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| Alaska Railroad - Aurora Winter Train - Anchorage Depot - Photo by Paul Clough
My first trip to Alaska was in October of 2015. I'm not precisely sure what made me want to go up and visit. Perhaps it was knowing a friend who went up for a few seasons on the fishing boats or maybe it was all of the TV shows about Alaska. The trip was last minute and I pretty much planned it as I went along. One thing I knew I had to do was ride the Alaska Railroad. I love riding trains whether it be getting around town or going cross country. While Amtrak doesn't necessarily scream the glory days of train travel, the Alaska Railroad makes riding the train fun again. Grant it not every train can have gorgeous scenery from end to end or be featured on TV shows, it's just great to ride as many trains as I can.
I ended up planning my train trip towards the end of my visit and flying out of Fairbanks.
The Aurora Winter Train only runs during the off season from late September to mid May.
The northbound train leaves Anchorage at 8:30 AM and arrives in Fairbanks at 8:00 PM on Saturdays.
The southbound train leaves Fairbanks at 8:00 AM and arrives in Anchorage at 8:30 PM on Sundays.
There are select midweek trips towards the end of winter. What makes this train unique is that it incorporates the Hurricane Turn train which is a route within the route that the train travels. Normally, the Hurricane Turn runs in the late spring to early fall and the Denali Star (the main tourist train) bypasses the stops made by the Hurricane Turn. I'll cover more of that later. Currently, the one-way fare from Anchorage to Fairbanks is $195 for ages 12 to 64 and $98 for children and people 65 and older. Additional discounts are available so check their website for details.
From what I saw, most people who started in Anchorage where either flying back to Anchorage or flying home from Fairbanks with only a handful planning on taking the return trip either the next day or the following week. There were some Alaskans just commuting outside of the flag stops. This is actually a good way to plan your trip. Fly into Anchorage, take the train to Fairbanks and fly out. Or you can do it in reverse.
I arrived at the Anchorage train depot around 7 am by taxi. There's little traffic at that time on Saturdays so don't get there too early as there's not much to do. After checking in and dropping off my pack, I debated buying a sweatshirt which I passed on and regretted until my next trip to Alaska. I did however buy the guidebook which has the highlights of the entire Alaska Railroad line and mile marker info. There were about 40 people leaving and I heard less than a dozen coming back from Fairbanks but this train operates no matter what as it's a lifeline for some people living along the route. There's a coffee kiosk but they weren't open the time I went so if you need your morning coffee, get it before you arrive or wait until you board.
The consist of most winter trains are considerably smaller than the summer trains. Due to the nature of the train, they don't want to pull more weight than needed so most trains have 2 locomotives, a dining car, 2 Adventure Class (coach) cars and a baggage car. They try to keep the through passengers in the car closest to the dining car and Hurricane Turn passengers in the car closest to the baggage car though depending on the loads, they can mix the cars. Sorry, no dome cars or the famous Gold Star service or anything fancy on the winter train. Like all Alaska trains, there are no sleeping cars or private cabins. Seating is assigned and if it's not busy, you should get your own row. The seats are pretty standard like on Amtrak but no tray tables. The windows are large but there can be glare for taking photographs through them.
There's open windows in the vestibules in-between cars which allow glare-free photos and a breath of fresh air. The temperature difference can be pretty wide between Anchorage and Fairbanks so have some extra layers available in your carry on. Like most trains, you can walk around as much as you need although on this train, there's only three accessible cars. The dining car has table service dining and there's also a quick service counter for snacks and beverages. Alcohol is also available. They do not accept cash on-board, only debit or credit cards. You can purchase a meal voucher at the train station for cash before leaving.
Unlike the summer train (Denali Star which makes only a few stops), the winter train makes many stops. The first stop is Wasilla, which contrary to popular belief, does not have a view of Russia. It's a small town and the stop is fast. The next stop is Talkeetna which is smaller but has more people using the train. Talkeetna is where the Hurricane Turn portion of the route starts which means that the train makes "flag" stops. Many people live along this portion of the route and the tracks are their only source of transportation so the railroad is like a road and they just stand out there and flag the train down. To get off, they just say which mile marker they need off at. This is also the case for deliveries. Some folks have supplies delivered. You'll see many of these people with lots of cargo and supplies. The flag stop passengers usually ride in the rearmost car so they can access their baggage. Talkeetna is also a large base for tourists who want to flight-see to Denali and hike and camp along the Hurricane Turn area.
