time in Fort Yukon as a heavy equipment operator during the summer months to fund their winter needs. Meanwhile, Edna continues to process game, manage camp logistics and preserve food. The pair remain fixtures in the Alaska trapping community and have appeared at National Trappers Association conventions. Now in their seventies, they show no signs of slowing down.

Their four daughters are grown, and the youngest, Krin, keeps fans updated when she can. For a closer look at Alaska’s wild beauty beyond the show, see Eve Kilcher’s Alaskan landscapes.

Northern lights over Alaska on a long winter night in the Arctic Refuge — The northern lights dance over Alaska — a familiar winter sight for the Last Alaskans cast. Credit: Rich Primmer and Rose, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

Bob Harte: Remembering the Trapper the Refuge Lost

Bob Harte was one of the show’s most beloved characters — a rugged, soft-spoken trapper who had survived a lifetime of close calls, from plane crashes to a motorcycle wreck. Sadly, he is the one cast member we know for certain is gone. Bob died on July 22, 2017, in Fairbanks, Alaska, at age 66, after a battle with cancer. The news was announced on the show’s official Facebook page, which posted that it was “with a heavy heart” that they shared the announcement.

Bob left behind a daughter, Talicia. His cabin and his trapline sat silent after his passing, and the show dedicated episodes to his memory. Fans still leave tributes on his memorial posts every year. Of all the stories on this list, his is the one that reminds viewers how fragile life is at the edge of the map.

Historic dog sled team in Alaska — the way the Last Alaskans cast still travels the refuge — Dog sled teams like this historic one once carried trappers across Alaska; sleds and snowmachines remain lifelines in the refuge. Credit: Winter & Pond via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

Ray and Cindy Lewis: What Happened After Season 2

Ray and Cindy Lewis, with their three daughters Molly, Sarah and Emma, were fan favorites during the show’s first two seasons on Animal Planet. Ray was a bush pilot who flew his family in and out of the refuge, and the girls were known for their warmth, humor and a rare genetic eye condition that viewers often asked about.

The Lewis family did not return for season three. Discovery confirmed the departure at the time, and producers later said the show suffered a real loss when the family left. Since then, Ray and Cindy have kept an extremely low profile — neither maintains social media. According to producers, the couple went on living contently on their houseboat, with their youngest daughter, Sarah, still with them. Reports describe the older daughters charting their own courses: Molly has worked as a wilderness guide in Oregon, while Emma has trained sled dogs in Alaska.

A note on rumors: an unverified user-submitted trivia entry on IMDb claims Ray passed away in late 2025. We could find no obituary, family statement or reputable news report confirming this, so we are treating it as unconfirmed. When reliable information becomes available, we will update this article.

Aerial view of a remote Alaskan river like the ones near the Last Alaskans cast cabins — An aerial view of a remote Alaskan river. Planes and boats are the only way in and out of the refuge. Credit: Spencer David, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

Tyler and Ashley Selden: Preserving the Old Ways

Tyler and Ashley Selden joined the show in its later seasons as the young newcomers chasing an old dream. The two met in college in Duluth, Minnesota, and moved north after Tyler read The Final Frontiersman, the book about Heimo Korth’s life, and decided he wanted to live that way too.

Today, Tyler is still living off-grid with his family. Each year they migrate to a remote trapline, then move to the Fairbanks area in summer to prepare for the next winter. Tyler sells fur, tends a big garden and keeps almost entirely to himself — he shares nothing on social media. Ashley, meanwhile, runs a blog and online shop under the Alaska Seldens name, selling hand-stitched hats, mittens, fur poms, wood crafts and other handmade goods to support the family. The couple are now parents to two children, and Ashley regularly posts updates about their bush life for fans who follow her.

Tundra landscape in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge — The vast tundra of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge — home to some of America’s most isolated families. Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

Charlie Jagow: Bush Pilot and Outfitter

Charlie Jagow arrived on the show as its youngest star — a shy, skilled woodsman raised in the remote interior who could fly a plane, run a trapline and build a cabin before most people his age could change a tire. Since the show ended, Charlie has turned those skills into a business. After earning his outfitter’s license in 2017, he founded Double Shovel Outfitters, a Fairbanks-based guiding company offering remote Arctic hunting expeditions, float trips and wilderness adventures. Recent cast profiles describe him flying his own Cessna 180 Skywagon and continuing to live and trap out of his refuge cabin during the winter months. Charlie shares his life with his long-term girlfriend, Mercy Hampton, and keeps a low public profile.

