Our first day of our tour took us on a train ride from Anchorage to Talkeetna. The Alaska Railroad owns the single train track through the state, and we rode on a Princess train car. Princess offers two double-decker car styles. Depending on your trip, you may ride in a car with two rows of two seats or a car with benches on either side of a table. Each car also comes with a tour guide, a bartender and full bar, and two servers for the dining area. We rode in a car with rows of seating on this leg of the trip.
It’s about a three hour train ride from Anchorage to Talkeetna, and it’s a nice, leisurely way to see Alaska. I would recommend ordering a drink (alcoholic or not) when you board and settle in for hours of gorgeous views. You can also either order food and have it delivered to your seat or grab a meal in the dining car.
Our trip was pretty uneventful. We pulled off on a siding to let another train pass south (we were going north). A 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit while we were on the tracks, and we didn’t even feel it. We also saw a few moose on the trip. Our tour guide was kind enough to give us a piece of moose scat for seeing the first one. Overall, it was a pleasant trip up to Talkeetna.
My revised Alaska packing list | Planes, Hotels, and Organized Tours | Alaska Zoo | Anchorage Trolley | Train ride to Talkeetna | Talkeetna, Alaska | Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Tour | Talkeetna to Denali | McKinley Chalet Resort | Denali National Park | 8 hour on a train: Denali to Anchorage | Alaska Railroad to Seward | Kenai Fjords Cruise
