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Travel Within Alaska: By Train

Alaska offers some of the world’s most spectacular rail journeys. Two railroads operate in the state, the Alaska Railroad and the White Pass & Yukon Route. The White Pass & Yukon Route travels from Skagway to Fraser, B.C., and is a scenic rail line with over 100 years of experience taking expectant travelers across rugged terrain. The Alaska Railroad is a modern railroad with track stretching from Seward and Whittier in Southcentral Alaska, through Anchorage and Denali National Park to its terminus in Fairbanks. The Alaska Railroad is well known for its glass-domed rail cars and excellent service. Alaska is not accessible from the Continental U.S. or Canada by rail.

Rail served an important role in Alaska’s history. The White Pass & Yukon Route was established in 1898 to bring hopeful prospectors to the Yukon gold fields during the Klondike Gold Rush. The Alaska Railroad was completed in 1923 as one of the last major projects in the U.S.’s westward expansion to “open up the land” and provide a route for goods to reach Fairbanks. Anchorage was established as a tent city during railroad construction and is now Alaska’s largest city.

Rail offers an exciting way to see Alaska. Both the White Pass & Yukon Route and the Alaska Railroad go places inaccessible by road. Both trains still offer “whistle stop” service for passengers to disembark along the way for a quiet day of picnicking, fishing or hiking. On the Alaska Railroad, glass-domed cars offer 180 degrees of scenery. A major rail station in Denali National Park provides one of the most favored methods of reaching this iconic national park.

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