The 8 Best Anchorage Train Tours

1.Alaska Railroad Anchorage to Seward Round-Trip Same Day Return

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 371 reviews · 14 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $226Our pick

You’ll ride the Alaska Railroad from Anchorage to Seward and back in one long, scenic day. Reserved seating, onboard narration, picture windows, open vestibules, and food for purchase make the journey easy. In Seward, choose your own walk, museum visit, meal, or separately booked excursion.

“Not given enough information about the return trip and missed the train coming back. The information was not on my itinerary.”

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2.Bears, Trains & Icebergs Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 133 reviews · 7 to 9 hours (approx.) · from $392Top rated

You’ll ride roundtrip from Anchorage or Girdwood, tour the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, then raft near Spencer Glacier and float seven river miles down the Placer River. Guides such as Alex, Kyle, Alesha, and Quin lead the day, with lunch and snacks included.

“Getting out on the water and close to the water! The guides were very knowledgeable and fun to talk with 😃”

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3.Alaska Railroad Anchorage to Seward One Way

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 127 reviews · 4 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $133

Board the Alaska Railroad’s Coastal Classic at 6:45 am in Anchorage and reach Seward at 11:15 am. Enjoy reserved seats, large windows, open vestibules, onboard narration, and food for purchase while the train follows Turnagain Arm toward glaciers, waterfalls, wildlife, and Kenai Fjords country.

“Some of the best views we had so far, would recommend this as a must for visiting Alaska. Food on the train was very good also”

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4.Alaska Railroad Anchorage to Denali One Way

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 81 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $205

Take the 8:20 am Alaska Railroad from Anchorage to Denali, arriving about 3:40 pm. Your reserved seat, onboard narration, large windows, and optional dining make this an easy way to reach the park while watching the Chugach Mountains, Susitna River, Hurricane Gulch, Broad Pass, and Healy Canyon roll by.

“Very scenically and beautiful trip, we enjoyed every minute of it, we also let le the guide that was telling us everything about every place we saw.”

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5.Alaska Railroad Aurora Winter Anchorage to Fairbanks One Way

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 57 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $259

You travel from Anchorage to Fairbanks aboard the Alaska Railroad, leaving at 8:30 am and arriving around 8:00 pm. Expect reserved seating, big windows, onboard snacks and dining for purchase, winter views of Denali, Hurricane Gulch, the Nenana River, and possible moose sightings. Commentary may come from Andy and Laura.

“Constant beautiful views and the whole team on board were super friendly. Andy and Laura were lovely and kind and provided funny and informative commentary of the landscape around.”

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6.Winter – Alaska Wildlife Center with Alyeska Tram

★★★★★★★★★★3.0 · 19 reviews · 6 to 7 hours (approx.) · from $129

From Anchorage, ride south through Portage Valley to see bears, moose, bison, and elk, then reach Alyeska Resort and its 2,300-foot tram. Expect a small group, guide commentary, wildlife photos, and about six to seven hours on the road. Confirm the tram and guide details before booking.

“Alyeska itself is beautiful and fun, especially if you don’t have a lot of time but want a quick getaway from Anchorage. This really isn’t a tour, though, more like a group Uber ride. You’ll stop a couple places along the way, but mainly you’re just taking a van to Girdwood. When we got out the driver just told us when he’d be back to pick us up, but didn’t really offer any guidance on where the shuttle to Alyeska was, what it looked like, how often it ran, etc. We figured it out, but you’d think they could at least include a schedule or picture of the shuttle. Something.…”

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7.Girdwood: Bears, Trains, & Icebergs Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 6 reviews · from $382

Start in Girdwood with a guided visit to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, then ride the Glacier Discovery Train to Spencer Glacier. Float among icebergs on Spencer Glacier Lake and continue seven miles down the mellow Placer River. Lunch, snacks, boots, and safety gear are included.

“The train ride from Anchorage to Girdwood is quite an experience. You drive directly along the Turnagain Arms. The train even stopped briefly at Beluga Point because you could see beluga whales. You could skip the Wildlife Center because you only see very few of the animals and you are mostly just driven through by bus (hence 1 star deduction). The absolute highlight is the dinghy ride on the glacier lake in front of the Spencer Glacier through a number of small icebergs and the subsequent trip on the river until the train picked us up again after more than 2 hours on the open road. 5 stars+ for this.…”

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8.Alaska Wildlife Center and Turnagain Arm Tour w/Alyeska Tram

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 5 reviews · 4 to 6 hours (approx.) · from $109Best value

Travel from Anchorage along Turnagain Arm to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, then continue to Girdwood for free time. AWCC admission and transport are included. Alyeska Tram tickets and your return Girdwood Express ticket are extra, so plan those costs before departure.

“Canceled trip because leave times changed and did not fit into our schedule and was harassed all night long via text messages”

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