Alaska Railroad Corporation

I took the Wilderness Express from Anchorage to Talkeetna and Talkeetna to Denali in September. I bought my tickets online and it was a painless experience. You’ll get an electronic copy as well as one physically mailed to you, which for some reason I wasn’t expecting. The railroad building has a small gift shop and sells coffee. I didn’t have a car, but had no issues arriving by foot in the dawn of what was about to be a great adventure.
The Express train is great, as it has a 360 dome and is highly elevated. They don’t like you to bring in and eat outside food, but were actually pretty lax about it. The guides were really knowledgeable; I learned a ton on this trip! I do recommend stopping for a night in Talkeetna, it’s a small historic district with hospitable people. Touristy, yes, but visiting during shoulder season meant all the shops were 50% off.
The views were incredible, especially passing over Hurricane Gulch. Being mid-​September, I got to see brilliant hues of orange and yellow. You’ll see some bald eagles’ nests, maybe a moose or two.
Another great thing about the Express is that it’s at the back of the train. For my first leg, there was just one car, so I got some awesome pictures from the deck looking back onto the railroad. The second day, there were two cars, and being in the first I realized just how much I loved looking back. These dome cars are also cheaper than the official ARR counterparts.
One more note: I did this trip as a solo twenty-​something. The trains were fairly empty due to the later date, and most other riders were retirees living the dream. It’s cool though, they’re all friendly and have great stories.

very scenic very impressed! a must feel!

I was going through some old photos of a trip to a Alaska two summers ago and had to include a review of one of our favorite family experiences on the Alaska Railroad. We took an hour long ride along New Seward Highway and I wish we had made it a longer trip. Didn’t want it to end. Our son was about 6 at the time and he thoroughly enjoyed it, too. It’s an early morning on that trip and we visit the station. My family had left a vehicle at our destination so we had a car to return home in once we got to our depot. That particular summer was one of the best summers Alaska had been having and we were there just after the heatwave and summer bugs. It is one of the most scenic trips I’ve experienced in Alaska and truly a beautiful state during the summer. Train cars are really comfortable. Observation windows really let you take in the views. With all the stops along the way, travel by train is a really great luxury to experience in Anchorage. I definitely recommend visiting and having the railroad experience if you’re ever in Alaska.

We enjoyed our ride going from Denali to Anchorage. The scenery was beautiful, but it was a lonnnnng ride. The dining car downstairs was OK, but it would have been nice to be able to sit alone. Felt a little awkard for them to make us share a table with another couple. Food was just OK — my panini was overpriced and sub-​par. The espresso drinks were great though, and the waiter was on-​point.

The Alaksa Railway was fun and functional.
Parking at the train depot was kind of expensive, at $ 20 for the 24 hr full day needed to do a day trip to the Kenai Fjords Tour from Anchorage.
The ticket counter agent in Anchorage seemed a bit disinterested (reminded me of a stereotypical postal type worker who wasn’t fond of their job nor helping customers) to start, but after that the experience was better.
We tried the GOLDSTAR service on the Train and it had a nice voice over guided tour along with very comfortable and spacious seating with free food and drink service.
On the way back, we traveled regular class (not upper deck views with the skyroof nor free meal service or drinks) which was just as good. You can bring your own food or opt to pay for the same food provided to Goldstar traverlers in the dining car as well.
The train tour was a nice way to travel and see the countryside of Alaska from Anchorage to Seward, which takes about 4 hours each way.

