Ride the Alaska Railroad

The lack of travel infrastructure in Alaska impresses many first-time visitors: the Alaska highway system has only four routes, and the state has only one railway line. It is beneficial to plan ahead of time for the finest modes of transportation. The Alaska Railroad (reporting mark ARR) is a Class II railroad in Alaska that operates freight and passenger trains. The railroad has approximately 656 miles (1,056 km) of track, including sidings, rail yards, and branch lines, including the branch to Whittier, where freight railcars are interchanged with the contiguous United States via rail barges that sail between the Port of Whittier and Harbor Island in Seattle.

The Alaska Railroad was one of the few federally supported railroad lines in the country when it was created in the early twentieth century. It is now maintained by the state of Alaska, and it transports visitors between a few sites along the 400-mile route. The most popular destinations are Seward, Anchorage, Talkeetna, Denali, and Fairbanks.

The Alaska Railroad is best experienced when combined with other travel plans. Splurge for upper-class seats, which often have a glass-domed railway car from which you can see the grandeur of Alaska pass by unhindered. You can take the train to and from Denali National Park, or you can take it down to Seward to visit Kenai Fjords National Park.

Established: 1903

Length: 1,056 km

Ticket price: from $171 to $441