The Train
We opted to fly to Alaska rather than pulling our camper. It is so far away—we just couldn’t envision being on the road so long. The bonus with this strategy was that we could take the train from Anchorage to Denali. It turned several months travel on the road to just over two weeks. I had to share the photo below of Alaska from the plane. It was stunning!
I am happy to say that all our flights to and from Alaska went smoothly. We flew American Airlines to Anchorage and Alaska Air returning home. Alaska Air was my favorite because the planes were nicer and it offered better service on the plane.
We were very happy when our plane landed at the Anchorage airport as our flight from Dallas was almost seven hours. There was a definite “Alaska” feel to the terminal.
Anchorage
Our trip began and ended in Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city. In fact, close to half of all Alaska residents live in Anchorage. It had the feel of many small cities in the lower forty-eight, except for the amazing mountains as a backdrop.
We had a little time in Anchorage before camping and before and after the train. We loved it because of excellent meals and friendly people. Our first night was at the Holiday Inn near the airport. The shuttle was reliable and the manager was excellent. He told us about a Korean restaurant nearby, which we tried and loved.
Our last two nights (before and after the train) in Anchorage was at Crown Plaza. Hotels were fully booked long before we checked in, so I recommend booking early if going in the summer. They also had a shuttle to the airport and gave us an amazing upgrade our last night.
We had great luck with meals in Anchorage, including Moose’s Tooth Pub and Pizzeria and El Jefe Taco Joint.
Alaska Aviation Museum
Our one excursion in Anchorage was to the Aviation Museum. My husband loves anything related to aviation, so he was happy with our choice.
In Alaska, one in five people have pilot’s licenses because so much of the state is not accessible by roads. I found it interesting that Juneau, the capital, is not even fully accessible by road. Consequently, airplanes are an important part of Alaska’s history and life today.
The museum is on Lake Hood and we watched several float planes take off while at the museum.
Alaska Railroad
We rode Alaska Railroad’s Denali Star and chose the Goldstar Service to Denali and the Wilderness Express car returning to Anchorage. Wilderness Express is a private company that has two cars that are on the back of the train. The Goldstar Service includes dome seating, meals and a couple of drinks and Wilderness Express costs a bit less, but includes no food or drinks.
The food was better on the Goldstar service and was actually cheaper because you are on the train for approximately seven hours and food and drinks are expensive.
However, the Wilderness Express car had an excellent host/narrator who pointed out viewing opportunities, including Denali mountain. Sarah was upbeat, charming and fun! The car also had more comfortable seats and you could charge your devices at your seat, unlike the dome service.
Views From the Train
The trip from Anchorage to Denali takes about seven hours and covers 234 miles. It travels pretty slowly, so one can take in the sights and snap photos without everything passing quickly.
Mountains and rivers were often what we saw on the trip. There were very few people and buildings along the way. Alaska truly is wide open country.
The train went slowly on the 918 feet long bridge over Hurricane Gulch. It is also 296 feet high making it the highest and longest bridge in the Alaska Railroad. The photo below was taken from the back of the rail car.
There is a story about the house below. Many decades ago, the owners wanted to paint it a green that would blend in with the background. This particular shade, however, stood out brightly. It got so much positive attention though, that the owners kept it that color. It became a gathering place for the community.
I love the colors in the mountains and trees for this area.
One area, as you neared Anchorage, had vivid lime green ground cover for miles and miles.
Special Sightings
We were on a bear sighting hunt for all of our two-week trip, but we only saw them as the train was departing the station in Anchorage. It appears that mamma and baby were separated by a fence.
Denali Mountain is the highest mountain peak in North America at 20,310 feet above sea level and is also the third highest peak on Earth. It is so often covered by clouds that it is estimated that you only have a 30 percent chance of seeing it. While spending two days in Denali, we tried unsuccessfully many times to view it. So we were delighted to finally see it on our way back to Anchorage. It was a sight to behold!
The photo below was taken from the back of the train after crossing Hurricane Gulch.
Conclusion
The train was not the least expensive way to get to Denali, but it certainly was a pleasurable trip. To be able to comfortably enjoy such beautiful scenery was a privilege. As we are not likely to get to Alaska again, I am so glad we got to experience the train and the dome views of Alaska.
We also spent ten days camping on the Kenai Peninsula. If you would like to check it out, it’s at Alaska Camping in a Rental RV.
