Alaska Railroad Anchorage to Denali One Way

Our group of 4 adults did the Goldstar service and we had a great time! They served us breakfast and lunch and we were all very impressed by the quality of the food.

Didn't get on the tour. Tried to get on at the next train station, but it was not allowed. Difficult to communicate the problem to anyone.

If you love trains, this is a trip that you don't want to miss! Whether on the Wilderness Express or the Denali GoldStar, your experience is just fantastic! Seeing the landscape and wildlife while riding the train is incredible! You are catered to in every way, which is lovely!

After an incredible overnight stay in the charming town of Talkeetna, we headed back to the depot for the second segment of our journey. Checking in at the dedicated Wilderness Express area was incredibly smooth. As we waited on the platform, anticipation built until I saw the massive luxury dome car rolling into the station, and I managed to capture a great video of its arrival. Once on board, we were greeted warmly by an exceptional hosting team. In a wonderful twist of fate, our bartender turned out to be the exact same person who would later serve us on our final leg from Denali to Fairbanks! Shortly after departing Talkeetna, we headed down to the dining car for lunch. We ended up sharing a table with a lovely couple who, by an amazing coincidence, lived just about an hour north of where we live! We had a wonderful time swapping stories about our home area as the Alaskan landscape began to unfold outside. The quiet rhythm of the train broke when the conductor announced our approach to Hurricane Gulch. I learned it originally earned its name from early railroad crews because the deep, narrow gorge acts like a natural wind tunnel, funneling powerful, howling gales even when the surrounding forests are completely calm. Eager to escape the window glare, I grabbed my camera and stepped out onto the open-air viewing platform downstairs. The air was crisp, sharp, and cold. As the train rolled out over the 918-foot steel arch structure, I looked straight down into a dizzying drop to the rocky creek bed below. Holding my breath, I snapped photos of the jaw-dropping gorge as it opened up toward the distant, cloud-shrouded peaks. Not long after clearing the drop at Hurricane Gulch, the train continued its steady climb through the wilderness. Along this stretch, we passed a scenic beaver pond, giving us a great view of nature's engineers. By mid-afternoon, our luxury dome car had climbed steadily to Broad Pass—the absolute roof of the Alaska Railroad system. Here, the dense forests parted, giving way to an endless expanse of alpine tundra. I looked out and captured one of my favorite photos of the whole journey. It was a perfect subarctic autumn tapestry: slender, resilient black spruce trees scattered across a blazing, fiery patchwork quilt of reds, oranges, and deep purples as the low-lying tundra shrubs changed for the season. I captured the rustic facade of the Cantwell Lodge, a historic property located along the Denali Highway in Cantwell, Alaska. Continuing past the area, our view provided a prominent, highly visible example of the massive spruce bark beetle outbreak currently affecting Denali National Park and Preserve. We looked out and saw large swaths of trees that had been killed by the beetles. Due to milder winter temperatures, this native beetle population has surged, rapidly infecting and killing the white spruce trees throughout the region. The stark results were highly visible from our seats—widespread patches of standing gray and mousy-brown dead trees stretching across the landscape around Cantwell, Carlo Creek, and Healy. The train crested the peak of Broad Pass and began its northern descent. In this stretch, the railroad closely parallels and repeatedly crosses the expansive, glacial gravel bars of the Nenana River canyon. Leaving the high alpine flats behind, the train began its final descent as the valleys narrowed sharply. I photographed the rugged landscape of Nenana Canyon. The scene perfectly captured the silty, glacially fed Nenana River in the foreground, slopes featuring a mix of green taiga forest alongside a band of darker, sparse spruce trees also impacted by the beetle outbreak, and steep, rocky mountain terrain rising in the background with mist clinging near the peaks. Closer to the canyon, the river running directly outside our window became the Middle Fork Chulitna River. From this vantage point, we could see local properties nestled at Mile 231 of the George Parks Highway: the red roofs of the Denali Park Village resort complex clustered near the trees on the left side of the train, sitting directly across the clearing and down the road from the green-roofed Denali Grizzly Bear Resort on the right. Just minutes before pulling into the station, the train followed a sharp, looping curve directly along the scenic edge of Horseshoe Lake on our left. Finally, right on time, the brakes hissed to a smooth stop at the log-cabin Denali National Park Depot. Stepping off the train into the cool heart of the subarctic, I looked back at the dome cars, deeply grateful to have captured such a pristine slice of Alaska on a perfect September afternoon. Ahead of us lay two full days of incredible wilderness exploration—a visit to the Denali National Park Sled Dog Demonstration, a ride on the green transit bus out to Mile 43, and our unforgettable view of Mt. Denali—all were perfectly lined up to the fullness of our time in Denali.

We opted for the Gold Star ticket and loved every minute of the views from glass dome portion of the train, as well as the "patio" area Gold Star passengers could visit. With a Gold Star ticket you also get a meal and 2 drinks. We went in the morning, so our meal was breakfast. We had lots of menu options, and the chef was willing to custom make your meal if you had dietary restrictions. The meal was very good! Normally we're not drinkers, but it was vacation so we had a few adult beverages. The bar tender did a GREAT job on our drinks!

+1

We booked with Alaska Railroad specifically because they advertised a military discount. Unfortunately, they don’t extend that discount to 100% disabled veterans. When we arrived, we were unexpectedly charged an additional $50. The depot was overcrowded with far too few seats, and passengers were expected to tag their own luggage outside before boarding. For the price they charge, the experience felt disorganized and underwhelming. Paying $240 for two one-way tickets was already excessive, especially after learning from our Uber driver that the same trip would have cost about $150. To top it off, the staff was neither understanding nor accommodating. We won’t be using Alaska Railroad again, and I can’t recommend it to others.

I would have given this a 5-star rating, however, I paid the extra money to ride as a Gold Star customer and was VERY disappointed to discover I’d been assigned to row 19 A and B - which are the only Gold Star seats that cannot recline due to backing up to the bar. I was able to work with the crew (though it seemed to be a much bigger deal than it should have been) to move over to 19 C and D which could recline. Here’s the thing: It is a looong trip (8 hours). I paid the same price as everyone whose seats could recline. There is no way Alaska Railroad should be selling those two seats at the same price as all the others, and there is certainly no way they should not inform their customers in advance that the seats do not recline! I should never have had to deal with this!

So gorgeous, so comfortable. staff helpful both in depot and on board. handling of luggage was smooth. We stayed at a lodge in Denali that they booked for us and all transitions were easy. The mountains are everywhere. Conductors narrated from time to time, pointing out historical sights, wildlife sightings and, amazingly, Denali peeking out above the clouds. dome car very comfortable, but the windows were not the cleanest. windows by our seats had outstanding views.

It's a long ride but so worth it. Extremely organized departure including luggage. After flying across the country we were really hoping for clean bathrooms and wow, they kept them so clean! That was a nice surprise. Good narration, might have preferred a more seasoned naturalist each way but it was sufficient, just sounded like they were reading off a script. We did one way Adventure and one way GoldStar - for Adventure, bring snacks - snack bar doesn't have many healthy options. GoldStar meals ere better than expected and there was variety - not Michelin but decent for a train. Meal service was average. Seats in Adventure were more comfortable than expected - GoldStar was better but not super luxe - the viewing platform was a nice option for getting some fresh air. The Railroad does a great job and the scenery is absolutely gorgeous.

The scenery was beautiful, the food was excellent, plenty of space while seated in gold star service. Everyone working were so pleasant!