Seward to Fairbanks, AK

August 6-7, 2021

Friday August 6th, Heather, Inga, Helena, Martha and I boarded the Alaska Railroad Coastal Classic for a 4 hour trip to Anchorage.

We traveled thru the Kenai Mountains viewing glaciers, beautiful forests and remote lakes. This was an unforgettable experience. We were able to just sit and enjoy this spectacular wilderness from our large picture windows.

Going around curves we could see the engine.

The conductor would slow down when there was something of interest to view. A narrator alerted passengers of moose, eagles, osprey and Dall sheep sightings

Heading into Anchorage we had the Chugach Mountains on one side and the Kenai Mountains on the other.

Coastal Classic travels from Seward to Anchorage. The Denali Star travels from Anchorage to Fairbanks.

We arrived in Anchorage shortly after 10 PM. Our hotel, Anchorage Grand Hotel, was only a short walk from the train station. After a good nights sleep we were at the train depot at 7:15 AM to take the Denali Star to Fairbanks.

Erik, Lenny and Paul left Seward at 6 AM for the drive to Fairbanks. They would be taking the Seward Hwy to Anchorage and then the Glenn Hwy to Fairbanks. Our routes would intersect at several points.

Our 12 hour journey to Fairbanks took us through the Chugach Mountains near Anchorage, the Talkeetna Mountains and finally the Alaska Range in the Denali National Forest.

We stopped in Talkeetna to unload passengers. It is the point from which most Denali climbing and flightseeing expeditions depart.

Erik, Lenny and Paul were in Talkeetna when we arrived. Guess where they were?

North Shore Cyclery – we saw the guys waving at the train from here.

Our train car had a dome and the views were awesome.

View from dome looking towards back of train. The low clouds made viewing Denali impossible.

Bridge over Nenana River gorge. Our train passed below the bridge. The guys crossed the gorge on this bridge.

Once again the narrators were great at informing passengers when there was something of note to observe. There were sightings of moose, eagles, osprey and trumpeter swans.