Aurora Winter Train

The Alaska Railroad's Aurora Winter Train is the state's original wilderness passenger service — a seasonal rail journey connecting Anchorage and Fairbanks through 356 miles of remote Alaskan backcountry that has no parallel road access. Operating from mid-September through early May, the Aurora is one of the few ways to experience the Interior Alaska landscape in its winter state: a vast white silence punctuated by boreal spruce, frozen rivers, and, when conditions cooperate, the aurora borealis arching overhead through the dome-car windows.

The northbound Saturday service departs from the Anchorage Depot at 411 W 1st Avenue and stops in Wasilla and Talkeetna before continuing into roadless territory along the south shore of Hurricane Gulch. The train provides flagstop service through this backcountry corridor — the only way for residents of remote cabins and wilderness lodges to access the outside world during winter — before resuming stops at Healy, Nenana, and finally Fairbanks. The southbound return runs on Sundays. Midweek service (Tuesdays/Thursdays northbound, Wednesdays/Fridays southbound) is added from February through late March.

Onboard amenities include a dining car serving hot meals, drink service, baggage handling at the terminal stations, and a full-length dome observation car where the views across the Alaska Range and the Chugach Mountains are nothing short of cinematic. The trip takes approximately 12 hours in each direction, and one-way tickets from Anchorage to Fairbanks are priced around 65 per adult. For a journey that is equal parts transit and experience, the Aurora Winter Train ranks as one of the most uniquely Alaskan things you can do in winter.

Tickets and schedule updates are available through the Alaska Railroad website. The Anchorage Depot is located at 411 W 1st Avenue, open daily for ticketing and boarding.