The Alaska Railroad: Routes, Seasons, Fares and Baggage Rules

The horn sounds over Ship Creek, the blue and gold cars ease out of Anchorage, and within minutes the city gives way to water, spruce and mountains. For many travelers that first stretch is the moment the question arrives: which train, to where, and when does it run? The Alaska Railroad is the state-owned line linking Seward, Anchorage, Denali and Fairbanks, with several named trains that each do something different.

What is the Alaska Railroad?

The Alaska Railroad is a railroad owned by the State of Alaska that carries passengers and freight through Southcentral and Interior Alaska. Its main line runs between Seward on the southern coast and Fairbanks near the center of the state, passing through Anchorage and Denali National Park. It is not only a summer attraction. The railroad provides rail transportation through the year, and it brings more than 500,000 passengers to Railbelt destinations annually.

The railroad traverses almost 500 miles of remote and wild landscape. The main line itself is over 470 miles long, and counting sidings, rail yards and branch lines, the whole system has 656 miles of track. Some of the places it reaches are roadless, which is why a ride can feel less like transportation and more like a way into country you could not otherwise see.

How the line came to be

The first railroad in Alaska was built by the Alaska Central Railway in 1903, starting in Seward and pushing 50 miles north. By 1910 the reorganized Alaska Northern Railway Co. had reached Kern Creek. In 1914 the U.S. Congress agreed to fund a railroad from Seward to Fairbanks, with an estimated price tag of $35 million.

Anchorage itself began in 1915 as a tent town along Ship Creek, a construction community for the railroad, and the railroad’s headquarters moved there from Seward. In 1923 President Warren G. Harding drove the golden spike at Nenana, marking the line’s completion. A blue and gold steamliner called the Aurora made its inaugural run between Anchorage and Fairbanks in 1947, and the name lives on in a winter train today.

The line has also been through hard days. After the Good Friday Earthquake of 1964, freight service from Anchorage to Fairbanks was restored on April 6, passenger service on April 11, and freight service to Whittier resumed on April 20. The state bought the railroad from the U.S. government on January 6, 1985, for $22.3 million.

A working railroad as well as a scenic one

The branch to Whittier carries freight railcars exchanged with the contiguous United States, which arrive by rail barge sailing between the Port of Whittier and Harbor Island in Seattle. That link goes back to a car-barge service established at Whittier in 1962, followed by train-ship service in June 1964, so rail cars from the Lower 48 can be shipped to any point along the line. When you ride, you share the rails with a freight operation that has shaped the state for a century.

Planning tools from the railroad

Tickets can be bought online. The railroad’s Travel Planning page lays out day trips, overnight getaways and week-long itineraries, and its Our Trains page holds detailed route descriptions for each train. Once you are on your way, the Passenger Train Finder shows where a train is at that moment, handy if you are waiting at a depot or meeting someone off a platform.

The railroad also runs annual beer trains and holiday trains, which are listed on its Event Trains page. These are separate from the regular named trains and have their own listings.

Which routes does it run?

The railroad runs five passenger trains, each on its own stretch of the line: the Denali Star, the Coastal Classic, the Glacier Discovery, the Hurricane Turn and the Aurora Winter Train. Three run to the south and north of Anchorage in the warm months, and two of them, the Hurricane Turn and the Aurora, also have winter schedules.

Denali Star: Anchorage to Fairbanks

The Denali Star covers 356 miles in 12 hours, with stops at Wasilla, Talkeetna and Denali National Park. Between Anchorage and Talkeetna it crosses the Knik River with the Chugach Mountains behind. Just south of Talkeetna, Denali can be seen rising above the Susitna River, and on a clear day passengers can see North America’s tallest mountain.

North of Talkeetna the train crosses Hurricane Gulch on a 296-foot bridge and passes through the roadless Hurricane area. Just south of the national park, Broad Pass opens views of the Alaska Range in all directions, and north of the park the train follows Healy Canyon along the Nenana River. From Fairbanks, the same train makes a midday excursion to Denali National Park possible, with a return home that evening.

Coastal Classic: Anchorage to Seward

The Coastal Classic travels from Anchorage through Girdwood to Seward, 114 miles in around four and a half hours. National Geographic Traveler ranked it among its Top Ten Train Rides in North America. It winds along Turnagain Arm, where the Chugach Range mountains plunge directly to the sea, then makes a brief stop in Girdwood.

After Girdwood the train enters backcountry wilderness, which many consider the most scenic stretch of the whole Railbelt. It arrives in Seward in the late morning and stops on the shores of Resurrection Bay. The return leaves Seward that evening, so the trip works as a day outing from Anchorage with time in between on the bay.

Glacier Discovery: Whittier, Portage, Spencer and Grandview

The Glacier Discovery follows much of the Coastal Classic route, with an added turn off the main line to Whittier and a turnaround at Grandview. Its stops are Girdwood, Whittier, Portage, Spencer and Grandview, and some of them are areas reachable only by train. It offers Adventure Class service only.

At Whittier the train passes through a mountain tunnel and connects with a glacier and wildlife cruise in Prince William Sound. At Portage, passengers may get off to visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, home to black and brown bears, moose, caribou, wood bison and more.

Spencer Glacier Whistle Stop is a backcountry area in the Chugach National Forest, developed with the U.S. Forest Service, where a 1.3-mile gravel path leads to Spencer Lake and views of the glacier. Rafting, hiking and kayaking around the glacial lake are offered as day trips.