We were on a Silversea cruise on the 390-​passenger Silver Shadow from Seward to Vancouver in August 2015. After three days at the Hilton in Anchorage, we took the Alaska Railroad from Anchorage to Seward, a trip that is included in the cruise at no extra charge. Silversea reserves the entire train for cruise passengers. The cruise itself is all-​inclusive, including drinks, tips and port fees, but on the train portion there’s only a welcome glass of complimentary champagne; you have to pay for any other food or drink you purchase. We did buy light snacks and drinks, including a cute «Moose Mary,» an Alaskan version of the Bloody Mary. (See photo.)
The train boards at the Alaska Railroad depot at the Anchorage airport, not at the station in downtown Anchorage, so four of us took a taxi from the Anchorage Hilton to the airport station. The fare for four was around $ 20 plus tip, much cheaper than the $ 39 per-​person Silversea charges if you use their transfer service. The Anchorage airport train station is right at the airport terminal area. It’s functional rather than attractive, whereas the airport itself is an attractive small airport with lots of local flavor and local art.
You turn over your luggage to a Silversea rep at the Anchorage Hilton, and it’s transported by truck to the ship in Seward, so you don’t have to schlepp it on the train.
I was impressed by the railcars on this Alaska Railroad route. They are fairly new «vista cars» with lots of glass so everyone has a great view. You sit at tables for four, as in a railroad dining car. Some years ago we had taken the Alaska Railroad from Anchorage to Denali, which was a great trip, too, but at that time the railcars weren’t nearly as nice as these. This train had diesel engines front and rear, and the railway bed seemed to be in good condition, so it was an easy ride.
The scenery coming out of Anchorage isn’t noteworthy, but as you go farther south it gets better and better. You pass several glaciers and many snow-​covered mountains in the Chugach National Forest. (See photo.)
The trip takes nearly five hours, but it’s so comfortable and the scenery so beautiful time passes quickly. We were among the first to disembark the train at Seward. You don’t get to see much of Seward, but we had been there before. It was a short walk to where the Silver Shadow was docked. Embarkation on the ship was extremely easy, especially as we were at the head of the line. By the time we went to our cabin, our luggage was in our stateroom, having been brought down from Anchorage.
All in all, this is a great way to start a cruise.

From Anchorage to Seward, this slow train tour made me relaxed and sleepy but I got to see Black Bear cups on trees. The view was beautiful and endless along the way.

We took the ARR from Anchorage to Whittier, then as part of the tour we jumped on the Major Marine day tour. It was pricey but worth it.
The RR trip takes longer than the drive but it allows you the time to relax and enjoy the scenery, we saw eagles, rams, and bear tracks (no bears…). The tour guides were nice college kids and the bloody mary’s that our bartender made were great!
The trip on the catamaran was once in a lifetime. We were up close to the glaciers and got a good view of them calving. We also saw bald eagles, salmon jumping out of the water like it was boiling and a whale as well as otters and seals. The food on the ship was surprisingly good especially the prime rib.

TOOK CRUISE SHIP departure from Seward to Anchorage and airport. FOLKS this is a deal if you allow yourself the needed time to end cruise and return home. They provide a 5.5 hour ride with good information and friendly staff, a place to hold your luggage while you tour Anchorage and the buss needed to reach Airport later in day all for one «low» (relative) price. Just a FYI it takes over 3.5 hours for you to drive this route yourself and then you need to deal with car and luggage, PLUS normally you will deal with road construction issues during tourist season. With some research you will learn most flights from airport are after 7PM and into 2am so YOU NEED TO KILL SOME TIME ANYWAY.
They serve COKE since many cruise lines only serve Pepsi!!! Food selection was all good.

The reservations say to be there one hour early, but this is not necessary. We got there 15 minutes before departure and could take our time boarding. … They could have however better explained the options of checking a bag. In the gold star I would recommend checking your bag unless you have seat one. Seat one has a lot of leg room and we wished we had our bags as foot rests. When we had our bags checked to one location it just took extra time to wait for them which is not a big deal unless your in a hurry to your next destination… When we checked our luggage to be sent to the hotel though, we were not informed that it would take 2 – 3 hours for our bags to be delivered. This was frustrating because we wanted to go on a hike but had to wait for our luggage which had our shoes and gear… But it’s a nice service offered. Just not enough details provided. We also wished we had more clothes on the train! It was cold. Thankfully everyone visiting Alaska was friendly and offered us socks and coats. I was disappointed that the train supervisor did not try to help us or warm up the train car, or turn off the air conditioning… but instead told us we should have been more prepared… But the food on the train is good and fair prices… the servers work very hard. There are breathtaking views and the staff speaks over an intercom to educate passengers about Alaska. It was nice to sit back and relax and enjoy ourselves.

Awesome train ride great views good food very comfortable seats and super friendly staff! Would definitely recommend this to all!!!

This was awesome! Other reviewers nailed it! It is worth the trip. I rode from Whittier to Denali. Good train ride. Friendly staff. Oh first morning I arrived I watched people miss their train, so it might be worth it to have a wake up call. Totally awesome best trip of my life! I’m not fast enough with my camera, but I saw a black bear peak out at me!

