The Alaska Railroad is a legendary rail line that connects the cities of Seward – Anchorage and Fairbanks. The Alaska Railroad has been running since 1923, when the last spike was driven by president Warren G Harding. The Alaska Railroad offers a variety of excursions and tickets in order to experience Alaska in many different forms. Our travels today would take us on the Alaska Railroad Aurora Winter Train from Anchorage to Fairbanks over an eleven and a half hour journey. Read on to see how our full day unfolded on this epic adventure.

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This post is one chapter on a winter trip to Alaska, United States. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status, Alaska Mileage Plan and Hertz Gold Plus Rewards. For parts of the trip, please see this index.

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Review: Alaska Railroad Adventure Class Aurora Winter Train Anchorage – Fairbanks, USA

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The Alaska Railroad line between Anchorage and Fairbanks has been around for over 100 years. The train commonly reaches the top 10 tourist attraction lists of things to do in Alaska. Since we wanted to take in some dog sledding in Fairbanks, the Alaska railroad seem like a natural extension of our visit to Alaska. It made for an excellent alternative instead of flying.

The Alaska Railroad runs services on a year-round basis. Since our visit was during the winter time we rode the Alaska Railroad Aurora Winter train. The Alaska Railroad Aurora Winter train offers “Adventure Class” services and runs on a reduced schedule.

The Alaska Railroad Aurora Winter Train offers a single class of service called “Adventure Class”. In the summer, the Alaska Railroad offers both “Adventure Class” and “Gold Star” service.

The Alaska Railroad “Gold Star Service” offers the following inclusions:

•    Glass-dome ceilings
•    Upper-level outdoor viewing platforms
•    Inclusive dining at the lower-level full-service dining car
•    Private bar and two complimentary adult beverages
•    Comfortable forward-facing seats
•    Alaskan tour guide providing narration
•    Fully accessible

For those that are seeking a comfortable ride and are looking to maximize inclusions, to Gold Star service represents value. By the time we added a few drinks and a dinner meal to our journey on a separate a – la – carte basis, we would have almost reached Gold Star price point (had it been offered).

Planning the Trip:

The Alaska Railroad Aurora Winter train runs on a reduced frequency during the winter months. Although the train runs throughout the winter, the frequencies are reduced to once a week during weekends on the winter months December and January. In February and March additional days are added. We selected a departure date on a Thursday and structured our travel trip around the train schedule.

I booked directly on the Alaska Railroad website. The booking process was fairly straightforward. Unlike airlines that offer a guaranteed seat assignment, there is only space to request seating preferences through additional notes. I put in a request to have a seat on the left hand side of the train for the best views of Denali mountain. This was eventually honoured when we got to the Anchorage Train Station.

The train fare for two adults on the Alaska Railroad Winter Aurora Train came to $486 USD for two, or $243 USD per person. For an eleven and a half hour journey, this worked out to be about $21.50 USD an hour. The train fare was on a flat fare published basis, meaning that there was no variability in the fares. This was unlike train fares in Europe that start off cheap 90 days out, then escalate in price closer to the travel dates.

Boarding the Alaska Railroad in Anchorage:

We were asked to check in one hour before departure. We departed the Marriott Anchorage Downtown Hotel by Uber XL. We arrived to the Alaska Railroad Anchorage Depot at an early 7:30 AM in advance of an 8:30 AM departure.

It was a pretty busy scene in the Alaska railroad Anchorage train station which could be described as organized chaos. We manoeuvred into the single departure check – in line and received our boarding cards. Our boarding cards had our seat assignments, which was the first indication of where we would be sitting.

Per the instructions on the Alaska Railroad website, Alaska Railroad passengers are allowed two pieces of checked baggage and one carry-on. Two extra pieces of baggage (for a total of four) may be checked for an additional fee. No single piece may weigh over 50 lbs. 

Since I was travelling with a Thule Ski Bag containing two sets of skis and poles, I wasn’t sure whether this was going to be given an extra surcharge. In the end. they just tagged the bag without additional charge and accepted it as baggage. There were no size restrictions published on outward facing websites, but there seemed to be a variety of large cargo being accepted including pedal bikes.