Hurricane Turn: flagstop country

The summer Hurricane Turn runs from Talkeetna to Hurricane, with stops at Chase, Curry, Sherman, Gold Creek, Twin Bridges and Chulitna. It is a flagstop train, so passengers can get on or off anywhere along the backcountry route, which makes it a way in for locals and visitors alike. It offers Adventure Class only, with non-smoking cars and wheelchair access.

The winter version starts from Anchorage and goes to Hurricane, with stops at Wasilla, Talkeetna and the same backcountry points. Its flagstop area is south of Hurricane Gulch, where residents of remote cabins can flag the train for the ride south. It runs on the first Thursday of each month from October to May.

Aurora Winter Train: weekends to Fairbanks

The Aurora Winter Train runs between Anchorage and Fairbanks, stopping at Wasilla, Talkeetna, Hurricane, Healy and Nenana. It goes north on Saturday and returns to Anchorage on Sunday, with select mid-week departures in addition. Its season runs on weekends from mid-September to mid-May.

It provides flagstop service along a 50-mile stretch of roadless backcountry south of Hurricane Gulch, and stops as needed at Healy and Nenana before arriving in Fairbanks. The schedule may vary depending on the number of stops.

What should you know before you book?

Before booking, look at the service class, the train’s season and what you can carry, because those decide most of the trip. Two classes appear in the fares: Adventure Class, and GoldStar Service, which is available on the Coastal Classic from Anchorage to Seward and on the Denali Star from Anchorage to Fairbanks. The Glacier Discovery and the summer Hurricane Turn offer Adventure Class only.

Fares and times

The fares below are one-way and for the 2027 season. A child fare applies to ages 2 to 11 on the Coastal Classic, as the railroad gives it. Because the dates carry a year, they belong to that season only.

The Coastal Classic leaves Anchorage and reaches Seward in the late morning, then heads back that evening, so a day in Seward fits between the two. The times are in the table. Baggage services on this train are available only in Anchorage and Seward.

On the Denali Star, Talkeetna departure times may vary with traffic volumes, so passengers should check in at the depot to confirm when the train leaves. Service opens and closes with one-way days at each end of the season: northbound only on May 12 and southbound only on September 16, 2027. The Glacier Discovery also has round-trip service from Anchorage or Girdwood to Whittier on May 15, 16, 17 and 19, 2027, before its full route begins.

Baggage, animals and what stays behind

Each ticketed passenger may check luggage under the limits in the table. Luggage storage is not available at any Alaska Railroad station, so bags travel with you or not at all.

Animals ride in the baggage car in a kennel you provide. Only service animals are permitted in passenger cars. Firearms are not allowed inside passenger coaches or depots. They may travel in the baggage car only if unloaded, stored in a locking hard-sided case, and with the bolt action removed or a trigger locking guard applied. Concealed weapons are not allowed on any train or in any depot.

Food on board

The summer Hurricane Turn has no food or beverage service for purchase, so passengers should bring their own. On that train, which stops wherever a passenger flags it, the day depends on what you pack in your own bag before you board at Talkeetna.

Good to know before you go

The railroad runs through the year, but each named train keeps its own season, so the train you want may not be the one running on your dates. The winter trains are the Aurora Winter Train on weekends and the Hurricane Turn once a month.

The Passenger Train Finder shows where a train is at any moment, and the Event Trains page lists the beer trains and holiday trains. Tickets can be bought online, and the Our Trains page gives the fuller route descriptions if you want to compare stops before choosing.

Sources

• Alaska Railroad, Aurora Winter (https://www.alaskarailroad.com/ride-a-train/our-trains/aurora-winter), checked October 11, 2026
• Alaska Railroad, Baggage policy (https://www.alaskarailroad.com/ride-a-train/baggage), checked October 11, 2026
• Alaska Railroad, Coastal Classic (https://www.alaskarailroad.com/ride-a-train/our-trains/coastal-classic), checked October 11, 2026
• Alaska Railroad, Denali Star (https://www.alaskarailroad.com/ride-a-train/our-trains/denali-star), checked October 11, 2026
• Alaska Railroad, Train fares (https://www.alaskarailroad.com/ride-a-train/fares), checked October 11, 2026
• Alaska Railroad, Glacier Discovery (https://www.alaskarailroad.com/ride-a-train/our-trains/glacier-discovery), checked October 11, 2026
• Alaska Railroad, History (https://www.alaskarailroad.com/corporate/history), checked October 11, 2026
• Alaska Railroad, Hurricane Turn (https://www.alaskarailroad.com/ride-a-train/our-trains/hurricane-turn), checked October 11, 2026
• Alaska Railroad, Ride a train (https://www.alaskarailroad.com/ride-a-train), checked October 11, 2026
• Alaska Railroad, Train schedules (https://www.alaskarailroad.com/ride-a-train/schedules), checked October 11, 2026
• Alaska Railroad, Our trains (https://www.alaskarailroad.com/ride-a-train/our-trains), checked October 11, 2026
• Wikipedia, Alaska Railroad (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_Railroad), checked October 11, 2026

To plan your stay

• Best Time to Visit Alaska: Midnight Sun, Northern Lights, Weather and Seasons
• Where to Stay in Alaska: Anchorage, Girdwood, Fairbanks and Denali Lodges
• Alaska Airports: Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Sitka and Bush Flying
• Know Before You Go to Alaska: Layers, Bears, Road Conditions and Time Zone