We made several flag stops and rumor has it, a homesteader from the show Railroad Alaska was on the train. Each flag stop was short, just long enough to offload the passengers and their luggage. There are several official stops along the Hurricane Turn, mainly for backpacking and skiing. The pinnacle of the route is crossing the Hurricane Gulch Bridge in Hurricane Gulch Alaska. The train stops for photo opps then continues towards Denali. Speaking of stopping, the crew do a nice job of pointing out wildlife and stopping when possible. You have to have an eagle-eye to spot a bald eagle or a bear but they're out there! If you're serious about trying to photograph some wildlife, you'll need a long-range lens, at least 300mm.
What impressed me the most was the constant changing of the landscape. People (including myself) were just clicking and clicking and before long, I was photo'd out. But I just love watching the ever changing scenery go by. Again, we ended up having a beautiful day but that will not always be the case. Obviously, Alaska does get a lot of snow and the train runs pretty much no matter what so you'll never know what you'll see. I heard the weekend before was snowy and completely cloudy so I was fortunate for the weather we had.
We made a quick stop in "Honolulu" Alaska which is just a cheeky sign but we were able to get off and some people had a snowball fight. It was a nice break to get out and stretch.
By late afternoon, we arrived at the Denali National Park station. While the area is technically closed during the off season (all of the hotels are closed), you can get off if you have other arrangements as the actual park is open year-round. Also, there are some staff who maintain the hotels during the off season and we had one get off. Leaving the station gives you a great view of the resort village as its known before twisting and turning towards Healy. At this point, I was pretty tired of taking photos and grabbed a beer from the dining car and watched the final rays of light shine down over the Tanana River in Nenana. You'll get a lot of commentary from the conductor throughout the trip which can be a plus or a minus depending on how much you want to know. But I found the tidbits interesting like the military base in Clear which is an early warning radar station.
We arrived in Fairbanks right on schedule. It takes a few minutes to get your checked luggage so it's a good time to make sure your transportation is there. I was staying at the Super 8 which occasionally has a shuttle but if no shuttle driver, they'll pay for a cab. Most other hotels in town also provide shuttles to the train depot as well. It's a long train ride but definitely relaxing if you're not in a hurry. I still feel that riding the train at least once in Alaska is a must do. It's not meant to be fast. Please enjoy some of my photos below and plan your trip to Alaska!
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| Alaska Railroad - Aurora Winter Train - My ticket to Alaskan Adventure! - Photo by Paul Clough |
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| Alaska Railroad - Aurora Winter Train - Passenger Car 210 - Photo by Paul Clough |
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| Alaska Railroad - Aurora Winter Train - Interior of Passenger Car 210 - Photo by Paul Clough |
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| Alaska Railroad - Aurora Winter Train - Watching the world go by - Photo by Paul Clough |
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| Alaska Railroad - Aurora Winter Train - Talkeetna - Photo by Paul Clough |
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| Alaska Railroad - Aurora Winter Train - Adventure Class - Photo by Paul Clough |
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| Alaska Railroad - Aurora Winter Train - Mountains and ponds - Photo by Paul Clough |
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| Alaska Railroad - Aurora Winter Train - Mountains and snow - Photo by Paul Clough |
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| Alaska Railroad - Aurora Winter Train - Cold Selfie - Photo by Paul Clough |
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| Alaska Railroad - Aurora Winter Train - Turing and Twisting through Alaska - Photo by Paul Clough |
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| Alaska Railroad - Aurora Winter Train - Honolulu... Alaska - Photo by Paul Clough |
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| Alaska Railroad - Aurora Winter Train - Mountains and Snow - Photo by Paul Clough |
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| Alaska Railroad - Aurora Winter Train - Hidden lakes - Photo by Paul Clough |
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| Alaska Railroad - Aurora Winter Train - This is what comes to mind when I think ALASKA - Photo by Paul Clough |
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| Alaska Railroad - Aurora Winter Train - Denali National Park resort village - Photo by Paul Clough |
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| Alaska Railroad - Aurora Winter Train - Leaving the mountains behind - Photo by Paul Clough |
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| Alaska Railroad - Aurora Winter Train - Nearing the Mears Memorial Bridge in Nenana - Photo by Paul Clough |
Oh, an I made a video, pretty crummy quality but hey.
You can view full details and book your trip on Alaska Railroad's website.
https://www.alaskarailroad.com/ride-a-train/our-trains/aurora-winter
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All photos taken by Paul Clough.
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