During our visit, the Alaska railroad did not appear to be enforcing weight or size limitation’s on either checked bag or carry-on. In the same context, they didn’t appear to be many violaters of this either.

We had a bit of a wait around in the holding area before we were allowed to board the train. There wasn’t much to do in the lounge other than order a specialty coffee or look at the souvenir stand. There were announcements that the souvenir stand at Fairbanks would be closed upon arrival and that guests should stock up on souvenirs in Anchorage.

There was no Wi-Fi in the holding area and us Canadian travellers without a US Sim card, we were pretty much left on her own to entertain ourselves.

Boarding Alaska Railroad:

When it came time to board the Alaska Railroad Aurora Winter train, it was pretty much a free-for-all. We were given directions to our assigned car. With the conventional “All Aboard!” announcement from the conductor (still entertaining and fun), we headed outside to board our adventure class train.

Unlike the train stations of Europe where you have a functional purpose built train platform and an opportunity to go down and take a look at the locomotive, the Alaska Railroad Anchorage Depot was pretty much a functional working train yard. We weren’t allowed to walk up to the locomotive for photographs, but rather were escorted directly onto our car.

On Board Alaska Railroad Adventure Class:

We found ourselves to our assigned seats in the Adventure Class cabin. The cabin comfortable, but also functional in nature. It reminded me of what I might expect if I was riding a Soviet train across Russia; a purpose built train car that was exceptionally clean, but without much luxury.

Some cabins offered overhead racks for luggage storage, although they were not as robust as an airplane cabin. For comfort reasons, we ended up storing all our luggage up top, instead of underneath our seat.

The seats offered a recline feature and each offered a reasonable amount of legroom. The seat was also quite padded. It was comfortable enough for an eleven hour journey. Unlike an airplane, there was a fair bit of moving around through the train cabin instead of being confined to your seat.

In general terms, the Alaska Railroad Adventure Class seating was pretty comfortable and about as expected. The seating offered a reasonable amount of leg room, with sufficient space to move around the cabin.

There is no Wi-Fi on board the Alaska Railroad trains. As a result, you’ll be completely isolated through much of the time while on the train. Cellular service is also limited on the train, as the train does pass through some areas without signal strength.

Food Service:

While we were waiting to get underway, the train conductors and attendant hosts provided instructions on the dining service. During meal times, attendants would come through the cabin to inquire as to whether travellers will be joining them in the mail car for a sit down meal.

Menus were presented at each meal service. If you were interested in dining, your name was placed on the reservation list and you would be called up when space was available.

Alaska Railroad Stop #1:

Anchorage – Wasilla

The Alaska Railroad Trains running between Anchorage and Fairbanks pass through a number of small towns. What isn’t marketed is the fact that the train only stops at three separate stations; Wasilla, Talkeetna and Denali. Additionally the train does offer “Whistle Stop” service where the train is occasionally flagged down for local residence.

After departing Anchorage train station, the train wandered up through flat valleys surrounding Anchorage. Our views consisted of half frozen creeks in partial melt, for about the next hour and twenty minutes before reaching Wasilla.

I would generally find without the views from the train at the Anchorage end of the line were among the least exciting of the trip. The better views seemed to be towards the Fairbanks end. As a result the views for the first half of the train ride were pretty, but not as inspiring as what you might imagine Alaska would be in your mind.

We eventually rolled into the train station at Wasilla, Alaska. The train station here was a single building located in a giant gravel parking lot. About 4 people got on the train from here, along with their bags.

Given that this was a very short stop, we didn’t get off the train at Wasilla, Alaska.

Alaska Railroad Stop #2:

Wasilla – Talkeetna

As we left Wasilla, we had to do our next stop of Talkeetna, which was about one hour and twenty minutes down the line. Much like our earlier scenery departing Anchorage, the views were mostly rural, flat and snowy.