Worth noting: false rumors have circulated online claiming Charlie died. Those claims are completely unfounded — Charlie is alive and well. It is a good reminder to check before believing “where are they now” gossip about any reality star.

A caribou herd in the Arctic Refuge, central to the Last Alaskans cast's subsistence life — A caribou herd crosses the tundra — wildlife the cast depends on for food. Credit: USFWS Alaska via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

Krin and Scott Nelson: The Next Generation

Krin Nelson is Heimo and Edna Korth’s youngest daughter, and she grew up in the refuge before moving to town life. She is married to Scott Nelson, and the couple have been reported living in Juneau, Alaska — though they visit Krin’s parents in the refuge often.

Krin is the family’s unofficial spokesperson. She is active on Facebook, where she shares photos and updates about Heimo and Edna, including their appearances at trappers’ conventions. For fans who miss the show, her page is one of the best windows into the Korths’ current life.

A grizzly bear in Alaska — one of the predators the Last Alaskans cast lives alongside — A grizzly bear in Alaska. The cast shares the refuge with bears, wolves and wolverines. Credit: BLM Alaska via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

Why Did The Last Alaskans End?

The most common question after “where are they now” is simply: why did it stop? The honest answer is money and logistics. Filming a crew through Arctic winters in a roadless wilderness costs a fortune, and the show’s quiet, meditative pace — beloved by fans — did not deliver the ratings of louder reality hits. Discovery never formally canceled the series, but no new season has been announced since the fourth ended in 2019.

Fans still hold out hope for a revival, and petitions surface every year. For now, the cast’s own channels — like Heimo and Edna’s YouTube — are the closest thing to new episodes. Curious about other Alaska reality families? Read our update on whether Alaskan Bush People is returning and the stunning world of Alaska: The Last Frontier.

The Last Alaskans Cast: Where Are They Now — Quick Recap

Here is the short version for everyone who scrolled straight here:

Heimo and Edna Korth — Still living between the Arctic Refuge and Fort Yukon; launched the Heimo and Edna: Tales from the Tundra YouTube channel in May 2025.
Bob Harte — Passed away July 22, 2017, in Fairbanks, after a battle with cancer.
Ray and Cindy Lewis — Left after season two; reportedly living on a houseboat with daughter Sarah; older daughters Molly and Emma pursuing their own paths.
Tyler and Ashley Selden — Still off-grid with two children; Tyler traps and gardens, Ashley blogs and sells handmade goods.
Charlie Jagow — Running Double Shovel Outfitters, flying his Cessna and trapping through the winters.
Krin and Scott Nelson — Married life in Juneau, Alaska, with regular visits to the refuge.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Last Alaskans Cast

Is Heimo Korth still alive in 2026?

Yes. Heimo Korth and his wife Edna are alive and still living their off-grid life in Alaska. In May 2025 they started a YouTube channel, Heimo and Edna: Tales from the Tundra, giving fans direct updates.

Are any of the Last Alaskans still in the refuge?

Yes. The Korths still spend most of the year in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and Charlie Jagow continues to trap out of his refuge cabin in winter. Only seven permitted cabins remain in the refuge.

Who died from The Last Alaskans?

Bob Harte is the only cast member confirmed to have passed away. He died on July 22, 2017, in Fairbanks, Alaska, at 66, after a battle with cancer.

Will The Last Alaskans return for season 5?

There has been no official announcement of a fifth season. Discovery never formally canceled the show, but high production costs in such a remote location make a revival uncertain.

What’s Next for the Arctic Refuge Families

The cameras may be gone, but the life goes on. The traplines are still run, the fish wheels still turn, and the next generation — from the Selden children to Krin Nelson’s family — is growing up with the same wild horizon their parents chose.

The Last Alaskans was never really about television. It was about seven cabins, a handful of families, and a way of life that will vanish when the last permits expire. That is why the question “the Last Alaskans cast, where are they now” keeps getting asked: viewers fell in love with people, not a show. And the people, by every reliable account, are still out there — living the life the rest of us only watch.

Enjoyed this deep dive? Read our profile of 365 Days star Michele Morrone for another star’s full story.