The Alaska Railroad's Anchorage-to-Seward route is one of the great North American train journeys, winding through the Chugach Mountains for 4.5 hours with views of glaciers, rivers, and wildlife that no road in Alaska can match. The train passes through Turnagain Arm — where bore tides rush in at remarkable speed — and climbs into mountain terrain that is simply not accessible by car.
The journey runs daily in summer (mid-May to mid-September) from Anchorage at 6:45am, arriving in Seward around 11:15am. The return departs Seward at 6pm. Glass-roofed viewing cars offer panoramic views, and wildlife sightings — moose, bears, Dall sheep — are common. The train is an alternative to driving the Seward Highway, which is scenic in its own right but not as dramatic. Tickets should be booked weeks in advance for summer travel.