By this point, we’d already had our first moose sightings off of the train. Sort of like being on an African safari, we kept our eyes peeled for additional wildlife. We unfortunately didn’t get to see a whole lot. However we would occasionally get the odd surprise sighting that was marked with shrieks of excitement from our fellow travellers. Occasionally, we would get the announcement from the cabin attendants of while life sightings up ahead.

Stopping at Talkeetna:

At about 11:25 AM, or about three hours since departure from Anchorage, we rolled into Talkeetna. Talkeetna is a funky town that is the base of operations for adventure activities near Denali.

We took this opportunity to get off the train and stretch our legs. While there was nothing around the train station, we did get our first glimpse at the locomotive.

Alaska Railroad Stop #3:

Talkeetna – Denali

After departing Talkeetna, we passed by the half way point of the train journey.

From years past, there was previously a hotel on the halfway point at the train. In the era of steam engines, the spot marked the perfect halfway point. Guests would have overnighted at the hotel where they would’ve had access to the golf, a ski area, and luxury dining. In 1957 the property burned down and was not reconstructed. The era of the steam engine head also come to an end allowing trades to make the journey in one day.

The spot is now marked by alone caboose sitting in the middle of nowhere.

Visiting the Snack Bar:

Around this time, we started to get a bit hungry. We had self catered many snacks on board. Having been on the train for approximately 4 1/2 hours, we decided to wander to the cafeteria snack bar to see what was available.

A few cars up we found a small seating area in addition to some elevated lounge seats. We would end up setting up camp here for about ninety minutes while we enjoyed a small Turkey Sandwich ($8) snack and red wine.

It was at this point that the scenery on the train started to get much more interesting. Instead of the long white plains of Anchorage, we entered into more of a twisting canyon as the trans serpentined it’s way as it made it’s way north. The views of the train and the Alaskan winter were what I imagined when riding the train in Alaska.

We had our first whistle stop in rural Alaska where the train stopped to meet with a local resident and author / illustrator Shannon Cartwright. The local resident was a children’s book author, who has chosen to live a life off the grid in rural Alaska. She and her dog boarded the train and sold a few books which made for an interesting authentic local souvenir.

While it is possible to see Denali from the Alaska railroad train, and we arranged to sit on the left hand side of the train to allow for the best views, unfortunately on today’s journey the cloud cover prevented us from having any view of America’s tallest majestic mountain. It’s worth mentioning local reports that it’s only viewable a third of the time. As a result and chances are one and three of actually seeing Denali on any given train ride.

Approaching Denali National Park:

After the whistle stop, we started among the best scenery of the train journey between Twin Bridges and Denali. As we approach to Denali National Park, we had views of mountains through the clouds that were snow-covered, majestic and simply gorgeous to look at.

The Denali National Park region reminded me of Banff National Park in Alberta – Canada. The mountain range was slightly smaller in Alaska, but equally snow-covered, beautiful and inspiring to look at.

There were no local structures, buildings or other private estates through this area. The whole region was an area of pristine wilderness.

This part of the journey marked the highlight of our travels on the Alaska Railroad. The scenery was just world-class and unparalleled.

Denali Train Station:

We arrived to Denali train station at about 3:50 PM, or about seven hrs and twenty minutes of travel. It was a bit of a highlight to step off the train at this particular location.

Denali Train Station was a popular stop with most travellers getting off the train for a photograph. As it was much colder at Denali, we brought and needed our jackets for our time outside. It was snowing lightly during our time which made for a scenic and memorable stop.

There weren’t any souvenir shops and the Alaska railroad Denali station. The only souvenirs were really in the memory of stopping near Denali and taking in the pretty scenery.

Alaska Railroad Stop #4:

Denali – Fairbanks

We departed the Denali train station. I was down to about 37% power on my iPhone battery by this point as a result of the dozens of photographs and videos I had taken. It came time to plug in the portable power bank charger that I had brought. While there are limited plug ports on board the train, most of them were fully occupied by other charging their devices by this point.

