Alaska Railroad Fares: Adult and Child Prices, Adventure Class vs. GoldStar, Baggage and Booking

Somewhere between the first cup of coffee and the second look at a map of Alaska, most trips hit the same question: what does it cost to ride the train? The Alaska Railroad sells fares by route, by service class and by age, so the answer depends on where you are going and how you want to sit while you get there. The fares below cover the main summer routes out of Anchorage.

How much does the Alaska Railroad cost?

Children between 2 and 11 ride for a lower fare on the routes listed here, roughly half the adult price on the Adventure Class tickets.

Coastal Classic: Anchorage, Girdwood and Seward

The Coastal Classic is the train that connects Anchorage with Seward and stops at Girdwood on the way. It runs daily from May 14 to September 12, 2027. Northbound and southbound times are fixed: the train leaves Anchorage at 6:45 AM and reaches Seward at 11:20 AM, and the return leaves Seward at 6:00 PM and gets back to Anchorage at 10:15 PM.

That schedule shapes how people use the fare. The long day in Seward between the morning arrival and the evening departure is the time most riders have in town.

Denali Star: Anchorage to Fairbanks

The Denali Star links Anchorage and Fairbanks and operates from May 12 to September 16, 2027. On May 12 only the northbound train runs, and on September 16 only the southbound one. The Adventure Class adult fare for the full trip is the one in the table, with the child fare at half that.

On a clear day the route offers views of Denali, the tallest mountain in North America. That is a chance, not a promise, since the peak often hides in cloud. Departure times from Talkeetna can vary with traffic, so passengers boarding there confirm the time at the depot.

Glacier Discovery and Hurricane Turn

The Glacier Discovery Train runs its full route between Anchorage and Grandview from May 29 to September 12, 2027, with stops at Girdwood, Whittier, Portage and Spencer. Earlier in the season, on May 15, 16, 17 and 19, 2027, it offers round-trip service from Anchorage or Girdwood to Whittier. It sells Adventure Class only.

The Hurricane Turn Summer Train runs between Talkeetna and Hurricane, Thursday through Monday, from May 13 to September 12, 2027. It offers flagstop access to the backcountry for locals and visitors alike. In winter months the Hurricane Turn makes its round trip starting from Anchorage instead.

What are the service classes?

The Alaska Railroad sells two classes on its main routes, Adventure Class and GoldStar Service, and one train, the Glacier Discovery, offers Adventure Class only. Adventure Class is the standard fare, the one quoted for Girdwood and for Fairbanks above.

Adventure Class

Adventure Class is the class you find on every route that sells tickets here: the Coastal Classic, the Denali Star and the Glacier Discovery. For a rider heading from Anchorage to Girdwood it costs $103 for an adult and $52 for a child, and for the long haul to Fairbanks it costs $294 and $147.

The same holds for the day cruise in Prince William Sound from Whittier and the backcountry at Spencer Glacier, both reachable by passengers on that train.

GoldStar Service

GoldStar Service is offered on two routes: the Coastal Classic from Anchorage to Seward and the Denali Star from Anchorage to Fairbanks. The fare on the Seward run is $289 for an adult and $169 for a child, a smaller gap between adult and child than in Adventure Class.

A GoldStar fare for the Fairbanks run is not listed here, so compare the two classes only on the Seward route, where you would see the Adventure Class price at booking next to the GoldStar one. Which class suits you comes down to how much of the day you want to spend in the upgraded service.

Flagstop trains

Two trains work as flagstop services into the backcountry. The Hurricane Turn runs between Talkeetna and Hurricane, and the Aurora Winter Train serves the backcountry area north of Talkeetna. Both are meant for people who live out there and for visitors heading to the same wilderness.

How do you book?

Start with the route and the date, because each train has its own season, and then choose the class and the number of adults and children. A ticket for the Coastal Classic is only on sale for the days between May 14 and September 12, 2027, and the Denali Star for the days between May 12 and September 16, 2027.

Match the date to the train

Check the season of each train before you choose your days. The Hurricane Turn Summer Train does not run on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, and the Glacier Discovery has its round-trip Whittier days in May before the full route begins on May 29. The Denali Star runs one direction only on its first and last days.

Luggage and what you can bring

Each ticketed passenger may check two pieces of luggage, and each checked bag can weigh up to 50 pounds. Bikes, excess bags, oversized bags and overweight bags cost $20.00 per item. On the Aurora Winter Train the allowance is four pieces per passenger.

Baggage service on the Coastal Classic is available only in Anchorage and Seward, so Girdwood riders carry their bags on. No Alaska Railroad station offers luggage storage, which matters if your train is hours away from your hotel checkout.

Pets and firearms

Animals travel in the baggage car in a kennel you provide, for $20.00 per kennel. Only service animals are allowed in passenger cars.

Firearms are not allowed inside passenger coaches or depots. They can go in the baggage car if unloaded, in a locking hard-sided case, with the bolt action removed or a trigger locking guard applied. Concealed weapons are not allowed on any train or in any depot.

Good to know before you go

The fares here are for the 2027 summer season, and each train has its own start and end dates, so a trip planned outside them needs a different train. The Hurricane Turn, for example, runs from Anchorage in winter. Some boarding times, such as Talkeetna on the Denali Star, can shift, so confirm at the depot. The Coastal Classic’s 6:45 AM departure from Anchorage makes for an early morning.