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Alaska Railroad Aurora Winter Anchorage to Fairbanks One Way

Alaska Railroad Aurora Winter Anchorage to Fairbanks One Way

Overview

Experience the splendor of winter in Alaska from the comfort of a warm railcar, complete with comfortable seats, large picture windows and onboard dining. The Aurora Winter Train travels between Anchorage and Fairbanks, making the northbound 12-hour journey on Saturdays, as well as select mid-week departures (Tuesdays and/or Thursdays) December through March. Flagstop service is provided along the 50-mile stretch of roadless backcountry south of Hurricane Gulch.

While the Aurora Winter Train travels the same stretch of tracks as the summer Denali Star Train, the views are strikingly distinct; the vibrant colors of Alaska’s summer landscape give way to the quiet serenity of pristine snow. On a clear day, a spectacular view of Denali rises into view above the Susitna River. And anywhere along the tracks, a watchful eye may be rewarded with the sight of a moose in the wild.

City: Anchorage

Sun 23 Feb

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $232.54

Make a reservation

Sun 23 Feb

Starting at $232.54

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Optional dining and snack bar

Comfortable reserved seating in non-smoking cars

One-way rail transportation from Anchorage to Fairbanks

Baggage services

Additional Info

Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Infants (0-1) may be added to a reservation as lap children (not requiring a paid, reserved seat) but they must be registered in the booking. To register an infant as a lap child, please indicate so in the “Special Requests” option in the final checkout and include the infant’s name, age and gender.
Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
Regularly sanitised high-traffic areas
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitised
Guides required to regularly wash hands
Please visit our Coronavirus (COVID-19) Passenger Information and Resources page: https://www.alaskarailroad.com/passenger-information

Cancellation Policy

All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (34)

The-TravellinDude

Oct 2022

Please note this review is for the Winter Anchorage Train. It averages around 100 riders on the weekend whereas the summer Denali train averages between 200 and 300 people per day. Hopefully this will also answer a lot of questions other people had about the Alaska rail service. Overall – great trip. We rode from Anchorage to Fairbanks which is about 12 hours. The 12 hours do go surprisingly fast because of all of the things to see. Staff was nothing but friendly from Pat in reservations to all of the people working on the train. Parking at the Station: Yes, there is parking at the train station right across the street. But at $25 per day you may want to consider taking an Uber or taxi to take you to and pick you up from the station. Arrival Time. Your ticket and their website will tell you that you need to be at the station at least 1 hour before departure because as a federal agency (trains) it is considered a TSA boarding station. We were there over an hour early. They say if you are not there an hour early you risk losing your seats to other people. This has to be an issue for the summer, fuller trains. We saw several people check in as late as 7:55 with no issues. Whether you have a ticket or not you need to check in and get your actual boarding pass. You will then get your assigned seat. When we made the reservations we were never given the opportunity to request a particular seat so I am assuming they assign them first come / first served. Regardless – do not sweat it. There is almost no difference between A or B car or where your seats are located. Other than the fact the people in Car A get to go to meals first, they are all the same with the same great views. There were no bag checks for security. Their site says that each traveler is only allowed 1 carry on and everything else needs to be checked. We followed this rule but many did not. Most had a carry on (purse / backpack / laptop bag) and another bag. Each car has a place to store the extra bags in your assigned car. You are also told that if you bring alcohol you are not supposed to drink it on board. Internet. They do not have but was amazed at the fantastic cell coverage and speed. In 12 hours I was without any service for maybe a total of 90 minutes. Phone / Laptop charging. Was pleasantly surprised. They have a phone charging station in the dining car that you can plug into at any time. There are also at least 4 AC outlets throughout the train and people had no issues me plugging in. There are also AC outlets in the back of the train that the crew had no issues with me plugging into Food. They offer a full breakfast, lunch and supper menu. The selections are nice and the food quality was good. You can also go to the dinner car throughout the trip and get drinks at any time. The only things they do not sell are snacks (chips, candy bars, etc). But you can bring your own and as much as you can fit in your carry on. Same goes for drinks as long as non-alcoholic. As far as alcohol prices, an Alaskan Ale is $8. Sure it is high but where else are you going to buy one on the trip. I have uploaded photos of the menus as of October 2022. If you have the time, it is a fantastic trip. You will not see the interior of Alaska like you do on this trip. As far as returning from Fairbanks you can take the train back the next day or you can get a low cost one way far from Alaska air. Some people had talked about driving back. The Alaska residents that were onboard highly recommended against it. Said that in good weather it would take about 10 hours to drive the 500 miles and you would not want to try it in uncertain weather. They also said that if you rented a car, every rental agency is going to charge an extra free to get the car returned to Fairbanks.

KimRoams

Jun 2022

We road from Anchorage to Fairbanks, through Denali. It was a cloudy day, blocking the Mountain View’s, so it was a long 12 hours. The food was just ok, not much selection.

K2003PLbrendah

Jun 2022

We rode the Gold Star Dome Train from Anchorage to Denali then finished our trip the next day to Fairbanks. Train was beautiful. You could get up and move around during the trip. Water, coffee, tea and soft drinks were free. Bar in each train car. Phone charging station was at the bar. Trip included bkfast, lunch and dinner with 2 alcoholic drinks. Food was served on linen table cloths on 1sr floor. You get an option for meals. Breakfast was eggs and pancakes, lunch was a hamburger/chips and dinner was pot roast/garlic mash potatoes, rolls and green beans. Got a healthy serving for dinner and pot roast melted in your mouth. I had beet and wine with lunch and dinner. White/chocolate moose dessert was served while in seats after meal. The scenery from Anchorage to Denali was beautiful. Trip was narrated. Passengers also were encouraged to yell out moose sightings. Saw several moose on the trip. Trip from Denali was scenic but mostly forest.