Since it was after 5 PM, and having had a light lunch, we were getting pretty hungry. It was along way from breakfast in the lounge at the Marriott Anchorage at 6:30 AM. We had self catered ourselves on the train all the way up to about 5 o’clock. We still had another three hours on the train before we arrived in Fairbanks at 8:00 PM.

When the attendant came around to invite people for dinner, we were among the first cars invited up. We are able to browse dining options in the local magazine in advance of getting to the dining car.

At around 5:10 PM, we were among the first seated in the dining car. The dining car is similar as to what you might imagine; functional, a little compact but perfectly fine for enjoying a meal and passing the time with strangers.

As all seating is in groups of four, as a party at two we were sat with two Chinese national tourists. There wasn’t much conversation due to the language barrier but they seem to be enjoying their visit as students in California USA.

The dinner menu offered a variety of options with slow braised pork roast as being the local favorite. The Pot Roast has been an Alaska Railroad menu staple for quite some time. The dinner menu was accompanied by a bar list, offering a few cocktails and some limited wines.

The braised pot roast was presented and was actually pretty tasty. It hit the spot after having travelled 10 hours on the train. It was paired with an unbranded Cabernet Sauvignon red wine.

MrsWT73 had the buffalo chilli which was also reported to be tasty. The check for dinner came to US$53, with gratuity extra. As a result, if you were aiming to maximize your food benefits, the Gold Star service (if offered) is likely a better value.

After a sixty minute dinner, we bid farewell to our dining companions and wandered back to our seats. We passed through the last bridges of Healy, as we approached Fairbanks.

Leaving Denali National Park, the terrain started to flatten out into the fields surrounding Fairbanks. With Fairbanks being a higher elevation and different climate zone than Anchorage, the weather was sunnier and drier.

We could see ourselves approaching back to civilization as we neared Fairbanks, Alaska. For the first time at railroad crossings, we actually saw vehicles stopped while the train passed through. For almost the entire journey, we never saw any cars stopping for the train as a result of the vastly rural areas we were travelling through.

Arriving to Fairbanks:

As we approached 8 o’clock in the evening, some eleven and half hours after we started, we approached Alaska Railroad Fairbanks Train Station. From the train, we were treated to a beautiful northern sunset as we approached the train yards.

There were several public address announcements made for passengers to pre-order Uber or ride share services as attended to get busy upon arrival. With no set plan, we ended up playing it by ear as we arrived.

At around 8:08 PM, or eight minutes behind schedule, we arrived to Alaska Railroad Fairbanks Train Station. Stepping off the plane, we still had the left overs of a great sunset.

Much like in Anchorage, Alaska Railroad Stuff ushered us off of the train platform area so there wasn’t any ability to wander around for last photographs. We were led inside to a modern looking train facility to come and collect our checked baggage.

Collecting the checked baggage was a very slow process that took about 30 minutes. There is no conveyor belt system at the rail depot. As a result all bags needed to be offloaded onto carts, rolled inside, then offloaded from the carts onto collection areas.

After we collected our bags, we ended up using the courtesy phone in the train station to call for a complementary shuttle to Springhill Suites Fairbanks. This saved us the hassle of trying to find a taxi during a period of high demand, in addition to paying the taxi fare.

While I was initially thinking that we would have dinner on arrival in Fairbanks after the train, I was really happy that we ate on board. It was about 9 PM before we arrived at the Springhill Suites Fairbanks.

My Thoughts on the Alaska Railroad:

In the end, I was really happy that we did the Alaskan Railroad. Like many of the tourist trains around the world, the Alaskan Railroad offered us a glimpse into rural Alaska that would be hard to get any other way.

The Alaskan Railroad Winter Aurora Train gave us time to gaze out the window, and take a slower route to travel. With the odd stop along the way, and the opportunity to visit an illustrator and author, we got a taste of what rural Alaskan life is like. The Aurora Winter Train was another opportunity to see Alaska in the heart of winter. Our spring time trip still offered a tremendous amount of snow. In addition, the scenery would likely be completely different in the summer.

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If you’ve travelled the Alaska Railroad, do you have any recommendations on how to enhance your experience ?

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