The Alaska railroad is one of the best sites to see in Alaska. The clear glass roof with 360 view on the train makes for an adventurous non boring train ride, no matter how long. You can even go outside on the train if you need fresh air. Cocktails are served on the train, and there is a restaurant at the bottom.
Payment for services is done by credit card, just start a tab and pay at the end. We were the youngest tourist on board, but made friends with a lot of the visitors.
Highly recommend this adventure to all.

We took the Halloween train to Girdwood and had a great time. Ordering drinks was challenging but not impossible. The only thing I’d change is that it would be nice if someone would’ve mentioned that there was a snack platter on the other cars. Great views, music, and overall a smooth and fun ride.

We booked our tickets in the glass dome section. The view is outstanding, the employees friendly and the train is clean (at least in that area). They have people on the train that tell you history and point out wildlife and interesting scenery. Their speaker system wasn’t super clear but we enjoyed what we could hear. Food on the train is expensive but it was also surprisingly good. The glass area was totally worth it! I made a stop in the restrooms downstairs. One word — GAG.

Over-​rated, over-​priced, and with poor service to boot.
I recently took the Alaska Railroad from Seward to Anchorage and wished I didn’t. It’s not that it was terrible. The trip itself was OK. But when you added up all the costs /​hassles, they didn’t match the benefits.
— First, it was raining as it often does and that crushes the views, I’m estimating knocking ¾ths of the value off the trip.
— Second the only train other than 645 AM was at 600PM so we ended up waiting 10 hours to take the train after getting off our ship in Seward. Net: the hours suck if you’re arriving on a cruise ship early.
— Third, the service sucked. While the basic staff were fine (e.g., bartender, waiter), we had a situation where we needed to talk someone in charge and she was an inflexible, rude, and myopic idiot, ruining the first hour or so of our trip.
The net is, if
— You haven’t already taken a scenic train (such as the White Pass and Yukon)
— And you don’t have to wait ten hours
— And the weather is good for your trip
— And you don’t have to deal with the person we did
Then you will probably like the trip. But at $ 150/​head or so, I think next time I’ll take the bus.

I rode the Alaskan Railroad from Anchorage to Denali National Park on 8÷7÷2014. It was the first time that I used them. It’s 233 rail miles from Anchorage to Denali. The scenery was beautiful and the cars were great. Plus, I took photos.

I took a trip from Anchorage to Whittier and back. Very scenic and pretty. You definitely don’t see as much if you aren’t in the double-​decker /​glass-​top car. But you still see plenty. The guide I had wasn’t all that great. She was good about spotting and pointing out wildlife. But her background and info on AK was fragmented and not entirely always accurate. The conductor was great about slowing down and stopping when wildlife was spotted. The snack bar served beer, wine, and some mixed drinks. The Bloody Mary was quite tasty. The downside is that because the train goes slow, it takes several hours to get anywhere. But the railroad will take you lots of places. It’ll even take you to «whistle stops» (ex. Spencer Glacier) that are areas pretty much inaccessible by anything other than train. And that’s hella cool. The seats were pretty comfy and leaned back. There was tons of room between the rows of seats. It’s not all shiny and new, but it’s clean and comfortable. All in all, come out and enjoy the railroad.

This rail station is absolutely a landmark in Anchorage. The trolley tour drove by the rail station and tour guide told us a little bit history.
It is walking distance from downtown, very convenience!
The station is well maintained. A little bit pricey for the train ride.

I’d never been on a nice train before and had always wanted to ride one. (I had been on a Cal Train once, where I witnessed another rider mugged. And so, I don’t count that as a train ride!) My husband knew all this, and so he had our plane from Vegas land in Anchorage, where we could get on the train to Seward. (Seward was the starting point of our Alaskan cruise.)
He also knows I’m very short and sometimes can’t see beautiful views, so he reserved two seats in the Gold Star section. What does this mean?
It means we sat on the «second floor» of the train and the entire top of our car was made of a tough transparent material, so we could see anything on either side of us, above us, in front of us, etc. And there were some spectacular views! In fact, I use one of the pictures I took from this train as my phone’s wallpaper, and people often want to know where they can download the picture from!
It also meant we had our own bar and the bathroom was right at the bottom of the narrow stairway. Everything was set up for our convenience. It was the most pleasant of train rides – the polar opposite of my Cal Train experience!